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For over 5 years now I've researched homeschooling and have been homeschooling my little ones on / off. I always thought I'd homeschool, but my 7 yo is really enjoying school right now, so I figure I'll let him continue in ps and just be ready to hs if things turn bad.
My question is how you do it all??? Our days are so hectic when we AREN'T even homeschooling... sometimes I say to myself "Goodness, if I was homeschooling, we would get nothing done today" the day just flies by. I start to get overwhelmed. Perhaps I'm just not cut out to be a homeschooler and I should just accept it. Problem is, I think of myself as a homeschooler. Does everyone feel that "woahhhh things are getting overwhelming here..." feeling? Is that normal or am I just too nervous and anxious or too unorganized? I only know one homeschooling family and she just started a couple months ago, so I can't use her as a guide.
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Kelly, I think you are my twin...LOL
I thought about homeschooling too and I think I would be good at the actual "schooling" part, but I know the rest of it would go kupitz. I bought some homeschooling guides and they all say before you even start, your really have to simplify your life. I do have a good (internet) friend that homeschools some of her children. She says you just have to take the child's personality and needs into account when you are making your schedule. Her son is okay with getting right up in the morning and working through is studies and then having the rest of the day to do other things. I think it's all about having a schedule. Honestly, I do better when I write down a daily schedule for myself. If I don't I somehow just keep starting projects and not finishing them, starting another and being drawn somewhere else only to not finish that one either.
I had thought of homeschooling my oldest son. He has a hard time concentrating and settling in if there are any distractions. In the quiet of our own home we can accomplish so much. But he does like school (most of the time). And he has had wonderful teachers. Now that he is in school and my own nerves have settled, I know that that is right where he should be. Like you, I would not hesitate to pull him out and homeschool him if it goes poorly and I don't feel that his best interests are being met.
I also would worry about me doing well for him. Like I mentioned, I am a great starter of things. I can see me getting my schedule in order, having my curriculum ready and doing wonderful for a short time, but then I can also see life taking over and not being as staying on track like I should. I hope we don't get to a time when we have to go this route. But if we do, I'll do my best.
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First of all why are your days so hectic? You have to ask yourself that and simplify your life. Now of course you are going to have hectic days, but it shouldn't be everyday! The best thing about hs is that you can make the schedule. You don't have to follow the school times/format. Have errands to run, fine, after dinner work on your school work. Have a busy day, just skip a day of formal work, you can make it up over the weekend. When you homeschool your life and schedule changes dramatically! You don't have to go to the beat of the public school drum is basically what i'm trying to say. You also don't have to be "schooling" every day. Your kids learn all day everyday even if you aren't working on curriculum. Being overwhelmed at times is completely normal, everyone is sometime! Those are the times where you just have to step back and relax for a little while. even public school teachers get overwhelmed. You can also do year round school so you get more frequent breaks (we do this) and/or adopt a four day "teaching" schedule.
As for housework, I rarely get any done during the day just dishes and laundry. But having three young kids I've learned to lower my standards. Plus when Jenna is done nursing that should free up alot of time for me to get more done.
I'm not the most organized person, but I have learned it makes the day run much smoother! I make up a basic schedule for the week and add, move, cancel activities as needed. I'm not much a list follower, just go by what the kids are interested in mainly. Meaning, I might have pattern blocks written down, but they rather play with geoboards instead so no big deal we just do geoboards. With homeschooling you can change anything and everything to suit your children and your family!
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LOL Treehugger (my twin )!
Yes... I'm a great "starter" of all things.. then I get in a slump and seem to lose focus! Maybe I'm adult ADHD LOL! I think the hardest part for me would be keeping up with the house. And I don't know but one homeschooler, so I think I'd start to feel isolated. There are support groups, but my friend who is actively looking for a good support group keeps telling me how they aren't meeting her needs etc... they are all not quite right. I have not been able to get my fears and worries in check enough to take the plunge. DH is supportive of whatever I would decide, which is nice!
In the meantime, I still do lots with the kiddos and always think of enriching things to do with them. We are a family that loves to learn all the time. DH and I are bookworms (which explains why my oldest son is the same...) I think my "dreams" of homeschooling don't quite match up with the reality of it... and that's probably what I fear the most.
I am so impressed/envious/full of admiration for those who homeschool...
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I seriously think that almost all of you "homeschool" your preschoolers. I bet all of you that are SAHM do homeschool type things with your preschoolers without even thinking of it as such. You do art activites, puzzles, read, sing, take them on outings, bake, play games. All are preschool learning activites. I think you have to be a little more organized and structured when the kids hit around first grade level. Then you get to where there are certain things that have to be taught (reading, math) then it gets a bit more complicated.
