Although many tag homeschool mothers with the “supermom” label, the truth is that we are mere mortals like the rest of you citizens of Metropolis.  With this mere mortal status comes vulnerability to flu season.

Ah, flu season, the bane of a mother’s existence!  The bug sneaks in the door, usually with a load of library books or church bulletins.  It teases, it taunts, and just when you think it has left, it knocks out a child.  Not content with that, it comes back for take-down after take-down, not resting until no clean sheets remain, drawers are emptied of clean PJs, and mother is left a haggard mess, swearing to never set foot outside of the house again…ever! Then it leaves as quietly as it arrived, usually catching a ride with an unsuspecting deliveryman.

That grotesque scenario begs the questions: What happens in the homeschool when somebody is sick?

I can only tell you what happens here, in the land of the mere moral mom.

When a child is extremely ill, group lessons requiring active participation from that child come to a screeching halt.  If the child is just mildly ill, read-alouds and such can continue, while hands-on experiments wait.  Simple as that.  We’re already home.  We’re already on the couch.  And we’re already actively building immune systems.

When Mama is very sick or not home, group lessons requiring active guidance likewise come to a screeching halt.  There is no substitute homeschool mama.

I see your wheels spinning.  You’re doing the math, aren’t you.  If the flu goes through everybody in the family it could be two to three weeks without group lessons!  What kind of school is that?

Let me tell you what kind of school that is.  That, my friend, is The School of Life. (Insert dramatic music here.)

When sickness hits this family, especially when it hits me, everybody has to band together even more than usual.  They not only have to manage their own responsibilities, but they have a sick family member to tend as well as extra chores, meal preparation, and child care.  Even with those added responsibilities, they still must move forward with their studies.

But the teacher is sick!  How can the students move forward without a teacher?

You’ve been in the school system too long, my friend.

The primary educational goal on the agenda of most homeschool families is to teach their children independence.  (While our spiritual goals supercede our educational goals, such a character trait will serve them well in their walk of faith as well.)  A child that can progress independently possesses self-discipline and self-motivation.  Such traits will keep the child moving when “teacher” is not in the room.

That’s the abstract.  How about the black and white?  What do your children do when you are at the store or sick or sipping Shirley Temples under a beach umbrella on a tropical island?

My children “do school.”

They do math.  In our homeschool, children learn math through DVDs.  I “learn” the same things they do as they progress, so I am available for teaching points, guidance, and trouble-shooting.  (I even do some of the same assignments on my own to keep fresh.)  They can progress, drill, work assignments and do tests without constant hands-on focus from me.

They read.  The children read books (not textbooks) which require little attention from me apart from narration and discussion, known to the common world as book reports.  They work through history books, science books, biographies, literature, and poetry independently, most corresponding with the time period or subjects we are currently studying as a group.  Free online audio books are available for all. Even if I am unavailable, they can grow their knowledge through the carefully selected living books we keep at hand.

They study Scripture.  They are reading through portions of the Old Testament independently, and we study the New Testament and Psalms together.  I have yet to be too sick to listen to a chapter of Scripture as they read aloud in turn.

They practice music.  Hymns can be played and harmonized without me, piano and guitar can be practiced, and new songs can be learned as they wait for the next official lesson.  They can listen to the term’s classical selections without my input, making their own observations.

They follow through with their language arts.  The older four children pair off and give each other spelling tests, each child independently practicing missed words.  Weekly writing assignments and daily journal entries are completed and, when applicable, left for my correction and discussion.

They help each other.  Memory work for poetry, Scripture, and catechism is recited by some and corrected by others.  Readers take the time to read with non-readers or work through phonics when applicable.

They progress.  Nature journals, recitations, public speaking practice, copmuter keyboarding, sign language, and even Spanish can be done to some extent without me (although I have yet to witness the child motivated enough to initiate Spanish apart from the computer).  They can progress in every area without constant supervision.  If our situation necessitated it, the children would take online courses or step directly into independent studies at their various levels.  Perhaps in another season we’ll pursue those routes, but not quite yet. All this independence is alredy beginning to make me feel obsolete.

So what do you do?

I’m beginning to wonder the same thing myself.

Oh, about the tropical islands…such places are extremely educational, so my children, naturally, would come along.

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