At the end of a school year, it's common and beneficial to look back at those previous months of work and do a little mental review.

Was it a good year?

If not, why not?

And if so, what made it a success?

Of course, every year is going to have its ups and downs, its triumphs and its challenges.

But overall, how did it go?

That's the question we often ponder.

But the answer heavily depends on what you're looking for, how you define success. Today I want to share what Charlotte Mason

encouraged you to look for, as you consider whether you had a good year. Welcome to the Simply

Charlotte Mason podcast. I'm Sonia Schaefer. Most of us start a school year with great hopes and plans. This is the year that blank is going to happen. This is the year that little Joey is going to learn his times tables, or finish algebra two, or whatever.

But perhaps you got to the end of the year, and things didn't go as you had planned or envisioned.

Maybe things took an unexpected turn because of an extended illness or a move. Maybe you experienced a home disaster that upended

everything for months. Or perhaps you walked through a season of grief from a loss, or joy from a new

arrival, both of which require a lot of energy and time. Life happens. And when you're

homeschooling, that life happens very closely to the schoolwork, because it's all taking place

in the same location with the same people all day long.

If you are basing your idea of a successful school year on the number of books that you finished

or the number of checkboxes that you were able to check off, you might be disappointed when

you look back. But my friend, those things are

only a means to an end. The goal is not just to finish a book. You might read every single page

and none of it stick in your student's mind.

The goal is not just to check off every assignment.

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