Why do you choose to suffer like this?

[NewIma]

All right, so I was homeschooled so I shouldn't have been so naive coming into this, but homeschooling is horribly, awfully, miserably, want to tear your hair out hard. Sure, there are blissful glorious days when I pat myself on the back for the amazing job I've done and I revel in my child's curiosity and brilliance. But most of the time, I am lucky if my day is only somewhat miserable, and at least half the time it is flat out awful. 

 

There is no way to predict it either. It all depends on her mood. Will she happily do her work? Or will she challenge me on EVERYTHING? Will she be interested or decide that her brain isn't working and she doesn't remember how to do math problems she has been doing for weeks?

 

Plus, then I have my dd3 who totally gets the short end of the stick because her older sister totally consumes all of my time and energy,

 

Before I had kids I worked in adult foster care. When I was working I was completely responsible for 4 adults with advanced dementia. I would arrive at 6 am, make breakfast, get each person up, bathed, dressed, and hair done. I would strip sheets on most of the beds and get laundry going. I would do the dishes and give everyone their medications. I would sweep and vacumn, I would dust. I would take everyone to the bathroom every hour. I would fold laundry. I would make and feed everybody lunch. All of these things everyday. And you know what? That was a million times easier than homeschooling. 

 

Why do you homeschool when the day to day reality sucks so much?

 

[Ellie]

The day-to-day reality didn't suck for me, either. Sorry you're having such a bad go of it.

[SebastianCat]

How old is this child?   What curricula (and what levels) are you using?   Can you give some examples of situations you're describing?    

 

Just like every other profession, homeschool parents should do some evaluation at regular intervals.    What's working?   What isn't working?   Then try to uncover the "why" of what's not working.   Sometimes a change of curriculum, a change of approach, an evaluation for visual or learning problems may make a world of difference.

[lea1]

Maybe it would help if you would share how old your older daughter is and what you are using in your homeschool. What does a typical day look like at your house?

 

We have some days that are yuck but, fortunately, they are few are far between.  It is usually when someone did not get enough sleep (maybe because said person woke up to see the red moon:) and that can throw off the mood and attitude for everyone involved.  But most of the time we enjoy our homeschooling together, although don't get me wrong, if my sons did not have to do school work, they would be cheering.  But they usually have a pretty good attitude about it these days (since they tried public school for one week last January:) and are pleased to see their progress.

[NewIma]

Your children all do their work without complaining and whining?

 

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

 

 

If the day to day sucked we wouldn't be homeschooling. It's not worth being miserable.

[Alte Veste Academy]

My worst days are due to parenting problems, rarely actual homeschooling problems. Maybe focus on discipline and relationship and school will fall in line?

[freesia]

Homeschooling can be really hard--but usually when it is as hard as you are describing, it is a red flag that something needs to change.

 

How old is your child? If she is 5 or 6 are you expecting too much sit down work? In a 5 year old, for example, some of what you are describing is really normal behavior. When one of my 5 year olds acts like his or her brain isn't working, I usually finish the lesson and then read a book, or go outside. We try again later.

 

If challenging you is a behavior issue that you deal with, I would encourage you to work on this as a discipline issue--but not in connection with school. You are right, in order to homeschool your child can't be challenging you all the time. If you get that in order, it will be easier. That's why I say finish the lesson you are working on so she doesn't get the idea that challenging works.

 

You do need to make time for your 3 year old. I don't think it's healthy for your older child to be able to consume your attention. Not know how old your oldest is does make it hard to tell you how to handle this part.

 

Also, make sure you are getting time for yourself. If you don't do naps or quiet time, I suggest having them go to separate rooms for at least 1 hour a day. Try to go out with a girlfriend once in a while.

 

But, really, hugs.

[73349]

I'm not suffering. If you are, this is a good time to consider changes.

 

The changes might be just your expectations (that you will have cooperation on everything--you're working with a 7YO, right?); they  might be your curriculum and/or manner of homeschooling (which will require some insight and reflection on your part, but we're glad to help if we can!); if those two don't work, it might be picking another educational option. But don't go along thinking your homeschooling days are supposed to be rotten and miserable.