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There are so many materials and support groups for homeschooling these days- I feel like any one who really wants to do this can. Is it easy? No, not all the time. But in regualr school kids also have bad days. They also have assemblies, fire/terrorism drills, field days, equipment malfunctions (remember sitting in class while your teacher tried to get the VCR or film reel going but couldn't?) that take up time without teaching much. So school days aren't perfect, either.
As far as getting everything done, I figured out long ago that in order to get things done, you have to be at home to do them. If you don't want to spend a good chunk of time at home, you aren't going to have a smooth running house.
What steals my time?
1. Running around to stores bargain hunting (although I've come a long way on that one).
2. Poor planning that leads to multiple trips to the grocery store, to the library to return books, etc
3. Overscheduling kids activities. Sheesh- I remember the day I woke up and realized things like Gymboree classes and Kindermusik are for the mommies, not the kids. Let's face it- 9 month olds don't really interact or play together; they do share germs, though.
4. Laziness- sheer laziness on my part. It's a fault I have that I work on.
I guess in my mind I either want to do it, or I don't. If I truly want to, I will find a way. If I can come up with a million excuses not to, then my heart's not in it- I'm not committed. If i find myself drifting into the "The house is a mess; we aren't getting anything done mode", I go back to my check list above and see which of the usual suspects is causing me to veer off target this time.
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OK guys, here's my 2 cents on the matter. I have 5 kids, 3 are school age, 2 are little. The big thing I haven't heard anyone else mention is, I don't do it all. My kids all have daily and weekly chores. It can all get done if you work together. I start with teaching my kids chores at 2 1/2 or 3 years old. They can pick up and put away at that age. Besides most likely they are the one who made the mess. So all the kids have chores that get done. We keep a schedule. Since we don't have the morning rush out the door get on the bus rush, that makes it much easier. So our general schedule is get up, breakfast, morning chores (while I'm doing my chores they do theirs) then we hit the school work till lunch time (which I try to either have something slow cooking in the oven, or the crock pot going, put together while I was doing my dishes in the morning for my chore. Then a break for the kids while I do up the dishes from lunch. A quick tidy up of the house and back to schooling until snack and outside hour for the kids, in for finishing up on any schooling we didn't get done, or free time if the kids worked well and got all their school work done. Then it's supper time, another tidy up time and laundry folding for me, bath and snack time for the kids. Then we read together for an hour and it's off to bed for the kids. I do one more tidy up and I get a little down time to nurse the baby and put the two little ones in bed and then I can relax a little. I usually have several loads of laundry each day, that I work on, which I can go alternate between washer and dryer and put in baskets until folding time. I just go do that while the kids are working on some school work. We take breaks and prepare ahead. Like someone else said, we don't have the hurry up gotta get up and catch the bus, gotta get dressed, pack lunches. OK we get dressed, but you know what I mean. The point I'm making is that my kids do a lot of the housework and yardwork as well. I don't have to be super Mom, because they are expected to do work as well. Once they are taught to do chores, I no longer have to oversee that it is done right, and I can do the other things that need done. So the work gets done faster, and frees me up to do the things that need done. As the kids get bigger, there are more and more things that they can do to be a productive part of the family. They will all be self sufficient, and self reliant. I expect my boys to learn to do laundry, cooking and all the traditional household chores, and my girls to learn to mow the lawn and do basic repairs, so that they can take care of themselves when they are out on their own. That's just my two cents though.
Tonya
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I'm with Tonya, I have a schedule of daily and weekly chores that the kids and I do. We have a set time that we start school and when we do the daily and weekly chores. We too don't have the rushing out the door early in the morning so we can be a little more relaxed when we start our day. I make out a monthly menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner so I know what I need to put out before I go to bed. I hope this helps.
Blessings,
Karen
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I might add that homeschoolers don't have to add extra time in their day for getting everyone in line to march down to the cafeteria for lunch, or out to the playground for recess, or to the office to buy lunch tickets, etc. If you consider the actual teaching time in an average public school day, it isn't very much. Don't think that you have to schedule 6 or 8 hours of "classwork" everyday for your children. Many days we finish regular classwork in just a few hours. Our philosophy is to learn by experience, not to learn by sitting at a table doing worksheets. You'd be surprised how easily chidren pick up things when they are fun and interesting. When you homeschool, each and every moment is a teaching moment. Don't misunderstand me. Bookwork is important, too. I just think that sometimes there is a common misconception that homeschoolers must mimmick the public school form of teaching. The only reason public schools teachers teach the way they do is for crowd control. Just something to consider.
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You guys are amazing. Makes me want to send my son to your home!