You Probably Won’t Stick to “The Plan”
We homeschoolers have so many inspired ideas when we first begin! Who doesn’t love a new adventure, with a shiny new schedule to go along with it?I promise you, you will go “off course”. You will “follow a different path”. You will get “redirected”. It’s all okay. It’s necessary, and it leads to new adventures and new opportunities.
Consider This Fictitious Day
* 8:30 You and your children begin the day with stretching, exercise and/or prayer time. Everyone is smiling and well-rested. The bigger kids help make smoothie bowls for breakfast at 8:30 am while their younger siblings clean up their toys. Breakfast is followed by journal writing and free reading. Your group history lesson begins at 10:00 followed by a snack (which the kids prepare themselves) and a short free-play or free-time session for everyone until exactly 10:45, which leaves just enough time to fit in some handwriting practice before it’s time to involve the kids in preparing a healthy lunch.
* 11:30 Lunch We want to take advantage of all the teachable moments that we can, so involve the kids in every aspect of daily life. The children will take on the lunch prep, and the younger children are learning about knife skills. We are also going to have an opportunity to incorporate some math and reading into it! Sometimes we plan to cook special ethnic dishes if they correlate to the learning of the week, however, today’s focus is on a Paleo-style menu.
* 1:00 Team-work clean up. After lunch everyone pitches in to help clean up. The dishes, counters, table chairs and floor is cleaned to shining. Household work for a homeschooling family is a family affair. Mom does not do it all.
* 2:30 Read Aloud Time. Since the kitchen is now well-cleaned it’s time for everyone to help fold and put away the laundry that was started first thing this morning. The favorite part of the day is now when the whole family snuggles together on the sofa to read aloud from a current favorite. Vocabulary is discussed, and the kids each do a retelling, so that mom can assess comprehension.
Remember: This is a Fictitious Schedule!
* 3:15 Art. We know that one way to help our kids internalize the learning that has taken place today is to have the kids work on a painting, sculpting, or other art activity related to the lessons of the day. This is all done in a neat and organized fashion. Art supplies are located in the bin with the pretty label, and the kids clean all of these up afterward and put them away themselves.
* 4:00 Math. By this time the clock is ticking ever-closer to dinner prep time, and our shiny new schedule tells us that math must be done. Math lessons take place exactly from 4-4:50. Mom works with each child individually for 15 minutes, and then the children continue with practice on their own.4:50-5:15 Mom does grading and planning for the next day while the kids have play time. Mom needs to check journals, handwriting, history and math so she sends the kids outside to play.
At this point, today, Mom is not finished with her grading, and has not even looked at plans for tomorrow, but the kids are already asking when dinner will be ready. Mom doesn’t know, because she hasn’t planned for dinner and her day with her perfect, fictitious children has not gone as planned; the house is a mess, the kitchen tables and counters covered with paint and glue and glitter, and she can hear one child crying in the next room over her math lesson.
Mom sighs, feeling defeated. How is this going to work? That evening she starts drafting a new plan.
Can You Relate?
Can anyone relate? Personally, I have planned, and re-planned, typed up and handwritten, discussed, and prayed over, plans just like this until one day I realized:We probably won’t stick to the plan. And that’s okay. Your kids, too, will be okay. Read that again, homeschooling moms and dads! Send yourself a text with these words. Write it in lipstick on the bathroom mirror. Use this quote as your copy work for the day. Remember it. This is the number one most important thing for homeschoolers to know.
Following a Daily Rhythm is More Important Than Following a Daily Schedule
It is fine (and good!) to have a road map for your homeschool. Knowing your destination is important and necessary, and you can reach this destination even if you do miss a day, or weeks’ worth of math lessons for example. Sit down and think about what types of things you want to accomplish for that particular month, quarter, or even year. Write them down in broad ideas.
For example:
My second grader will be able to read short chapter books and retell the story through writing. He will have mastered double digit addition and subtraction.
What is a Rhythm?