[KrissiK]

Yes, homeschool is difficult, and I, too, have a very difficult child, but I really am not miserable. Tired most of the time, but not miserable. Maybe you shouldn't let what your child is choosing to do or not to do affect you so much. If my kids are being particularly difficult, I just send them to their room with or without schoolwork and go about my business. If your child is not special needs and if there's nothing else coming in to play here, and it's just a power struggle, then just pull out the old, "you're going to sit here until this work is done. And if you choose to just sit there and pick your nose all day, then that's all you're going to do!"

[NewIma]

We do a wide range of subjects everyday, but we do each one for a very short time. 

 

ETC- 2 pages (10 minutes)

OPGTR- 1 lesson (5 minutes)

Geography Workbook- 1 page (10 minutes)

Building Thinking Skills 1 page (5-10 minutes)

R&S spelling 10 minutes

MIF approximately 15 math problems  (20min.-1 hour depending on focus)

WWE 10 minutes

FLL 10 minutes

Italics 1 page 10 minutes

 

Then for read alouds we do:

 

Poetry

Bible

American Girl books

SOTW

Science book from library

literature read aloud

 

We live in a state with mandatory testing and I feel a lot of pressure to make sure that we cover all the bases.

 

 

 

[lea1]

My two just-turned 9YO sons will sometimes complain but that is more likely to happen when we are not in a good routine.  If they know that Yes, we are doing school every day (Mon-Thurs and then co-op on Fri) and Yes, we are doing every subject, then there are usually no complaints and no whining.  If we are out of our routine then there can be a lot of push-back from them.  For example, we just went through two weeks (not this week but the two weeks before this one) where both or one of the boys were sick and we could no do a full load every day.  So then it was kind of a negotiation of what we were going to get done each day we could get something done, with me making sure I prioritized what I felt was most important.  Then on Monday they were trying to get me to take a day off "because daddy is off that day" or trying to get me to do a smaller load of work.  I sweetly but firmly told them (again) we were back to full load and would not be taking any time off this week.  After that, they settled into the routine and we had a good week.

[freesia]

Your children all do their work without complaining and whining?

No, they are children and by nature immature. But I have a hard time doing all my work without complaining and whining--I am totally not into dinner anymore, but dh has an allergy that means I have to cook from scratch every night.

 

What we have is consequences for complaining. They need to take their work to their room with the door closed if they are complaining. If that doesn't work, I say, "This work is going in a pile to be done during screen time (instead of screen time).

 

My favorite complaining cure for chronic complainers is to get a 7 hour candle. I light it at the beginning of work time (the time I am teaching them--but you can get a longer one to cover independent work). As long as their is no complaining the candle burns. At the first sign of complaining or whining or eye rolling, I blow out the candle. No negotiating. I've used this with 2 children to break chronic habitual complaining.

 

Teens in my house with attitude problems do laps around the house--helps with the endorphins.

[El...]

Don't forget!  Learning how to act during schoolwork IS a learned skill of its own.  Maybe that was the lesson of the day today, or it will be learned tomorrow.... I hope tomorrow is a better day!

[NewIma]

I start doing the read alouds during breakfast and then once we are done with breakfast we jump into table work. I have been having us go straight through because last year I had trouble getting her to come back after a break.  Maybe that is something I need to revisit? When or how often would you break? How long would you break for? 

 

[73349]

If school is taking you more than a couple of hours, try staggering some resources (eg OPG or spelling, not both the same day).

 

My state requires testing, too, but no minimum score. Do you have to hit a certain percentile in your state?

[hornblower]

Also, how much do  you teach v. sitting a kid down, pointing to a page & saying 'get it? do that' ... Don't get me wrong, I've done that & there are times when it's appropriate but honestly, if you present it, make it a fun lesson & try to do it with them, it all goes more smoothly.


Also, it seems to me way too much writing. WWE & FLL & separate handwriting & ETC & OPGTR.... ? it all seems overkill.  It's been a while since my kids were at that age  (& mine are ld/2e asynchronous so I had to adapt tons of stuff) but this all seems too much to me....
 

[SeaConquest]

How old is the child? I'm mobile.

[Coco_Clark]

I homeschool because 8/10 days I truly enjoy being with my kids. That's the truth. And those 2/10 days it's hard I honestly figure it'd be just as hard if they were at school. I agree with others that daily "pull your hair out" misery is a signal that something is wrong. That is NOT homeschooling as its normally experienced. My guesses:

 

1. You have a generally sweet tempered and obedient child and you need to re-evaluate teaching style/schedule/expectations, ect. Aka, you have a homeschooling problem.

