razzles
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Posts posted by razzles
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Possibly because small children are very time consuming and tertiary study is nastily expensive.
It's fine for your relatives to be supportive, but if they won't be homeschooling your kids, doing your homework or paying your student loans if you have to drop subjects after the census date, their support is only pleasant words that could just as easily turn into bashing you for overcommitting or something equally unhelpful.
Many people around here are living life on the edge financially, emotionally and all the ways. It makes us cautious. We're not bashing you. We're just cautious.
Small children are time consuming, yes, hence (funded) childcare and not trying to cram it in around my time at home.
Expensive- I get free funding in Scotland.
I'm glad you guys are advising me to be cautious, but many of the posts seem like people think I'm doing something awful to my husband and kids by even considering it.
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I got my bachelor's and master's degrees between 2006-2013 and during that time I homeschooled 5-7 kids. Also, I had an internship then a part-time job for a year and half, plus my hubby got a job out of state and because we couldn't sell our house I was a single parent between 2009-2012.
None of it was easy but it was doable, with help. My kids ranged in ages from 4 to 16 when I started that spring semester in 2006, so I had older kids who could help out when needed. I used a strict schedule because I knew if I didn't that nothing would get done.
Some of my kids did got to public high school at that time so I wasn't homeschooling them. They were also all involved in soccer, public school and rec teams, and youth group/church activities. I felt it was important that they got to do fun things in the midst of all the craziness.
I waited until most of my kids were older because I knew I couldn't do it while they were little and needed me for everything. I'm not saying that you can't do it but it's going to take lots of help and support. You can't sacrifice your family for the sake of your education. Kids are only little for such a short time and they can't understand as well as older kids can why mommy can't do stuff with them or is in a bad mood because she was up until 4am writing a paper for a class. I will pray that it all comes together for you.
Thanks for sharing this. In that last paragraph you mentioned the staying up til 4am...this is something I hope to avoid having to do often by having childcare and support/plans in place but of course the unpredictable does happen. I do love my children dearly, but I enjoy them a lot more and play a lot more enthusiastically when I have had a little time and life with other adults. I am hoping that by doing this I can help balance out that. Maybe that sounds awful but it's just the truth of how I work. I have been at home for 7 years and I miss my own challenges and achievements. When I have that going on I'm a much better mum in my experience!
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Can your children attend the after school hours on days you are not university? If so, you could shorten your university days and study every afternoon. Only suggesting this because sometime one can only study for so long without needing a break. For example, if I were taking a math class, I could not go to class, study, and work all the practice problems in the same day without a long break. But then again that is just me...
Also, can you homeschool your dd on the weekends a bit? That way on the two mornings you are gone, you know you have covered everything she needs.
The plan seems fine for the time while there is only child at home with hd to homeschool, but you will need to reevaluate his ability as more kids join him during his workday. My dh cannot multi-task. Maybe yours can.
Yes I've considered the after school club as an option when they reach school age, however with having two pre schoolers I think, think, it will work better for us to do the two full days right now. It means we are together all day on my days off uni.
My husbands work is of a project nature so sometimes he has little to do unless a problem arises, other times he has more. That's where we would factor in some extra work with me as needed. At the moment we complete all our work in the morning so if there was a need to catch up we do have afternoons and weekends free to do so.
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Also I'm wondering...
Why would the kids be "better off in school than with someone who implements lists" and what does that even mean? I have a plan for this next year but no where have I said I wasn't interested in helping my kids pursue their own interests.
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I don't know if you're already there in you're mind, but you're describing ADHD. What are you going to do if your kids also have your energy and bent and need very customized experiences to reach their full potential? It's not something you can hand off. They'd be better off in school than with someone who is implementing lists.
You notice you already succeeded in life so far without this... I'm just pointing out that your kids ARE GOING TO BE LIKE YOU. All this energy and restlessness you have, they will have. This need for novelty, to try new things, to go in unique directions, they will have. The LACK of need to push through a typical school system, they will have. They're likely to be like you, and your kids are so young you don't yet realize it.
I think that if you wait and let your kids get just a little older, you're *probably* going to get your socks knocked off by how busy they would keep you, each going in their unique directions. I think it's best to do the coursework at your best time of day. If you're a night owl, then taking a whole day off won't mean it gets used productively anyway. You might actually get more done carving out two hours a night if night is your most productive time.
And the issue of focusing fatigue is very real! My dd wears earbuds to stream her online college classes. She can do them at any time, and she can do other things while she listens to the lectures to help her focus. She can eat, move, take breaks, etc.