A rhythm is like a schedule, in that following it helps everyone know what will come next. It’s important for both the homeschool teachers and the students to know what comes next, however, you don’t have to be tied down to an exact schedule. Remember, you decided to homeschool for a reason, and one of those reasons may have been that you wanted a different environment for your kids; including a different schedule.
Having a rhythm helps you remember that as long as you have a broad sense of what you want to accomplish that day, week, month, or even year; but happen get off-course because someone got strep throat, or a sprained ankle at soccer practice, or you had company down from up North, you will be more likely to be able to go with the flow of whatever life throws at you. And remember, on days when you feel like you can’t get it all done (or any of it done), simply sit down with your kids and read aloud.
Homeschooling is a Lifestyle
I’m just going to be blunt. If you try to duplicate the public (or private) school system in your home, you (and your children), will burn out quickly and you will probably change your mind about homeschooling. I have seen it happen many times. Remember: you chose to homeschool for a reason. You might want to write these reasons down and keep them where you can see them and be reminded regularly. So often we lose sight of the reasons why we are educating our own children. If you are not sure anymore of the reasons why you chose this lifestyle, perhaps a homeschooling mission statement would help you clarify?
Homeschooling is a lifestyle, because homeschooling families do not live like other families whose kids go to either public or private brick and mortar schools.
Generally, some of these differences include:
1. Homeschooled kids are exposed to “real life” situations earlier and more often than their non-homeschooled peers. This is what homeschooling families call “real world learning” and isn’t this what our schools are trying to prepare kids for?
2. Homeschooled kids are often more mature in social situations and have a larger vocabulary than their peers who are not exposed to these real world situations.
3. Homeschooled kids spend more time with their families, and are exposed to, and participate more in the household activities. All these things and more, help prepare our children for the “real world”; a world that is made up of more than a group of same-age, often same-sex peers.
What About Doubt?
When you doubt yourself, please go back in time and remember all the reasons you chose to homeschool in the first place. Write them down. Go back to your mission statement and remember what your homeschool goals are. If necessary, change them. Hold a family meeting and revise and revamp. Talk with your core support group, or sign up for our low-cost mentoring program. Get it out of your head, and move on with revitalized purpose, or with a new plan, but above all, talk about it! You are not alone.
It’s Important to Celebrate Success
You will also look back on each year and marvel at how much your kids have grown. Also, you will notice the importance of not only academic growth, but social and emotional growth as well. You will bear witness to your kids becoming amazing, empathic, self-assured people. Each success, whether it be mastering the division of fractions, or providing a listening ear for a friend in need, will be a celebration of the success of the lifestyle you are living. Don’t discount these seemingly small successes!
It’s Important to Celebrate Failures
On the other hand, your kids will fail too. Failures are also reasons to celebrate. That sounds counter intuitive, right? What I mean is, each time your child fails at something, it is a learning opportunity. We must let our kids fail at certain things, and not rescue them. For example, let’s say your high schooler has an important assessment coming up. This student has procrastinated and has not done his best work and now the time is running out. Do you run to his aid? Or do you allow him to suffer the consequences of poor time management? Each lesson learned this way, is a success and a good prep for not only future college work, but for life in general. Don’t discount failures! They are successes in disguise.
Please revisit this list of the most important things that homeschoolers should know often. It will re-inspire and sustain you. Share it with all of your friends. All of us fall into the homeschooling doldrums every know and then. Remember these things can help lift us up!
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Wow, Wow, wow! What great advice and so practical and easy to implement. I think the phrase “keep it simple” has new meaning now. Certainly a great reminder of what is important to remember on this wonderful homeschool adventure. Also , i think if you don’t get something done in the day, then just come back to it the next day with a new perspective. Also when a child reaches stopping point on an assignment, it is best to stop without trying to plod on so that he can process what he has learnt so far. Thank you so much, I really enjoyed this post!
Great post! Yes, I had anxiety for about one second until I discovered something called “unschooling.” I researched it and said, “yes! this is for me!” So that’s what we do. Stress free, how learning should be.