 

Or

 

2. You have a kiddo that could use some focused time working on attitude, obedience, and work ethic. Aka, you have a parenting problem.

 

Believe me, I've been in both places.

[lea1]

I start doing the read alouds during breakfast and then once we are done with breakfast we jump into table work. I have been having us go straight through because last year I had trouble getting her to come back after a break.  Maybe that is something I need to revisit? When or how often would you break? How long would you break for? 

 

I think going straight through without a break would be really hard.  We do spelling (AAS) and Latin (GSWL) together and they play a game for Latin and then I let them take a 30 minute break.  I set a timer that is loud and when it goes off they know we get right back to work.  Then we do SOTW history (Mon & Wed) or In the Beginning Science (Tue & Thur)  and read-aloud (I read to them) together. 

 

After that it is time for our lunch break which is an hour and half, usually from 11:30 to 1:00 or 12:00 to 1:30, depending on how our day is going and how long I read aloud to them.  They get lots of play time but we eat lunch in there somewhere too.  After lunch we split up.  One will practice piano while I help the other with math.  One may do his 40 minutes of read-to-self while I am helping the other with grammar or writing.  They do CLE math, Fix It! Grammar, IEW Bible Heroes for writing, read-to-self and piano practice during this time.

[OneStepAtATime]

Hugs OP.  I am sorry things are not going so well.

 

There are days when things are tough here and I am utterly exhausted and depressed.  But those are not every single day.  The bulk of the issues are that both of my kids are dyslexic and it has taken a lot of time, effort, money and day to day experience to find what works and what doesn't (and we are still in that process).  But most days go pretty well and we are all a lot closer and a lot less stressed than we were when the kids were in brick and mortar.  The biggest challenge besides the ups and downs of teaching kids that are bright but have learning differences is finding down time for me.  As teacher and mother it feels like I am always "On the job" so I have to make a concerted effort to carve out real downtime.

 

Your oldest child is still young, right?  Like 7?  Honestly, as others have said I would try to revamp things.  Cut back on the language arts.  Tackle some of these subjects with some fun hands on projects that the little one can participate in, too.  Do some fun math games (have you seen Soror's Relaxed Math thread?).  Go on field trips, listen to audio books while you build a tower with legos or paint a picture.  In fact, maybe do a fun art study.  Some great material out there that can cover history, science and art at the same time.

 

There are many ways to learn.  At 7, I would want to explore a lot of outside the box options so I didn't kill my child's enthusiasm for learning and burn myself out fighting her on it.  When kids push back, many times it means they are bored/overwhelmed/burned out just like the parent.

 

But if you really don't want to revamp things, and you are really, really burnt out right now, maybe you could consider a local school?  Nothing wrong with that at all.  Lots of kids go to ps and do great.  Even if it were just for a year or two while your little one matured and you had some down time...might be a great break for both of you and your daughter might come to appreciate homeschooling as a positive option if you wanted to bring her home again later on...

 

In the meantime, you really, really need to carve out some time for yourself.  Can you join a homeschool group that has mom's night outs?  Some provide babysitting services.  Do you have any friends you could go hang out with while someone else watches the kids?  Set a time each day where the kids go play quietly in their rooms while you read a book or take a nap or something?

 

Best wishes....

[Clear Creek]

We do a wide range of subjects everyday, but we do each one for a very short time. 

 

ETC- 2 pages (10 minutes)

OPGTR- 1 lesson (5 minutes)

Geography Workbook- 1 page (10 minutes)

Building Thinking Skills 1 page (5-10 minutes)

R&S spelling 10 minutes

MIF approximately 15 math problems  (20min.-1 hour depending on focus)

WWE 10 minutes

FLL 10 minutes

Italics 1 page 10 minutes

 

Then for read alouds we do:

 

Poetry

Bible

American Girl books

SOTW

Science book from library

literature read aloud

 

We live in a state with mandatory testing and I feel a lot of pressure to make sure that we cover all the bases.