I can see why, with only one dc of school age, you're feeling bored. I just wouldn't underestimate how challenging it will get if your multiple kids all turn out to have as much energy and enthusiasm as you do. Can you do a class in summer term so that it's 1, 1,1 rather than 2, 1?
I was going to reply but you edited your comment. So I'll assume you didn't mean that part to sound the way it did. I understand that university is a different level of studying than school and self teaching so I want to be prepared for it.
Why do you assume I am ADHD? Because I am a SAHM that would like to do something else with my brain?
I am very busy all day, it's not about the amount of energy my children need from me, it's about my mental stimulation and potential career goals.
I thought this forum seemed pretty supportive of people in all situations- working parents, part time working, stay at home parents, online-students....
What is it about my situation that is making people get so upset? Is it because I'm putting them into childcare instead of studying online? Is it because I've admitted that I would actually *like* to do this for myself and have a little bit of a life away from my kids.
My friends and family have all been so supportive, I'm feeling a bit deflated by the response here to be honest.
I appreciate the points that need consideration so that practical solutions can be made, but I'm wondering why so many people seem to have the attitude that I shouldn't even attempt to make it work?
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If it becomes a problem we have other options before going for an all or nothing approach. I can also convert my course to full time at any time if I want to.This is the part that I would be very concerned about. My husband works from home (at a similar job) once in a blue moon and he really struggles to get anything done. Even one child can be very needy and distracting. Even if each interruption is short it can derail your train of thought often enough to really slow you down. Since my husband is the sole breadwinner for our family, I would not want him to be trying to multitask for over a quarter of his work hours each week.
If I were determined to get a degree at this stage of life I would put my kids in school and daycare (if it were free!!) and go to school full time for four years. Then I would get a part time job and start bringing the kids home as they hit middle-school age.
I wish you the best of luck.
Wendy
Also how is having children of middle school age and working part time much different than me carrying on with a degree part time?
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I have thought ahead and while I have many viable options I don't think that I can know for sure until I get there which option I will take.
First of all my husband wants to share the homeschooling workload so while the work he does will probably be lighter, since he is responsible for completing his own paid work on those days, it's not like I'm doing this all in my own.
The next two years I will only have one school age child. The year after that another one will join and two years after that my youngest will join us. That takes me to year 5 of my degree until I have three at home fully. I anticipate that by then I will be able to get more studying done at home vs now with toddlers hanging off me all day. We can schedule homeschool time and Mummy school time. With a youngest at 5 he will be much more able to understand that and of course the level of supervision is so much less than for a 2 year old.
My course is very flexible and I can work online as much as I want but for now childcare makes more sense. I can also take breaks as Sadie said.
I have a mum and an aunt who are reducing their work hours as they approach retirement and are very supportive of hs'ing. They would be delighted to take one of the younger school age children and spend the day reading, playing games etc.
Then of course there is the option of doing school through my own academic time off which is more than the kids usual school breaks. We can school all year at 3/4 days a week.
Loads of options I think. The main thing for me is to get a good start so I don't find myself behind with no wiggle room for life and kid stuff. And learn how to study effectively for myself which I'm sure will be a great skill to pass on to my kids also.
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I would be concerned that two days would not be enough time to complete your coursework. Even one subject has a way of eating up your whole life. What if the first lecture of the day wipes you out and you are useless for further study for the rest of the day? (I learned not to read linguistics papers first thing in the morning the hard way.)
One subject per semester is probably enough. But I guess it depends how much time each subject requires. I'm resuming tertiary study this semester and two subjects are considered full time, so I'm pretty worried about managing the one.
I am taking two classes the first semester (6 hours per week) and 1 class (3 hours per week) the second semester. I have to take at least 3 classes per year to attain 60 credits, which is the minimum for part-time funding. They recommend a total of 20 hours (study and lectures/assignments) for part-time and 40 hours for 120 credits (considered full time here, with 12 hours of lectures). I am not sure if the Scottish credits system is different from the US one, but for my degree the full time students will complete six classes over the whole year.
I too worry about managing the course load, but that in itself is not a reason, IMO, not to try it. I have been itching for years to get into something academic and my own projects, khan academy etc just aren't cutting it anymore, plus I want to work towards something that will help me in a career later.
I agree that I could be seriously wiped out by lecture first thing and struggle to focus the rest of the day, that's a reason I'm looking for advice on planning out my own work load.
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Your dh will find it easier to get clear work time if he spends 10-15 minutes with her at the top of each hour. Fill up her tank first, then set her up to work/play.
Thanks for all the ideas Sadie. This was the plan regarding his time. He can take quite a lot of small breaks if needed due to the nature of his work, so this kind of thing would work.