Yes! We also unschooled for a while. I have a great respect for unschoolers!
I really like the idea of Rhythm vs. Schedule. It’s similar but different at the same time!
I really like your point about having a rhythm. Even though we don’t homeschool, I think having a rhythm in our daily lives makes a big difference!
We were lucky enough to homeschool until my son was 9 (then life circumstances dictated a change). I cherish those years of going with the flow, tuning into what the kids needed each day and helping encourage their tremendous growth both intellectually and spiritually. It’s a soulful endeavor to homeschool and your advice is spot on!
Thank you, Christy!
I love the freedom that homeschooling affords…freedom of schedule, freedom to travel, etc.
I admire you moms who have the discipline to homeschool. I just don’t think I could do it!
I love the philosophy you’ve outlined. I’m not sure home- nor traditional schooling absolutely trumps the other, but establishing a daily rhythm (and not being bound by the schedule) is so important regardless! Thanks for sharing.
You are one patient mom! When do you get you time? Anyway I think what you are doing is amazing! I LOVE the rhythm advice!
Great post. Most people don’t realize how hard it is to homeschool, even teachers. I just left teaching and now do private tutoring and I have thought about homeschooling but at this point I could not manage everything I have on my plate if I added that. My plan is to be able to homeschool within the next few years. My daughter is in kindergarten right now.
Homeschooling is hard work. It took awhile for my family to get into the flow of it.
I think that is normal, Laura. I say it takes about a year to feel like things are flowing the way you want them to. And just then people’s needs change: our own and/or our kids!
I don’t homeschool but I really do love the idea. So I do an extensive follow up on my girls when they get back from school.
Even though we don’t homeschool we want our kids to be on a better schedule. it helps them thrive better and would help us get organized too. 2018 here we come!
I don’t homeschool but I find many of these tips to be true just for parenting!
Great post and tips for moms who homeschool! 🙂
I have some friends who home school their children. Some have success stories and some have failures. One of my girlfriends just put her children in school and they were behind. My heart ached for her and the kids. I often wonder how could a parent who chose to home school and not do everything to make sure their child succeeds. It looks like even though you may have fallen out of rhythm at times, you always got back on track. I love seeing success stories like this one.
Kesha, I think that is why it is so important to have a support group. Homeschooling can be tough!
I homeschooled my daughter for a year when she was younger. It was very frustrating and I wish I had the support that there is now with homeschooling. More importantly I wish I hadn’t of given up.
Angie, the first year is the most difficult. My wish for every homeschooling parent is that they have a great support group! For the parents AND the kids!
Great post! As a preschool teacher, many of these tips are true in the classroom as well. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow and swap the plan…and that’s ok!
So true, Anitra!
It sounds like you are doing a great job. Admire your ability to do this and share with others. Valuable work.
Thank you, Verla.
Huge KUDOS to all that homeschool their children. Homeschooling lifestyle seems to take a lot discipline to follow through. My kids are in public school so I wasn’t that familiar with the homeschooling “day in the life of…” and it was enlightening to read through your schedule.
Deanna, that was definitely a fictitious schedule! It’s kind of a joke among homeschoolers; we all try so hard to create THE perfect scenarios for our kids that we can often take it overboard. Speaking for myself and others!
Props to you for homeschooling! Just reading through that schedule was stressing me out, haha! I much prefer the daily rhythm that you mentioned.
Stephanie, it was stressing me out as I wrote and edited too! haha But I used to think that I could accomplish all of that!
I am always impressed with moms and dads that homeschool. Great work!
There is so much truth in this post. We have been doing school at home since kindergarten, and it is a lifestyle and an adventure all its own. Even when we are frustrated, we are still grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow together.
My daughter and I miss homeschooling. Since I am teaching English in Spain, I had to enroll her in school. Plus, the laws here are different for homeschooling. It will be nice to re-visit it when we come back to the states.
Amie Laura, I have a good friend who taught in Spain as well. She loved it!