 

What does she enjoy? Is any of it fun for her? I understand that some subjects are necessary and won't always be fun, but I am a huge fan of injecting fun into our school wherever possible. I also have pre-planned breaks during the day so my kids know that a break will be coming up at some point, whether they are done or not. They have to go outdoors during the break and they must also take a snack; both things help immensely with attitude and focus when they come back inside.

 

My goal is one hour per grade, so my 2nd grader does two (sometime 2 1/2) hours of school each day, and that is it. He knows he can be done by mid-morning and he will have loads of free time to do whatever he pleases for the rest of the day. That is a huge motivator for him. I also let him do his work in the order that he chooses, which usually results in him alternating a more fun/easy subject with a harder one.

 

I agree with the others who have mentioned that you are doubled up on phonics...let her pick one and stick with it (both have a good reputation and will get her to the same point)...I would also drop the thinking skills and geography and let her do them if she chooses as something fun, not something required. If her stack of stuff that must be done looks a little shorter, she might face the day with a better attitude. And last, when math takes a long time at that age, I split it up and have my son do half and then do several other subjects before tackling the other half.

[NewIma]

What if we switched to:

 

MWF

MIF

Spelling

ETC

Georgraphy

WWE

 

 

TTH

MIF 

Spellling

FLL

Building Thinking Skills

Italics (this is her request-she is interested in writing in cursive)

 

 

Ditch OPGTR?

 

Doing 5 table subjects a day instead of 10 would be a HUGE Relief.

 

What do you think?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[freesia]

What if we switched to:

 

MWF

MIF

Spelling

ETC

Georgraphy

WWE

 

 

TTH

MIF 

Spellling

FLL

Building Thinking Skills

Italics (this is her request-she is interested in writing in cursive)

 

 

Ditch OPGTR?

 

Doing 5 table subjects a day instead of 10 would be a HUGE Relief.

 

What do you think?

That looks really good. Since you are doing spelling, I'd probably drop ETC and keep OPGTR.

[OneStepAtATime]

That sounds much more workable.  Seriously, though, you might consider making Fridays Fun Day, or something.  Do review of what you have covered already but do it with hands on activities, go to the park, carve out spelling words in shaving cream or something.  Lighten it up for all of you.

 

For instance. we were doing a lesson on the changes that have happened over the last 200 years and how technology has affected us.  After reading, discussing, etc. I gave each of the kids a stack of little colored post it notes.  I had some, too.  We all ran around the house sticking post it notes on anything that runs on electricity (including battery operated).  Then they had to figure out what the equivalent of that device would have been 200 years ago or if the task it performs was even needed back then.  They went back and either wrote their answer on the note or dictated to me what they wanted on the note.  We gathered all the notes up and put them in a notebook then we discussed the changes again.  It was a huge hit and made a much bigger impact than just reading and talking.

 

 

[AmyontheFarm]

Your children all do their work without complaining and whining?

 

no!  They are children.  Given the choice between watching TV and doing a math test.  The TV would win.  As their teacher, I tell them to do their the math, if they whine, they lose TV time later.  Once they are done the list for today.  Then they can do things that they think are fun.

[Garga]

We do a wide range of subjects everyday, but we do each one for a very short time.

 

ETC- 2 pages (10 minutes)

OPGTR- 1 lesson (5 minutes)

Geography Workbook- 1 page (10 minutes)

Building Thinking Skills 1 page (5-10 minutes)

R&S spelling 10 minutes

MIF approximately 15 math problems (20min.-1 hour depending on focus)

WWE 10 minutes

FLL 10 minutes

Italics 1 page 10 minutes

 

Then for read alouds we do:

 

Poetry

Bible

American Girl books

SOTW

Science book from library

literature read aloud

 

We live in a state with mandatory testing and I feel a lot of pressure to make sure that we cover all the bases.

Hmmm.. my kids haaaaated ETC, OPGTR, FLL, and WWE. Haaaaated those programs.

 

I wonder if your sweetie is like my guys? It could be an issue of a poor match between child and curric. My kids would have fought me terribly if they had to do those currics. In fact, they did fight me terribly. Fortunately, we didn't do them all in the same year. If we'd tried those currics in the same year, it would have been pure misery in my house. Over the years, we've tried those and discarded them, but all in different years, so I suppose it wasn't pure misery.