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I do wonder with regard to your restlessness -- is it young children mothering that is feeling mundane? I only ask because I personally struggle with that. I love my little ones to death, but they drain me and do not provide the mental stimulation my mind craves. Parenting and educating older kids though--that's the part of mothering that I love.
Yes, this.
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Thanks, I have already received the funding. Because I did midwifery before it did not count, as it was bursary based. My first degree attempt was so short (I realised quickly it was not for me) and mostly contributed to by my parents that I had little to pay back.
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Yes Sadie, I decided I was not the kind of person who could get it all done around the kids and nap time etc. I have run a business from home when my first was very young and I didn't like the way I was never fully with her or my business. I was always thinking about business when with her and vice versa.Being able to access online is great! So, on your two days, you'll be able to get your assignments done as well as your lectures ?
My two days will be completely dedicated to studying, and I will do it on campus. My other days will be about the kids and home only, the exception being exam prep where I might have to do some extra hours when the kids are asleep.
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That's a pretty long list of I wants that are dependent on everyone else, including small children, conforming their lives to your needs. I would revisit your contribution to others beyond yourself. If you are unhappy in your situation, it is possible that a change that doesn't meet your expectations will make you even more unhappy.
Am I reading this incorrectly or is this just kind of harsh?
A pretty long list of "I wants"? I want to get a degree so that I have a step up to working again some day. I also feel it would help me feel more balanced as a person which in turn would help me continue homeschooling at my best.
Everyone else conforming their lives? I think it's called compromise. Currently I conform my life to all of their needs. My husband is happy (excited even) to do some homeschool work with my daughter on the two days he'll be at home. And my 2 and 3 year olds get to go out and play with friends two days a week. Crafts, songs, sand play etc. It'll take some transition, but like I said...compromise.
"I would revisit your contribution to others beyond yourself."- what does this mean? That maybe if I focus even less on myself that would help? That I'm not already contributing to others?
I appreciate the honest opinions. If I really am wrong to do this then I want to know. But I thought about things rather carefully and came to the conclusion that for me to do this homeschooling journey well I had to find some balance in my life and not be with my kids 24/7. Does that make me awful?
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Ok so it's going to take me a little while to digest the response to this, but I thought maybe I should clear two things up.
First of all, I *am* taking only one or two classes. It's a part time degree. I will have two classes per week totalling 6 hours but I have booked two full days of childcare so that my days in uni will be solely about my studies.
Secondly, if the kids or my husband get sick I am able to access both my classes via their online system, either live or later in the day. As well as all the notes, discussion boards and my tutor.
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Hi everyone, I don't usually post on here but I have learned so much from you all over the last couple of years that I hope you can help me with some ideas.
Some background...
Now that my youngest is 1.5 and I don't plan on having any more, I have realised that as much as I have loved being at home with them all, I really need something else to do. I love home schooling and the flexibility but I do get bored if there aren't any new challenges for me. Pregnancy was one of those challenges I enjoyed, as is homeschooling...but all the other stuff is getting a bit mundane and I feel like I am losing "Razzles" in a sea of motherhood. I have quite surprised myself as I was set on this being my "career" until the kids left home but I have just not been happy with it this last year.
Anyway, I have lots of experience in different business and science areas and have found a degree that I think will suit me really well. I did not complete EITHER of the degrees I have started in the past, before I had children :crying: This sounds bad, however I do think that in the first case I was right to leave as it wasn't a good fit for me. I travelled, met my husband, got married, started a degree in a different field, then got pregnant! I tried to start again after maternity leave but they had cut the funding and there were no longer enough spaces for me. I still think this worked out well as it was in a medical field and I would have barely managed to work it around having kids, let alone homeschooling.
So here I am now, planning a rigorous education for my children with two flunked degrees under my belt. I want this to work. I need it to work for my own sanity too. I would like to go back to work when my kids are in their teens (part time at least) and would like to start working on something that will help me with that. It will take me 8 years to complete the degree (honours), part time at 20 hours per week.
I would really appreciate some feedback on my plans and tips from those of you that have been homeschooling or studying longer than I have.
Currently I can get funding for childcare (I live in Scotland, free education and childcare funding) so I have decided that it would be best for me to go in to uni two full days (8 hours) per week, even though my classes will only be about 6 hours total. There was an online option but I need to get out of the house.
The two youngest kids (2 and 3) will go to a local nursery and my husband will work from home (he is in IT) on those two days to supervise my daughter (6.5 yo/1st grade age/P3 here) with her homeschool work and then walk her down to the after-school club.
