The Ugly Side of Homeschooling

I get the impression from people that they think that homeschooling is a free and easy existence, alternating between painted little desks in a row and roaming through fields and forests. I think it really is somewhere in the middle. And it is also incredibly fulfilling and enjoyable (on most days!). But what most folks don't know is the tremendous amount of time it takes to plan for our "seamless" days and how much material we accumulate. So when one year is winding down, it's time to plan the next - and that's when all the books and supplies get a once-over. Once we chart a course for the new year, all non-essential supplies get the heave-ho. So while trying hard to acquire the things we need in the most economical manner, we have lots of tried-and-true items (as well as near misses) that need new homes.

So here it is - the ugly side of homeschool:



One room has been sacrificed for the effort - containing all the extras culled from the school room. And here are stacks awaiting sale on Amazon and eBay:



Most will go to the a used curriculum sale that happens in June.

Luckily, a lot of homeschoolers go through this late winter/early spring ritual and the for-sale items get a lot of attention online. It's just a matter of sifting through the piles, figuring out which items would be most desirable, finding where they can be sold, and then posting away. Later will come all the fun of packaging, mailing, and transferring funds from PayPal (instead of to it). But right now, I have a lot of work to do. Oh yeah, and we have school to do to...