 

Knowing what I know now, I would try to pinpoint exactly what subject/curric your daughter hates and see about alternatives.

 

Also, my kids greatly dislike their R&S grammar, but that's the one program I make them continue in. I wonder if they'd have hated R&S spelling. Your dd might be like my guys and those styles of curric don't jive with them.

 

ETA: If that's the case, that you need new curric, the problems tend to go away pretty dramatically when you find a good match. There's hope. Try something that's entirely different from what you're using and see if it helps.

[NewIma]

Switching out ETC for OPGTR makes sense. 

 

She doesn't mind workbook stuff generally. As I process it now, I am thinking that most of the problem may be too many subjects each day. 

 

The one subject she really really doesn't like is MIF. One problem we have been having is that I have been having her write out the problems from the textbook. When we use the workbook there is a little less complaining. She is also learning to subtract with regrouping 100s, 10s, and 1s and that has been challenging material.  

 

We did MM last year and she did well with that, but I'm not sure if the problem with MIF is the curriculum, or if it is just that subtracting and regrouping are hard. 

[NewIma]

I think she would like lapbooks, but the prep involved means my end of it wouldn't get done. It is good to know yourself right? :)

[NewIma]

It is such a relief to be talking to you guys about this and brainstorming ideas. I have been feeling so overwhelmed for so long. 

[sbgrace]

Both of mine would have melted down with that type of work (too much writing, just too many subjects altogether) and schedule (too long without a break) at that age.

 

 

Some initial thoughts:

1. How much can be done orally? I did WWE orally, with me writing down their words, for a long time.

2. I still do math right beside one of mine to keep him on task. We do a lot on the white board. If he masters the concept, I move on. If he doesn't quite master, I review and then mark it to revisit the next day. He would not be able to do 15 problems on a typical day. We use MIF as well. You can get her lessons consistently done in 15 or 20 minutes. Don't let her math take an hour. That sounds like misery.

3. I tend to break into 2 or 3 sections. Breakfast followed by math, break, composition, lunch, other (quick) subjects, break/snack, science/history/read alouds. Studies show even adults trying to pay attention tune out after 8 to 10 minutes. Even if you don't build in breaks, keep her attention span in mind. I used to do hard, easy (read aloud type), hard, easy etc. for example.

4. Can certain subjects be done less than daily? I would consider dropping some. I got mine reading well before we tackled spelling. I don't think you need Rod and Staff spelling at her age. I would drop that. I would think of dropping FLL too honestly. Grammar isn't complicated enough to need to start at 7, and I doubt it will be on the testing either. Is the geography workbook things she can't learn in life/from looking at maps, watching youtube clips, talking to you, etc? There might be more interesting ways to learn to read (Progressive Phonics is fun, effective, and free) Maybe you could do c-rods and education unboxed video ideas to teach the math concepts in a more engaging way.  Just some thoughts...I would think about possibly switching up curriculum to make it more pleasant. Thank about fun things you can call school--Magic School Bus videos for science, nature walks, creating stuff ala SOTW, art, etc.

 

 I felt a big part of school that age was making sure they had positive connotations with school/learning. Don't make it drudgery for either of you if you can help it. I'd stop for a while and sort out my approach.

[freesia]

It is such a relief to be talking to you guys about this and brainstorming ideas. I have been feeling so overwhelmed for so long.

I am so glad that you are feeling that way. Support is always a good thing. So many here have btdt with all kinds of kids, in all kinds of situation. I hope you have a great day tomorrow!

[Chelli]

I use MIF as well and I do not make my kids write out the textbook problems. They have a piece of scratch paper to write on if they need it, but for the most part I use a page protector, cut down one side, and slide it over the page in the book so they can write on top of it with a vis a vis marker. And, yes, subtracting with regrouping was difficult for my oldest as well. We practiced those a LOT!

[rebbyribs]

We had quite a few days like that in our first year of homeschool - maybe 1x per week for a while.  It's gradually gotten better though, and those kind of days are more like 1x per month now.  I feel like the tantrums and pushback was what happened when I pushed a bit on my daughter to do something that was hard for her.  I think she's matured some and had some experiences of becoming able to do something difficult through practice, but she still sometimes has rough days.  If this is the first month of your first year of homeschooling, I'd keep on with it for a while and be sure to talk up practice, persistence, and hard work - things that were really hard at the beginning of the year will get to be easier.  Interestingly, my 5yos are in their first year of homeschool now, and they haven't had the tantrums/ meltdowns.  

 

And yes, I think your revised schedule looks better - with little kids it seems best not to take long breaks and keep on with reading and math over the summer.  So just a little bit everyday should be good.

[rebbyribs]

Switching out ETC for OPGTR makes sense. 

 

She doesn't mind workbook stuff generally. As I process it now, I am thinking that most of the problem may be too many subjects each day. 

 

The one subject she really really doesn't like is MIF. One problem we have been having is that I have been having her write out the problems from the textbook. When we use the workbook there is a little less complaining. She is also learning to subtract with regrouping 100s, 10s, and 1s and that has been challenging material.  

 

We did MM last year and she did well with that, but I'm not sure if the problem with MIF is the curriculum, or if it is just that subtracting and regrouping are hard. 

 

Oh - we had trouble with writing out problems from the textbook (Singapore Primary Mathematics) last year.  I'd write them in pen and make a "worksheet" for her.  And I gradually switched to writing just some of the problems, and indicating with numbers where she should write the remaining problems.  We switched to MM this year and like the all-in-one format.

[sbgrace]

I was posting while you wrote a follow up post.

For MIF (which I didn't use at that age), we work through the textbook problems together. I use those to check for understanding. It's white board work/oral/etc. The only thing one of mine does individually is the workbook. I work through the workbook with my other child still, and he's 10. Math is best learned together. I mentioned C rods and education unboxed videos. It's ok to park for a while. Use manipulatives. Take your time. That's a really hard concept, and she's so young.

[JBJones]

dk

[ItoLina]

Switching out ETC for OPGTR makes sense.

 

She doesn't mind workbook stuff generally. As I process it now, I am thinking that most of the problem may be too many subjects each day.

 

The one subject she really really doesn't like is MIF. One problem we have been having is that I have been having her write out the problems from the textbook. When we use the workbook there is a little less complaining. She is also learning to subtract with regrouping 100s, 10s, and 1s and that has been challenging material.

 

We did MM last year and she did well with that, but I'm not sure if the problem with MIF is the curriculum, or if it is just that subtracting and regrouping are hard.

We use Singapore math, similar to MIF I think. Subtracting with regrouping took us FOREVER too. We could only get through a few problems a day sometimes before ds hit overload. I just had to keep reminding myself to stop when we got to that point and remember that it would be a lot more productive to pick it up again later that to force him to plow through it to get to my predetermined stopping point. Sometimes I split math into a morning and afternoon session and we were able to get in a little more. Also, I don't do this all the time, but sometimes I put worksheets on the iPad for my kids and let them write with a stylus pen...they love that. It's like this huge treat for them. Here are directions I found for doing it: creativelearningfun.com/2012/09/transferring-worksheets-to-your-ipad-plus-freebie.html Like I said, it takes some time for the technologically challenged (like myself, heehee), so I don't do it often, but it's nice when I feel like we need a little extra something to get us through our day :-)

[Haiku]

Ten subjects a day is way too much to handle. Just the amount of mental transition would be tiring for a child that young. I think your MWF/TTh schedule is a big step in the right direction.

 

My kids dont't, and never have, regularly complained about doing school. My son, for a long time, was not super engaged, and I realized that was my fault for choosing resources that worked for my daughter's (and my) style of learning but not his. I switched things up and focused on resources that suit him, and he has been much more engaged. But you know what? He'd rather not be doing school. He'd much rather play. I think that's normal.

 

I have found that on our bad days, I am generally the problem. I am negative and irritable and picky, and things spiral downhill quickly. I make a concerted effort to pay attention to my mood and not set a negative example.

 

If you are miserable, you need to make changes. Your daughter is young. It's not her responsibility to make homeschooling successful. It's yours. Best wishes.

[NewIma]

It is so hard because with the state required testing I feel so much pressure. Without that over my head I don't think we would have gotten to where we are. I am so afraid of failing her in some way by not covering all the bases. 

 

As I mentioned, I was homeschooled. I was the oldest and the experiment. ;) I am well educated and went to a prestigious liberal arts college where I did very well. My parents gave me that foundation, but they also left some HUGE holes. I don't want to do that to dd, but maybe I am overcompensating. 

 

 

[AimeeM]

Your OP sounds like you assume everybody's day to day sucks. Mine doesn't. I wouldn't homeschool if it did. How old is your daughter?

[Haiku]

My parents gave me that foundation, but they also left some HUGE holes. I don't want to do that to dd, but maybe I am overcompensating.

I went to a very good public school, and I graduated with a 3.96 GPA (in the days before you could get higher than a 4.0). The school left huge gaps, too. Don't be too hard on yourself.

[AimeeM]

I think she would like lapbooks, but the prep involved means my end of it wouldn't get done. It is good to know yourself right? :)

I'm the same way :)

I purchased a crap-load of them, and we haven't done ANY.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I like pain.

 

Kidding.  My day to day doesn't suck.  I do think homeschooling can be a lot of work.  Overall I find it rewarding though.  I distract myself from the parts I don't like by diving into learning right along with my kids.  Some stuff I pick is mostly because I find it interesting.

 

My kids have their moments, but I find once we get into our routine things go pretty smoothly for the most part.

 

 

[katilac]

Homeschooling is not for everyone. If I were that unhappy and stressed, my kids would be in school, definitely. 

 

lf you feel lucky most of the time when you are only somewhat miserable, I don't know that tweaking curriculum is going to do the trick.

 

I say that with supportive intent and with all sincerity. I know many wonderful moms who homeschool, and many other wonderful mom send the kids to public or private school. 

[Haiku]

I purchased an inexpensive lapbook from Journeys Through Learning for our Civil War study. The kids loved it, and the prep work was minimal.

[NewIma]

I think cutting 1/2 the table subjects we do each day is more than tweaking. I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet. 

 

[MotherGoose]

Hugs to you! She's in first grade, right? My first grade year with dd was hard, and I also had a 3 yo at the time. I think many people on this board will say they pushed too hard at first because they were scared. I know I did. I probably still do. Now, we are at 3rd grade and K, and it's much easier. Part of it is me, part of it is her. You are doing your best to cover the 3 Rs. You'll have her tested, when? End of 1st grade? She'll probably be just fine. Is she learning to read? That's the main thing at her age. What are the consequences if she does poorly on the test? Or are they not required till later? It will be okay. She's 5 or 6, and not many 5 or 6 year olds want to sit down and do work. Guide her to do it, but keep loving the little girl in the process. You've clearly researched and spent lots of time trying to figure out what's best. You're not just saying, "6 year olds learn all the time and when she's ready she'll learn to read." You are trying, and probably trying too hard.

[Farrar]

There are bad days, but mostly I'm pretty happy doing this, like many others are saying.

 

I think it's wise of the OP to revise her schedule, especially to get rid of those language arts redundancies, but I do want to caution her from revising out the fun stuff. When my kids were seven, the most memorable school things weren't phonics, they were making silhouette portraits, making a rock collection, going to Colonial Williamsburg, reading aloud tons of historical fiction, making a giant periodic table with household things containing the elements, playing Corners for math every day, doing Mad Libs...  My point is that these were the things that made school fun and not only were they enjoyable and positive on their own, but they also greased the wheels for the math and spelling and handwriting and so forth. Often when parents face resistance, I feel like the answer is not to cut back (sometimes, yes, but not always) but to double down, just on the more rich and connected experiences, not on the rote skill stuff.

[OneStepAtATime]

It is so hard because with the state required testing I feel so much pressure. Without that over my head I don't think we would have gotten to where we are. I am so afraid of failing her in some way by not covering all the bases. 

 

As I mentioned, I was homeschooled. I was the oldest and the experiment. ;) I am well educated and went to a prestigious liberal arts college where I did very well. My parents gave me that foundation, but they also left some HUGE holes. I don't want to do that to dd, but maybe I am overcompensating. 

Hugs.  Learning is fractal.  There is always something else to learn.  There is no physical way to cover every single thing that there is to learn in the world.  The public schools don't accomplish that any more than the most avid homeschooler with Profoundly Gifted kids could.  Don't panic.  I realize that is easier said than done.  Just step back and realize your kids are only children for a very short period of time.  Enjoy this time.  Cherish it.