I would love some advice on how to work out homeschooling so that the time I'm at Uni she doesn't just do busy work, but at the same time doesn't need my husband so much that he can't get work done. He will be next to her at the kitchen table on his laptop, as she can't read fluently enough to be left to do worksheets on her own yet.
Here is what I plan to do with her next year on the three days I am home during the week -
Singapore maths 2A (we completed 1B over 3/4 of last year, and have been doing some refresher work for the last quarter). At 3 days a week I will be finished this book by Easter Hols 2017, which I think is technically ok since she is probably ahead for her age (2a US. Edition would be around 3rd grade in the USA, correct?) However if I could figure out a way to get 4 or 5 lessons done, as in the HIG lesson plan that would be great. I was thinking doing more one-on-one lessons on the three days, then mostly worksheets when she is with my husband. Ideas please?
SOTW - We are on the Middle Ages, not too worried about this as we only do it once per week. Can do additional map colouring with Daddy.
Websters Speller - I do this on the white board with her, so this is not something that would be easily done by my husband while working. Any good suggestions for complementary work that isn't just time wasting? She is not a fluent reader yet, and still sounds out most words, even some CVC words. We did Don Potter's Blend Phonics the year before which helped solve her word guessing (grr sight words, I didn't know better!).
Reading - we read from oxford songbird books, as well as some kindle primer/beginner readers each day.
Read alouds - Husband does these at bedtime so that works.
Handwriting - This is from a workbook. Not too worried about that.
Science - 1 or 2 times a week so fits into my days.
I guess it's the Maths and Phonics/Spelling I am most concerned about since they are quite teacher intensive.
Now the other thing is tips for actually studying well and looking after myself. I am clueless. I will have two whole days to myself (what is that even like!?!) and I plan on treating my studying as my job on those days, with a couple of breaks for food and a walk/gym use.
I have loved the advice on planning out the school year for my kids, breaking into weeks and daily tasks, but any tips on doing it for myself? What do I actually DO in those hours I'm at the library? :blink: I want to do this and make myself proud and inspire my kids to always be learning and following their curiosity but I have no idea how to do it!
Thanks in advance!
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I have found the frank s books to be a little different than the way things are presented in the official Singapore maths books. For that reason I prefer using the extra practice and intensive practice at a level behind or on level (usually just extra practice). We are only on 2b but have been using Singapore this way since 1a. I would say that yes, the textbooks are necessary and I would substitute them solely with extra practice books. They line up with the textbook. In saying that I do think that the extra practice book is also a necessity for helping concepts stick. A lot of reviews that complain that Singapore doesn't do enough review or drill are from those NOT using the extra practice books/mental maths (in the home instructors guide) and think that Singapore was just designed to be TB and WB only. Sorry for the ramble...toddlers having meltdowns.
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There's a great little ebook called the homeschool planning blueprint or something like that. I loved the method in that. Don't have time to write right now!
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My daughter is 6 so my main worry is trying not to do too much with her while being excited about our second official year of homeschooling.
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My daughter began to guess words some time during our first year and after a while of it getting worse I actually took some advice from Don Potters website and we stopped doing reading books and started doing the blend phonics lessons daily. It's not quite the same as your situation since she was guessing words from the context however I wanted to share what happened next. After even two weeks of just doing phonics lessons (which is about 8-10 words per day) and NO reading books (her reading to me, we still did lots of read alouds) she leapt ahead and the other day she picked up "The Foot Book" by Dr Seuss and read it all herself, voluntarily. I think my daughter was also getting tired and needed to slow down and focus more on the details so that she could get closer to being ready for fluency if that makes sense. Kind of like knowing number bonds thoroughly helps with the speed of other processes later.
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We started Singapore 1A for our first year of school and spread it out to cover most of the year. We are now on 1B for primary 2 (which falls somewhere between k/1st in the U.S. I gather) and we'll see how it goes. At our current pace we'll probably finish in the spring and spend the last part of the year with reinforcement games etc. Then if all is well we will start 2A around the beginning of p3 (2nd ish grade). I looked at Singapore math K level and it was just way too easy for her since we had already played with numbers and basic addition in her preschool years. It might be worth checking out if you feel K is too easy.
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In Scotland we have no legal duty to report to anyone, allow anyone in our home or keep track of the work we do. The only law is that parents are responsible for ensuring the child has an education suited to their age and ability. I didn't realise how lucky we are here until I started seeing posts about HS in the USA. I admire those that manage to homeschool while documenting everything and meeting standards.
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I have not used Saxon Phonics sorry. We had the same issues with 100 lessons (I honestly struggle to see how anyone enjoys using that book, but I know it works for some people!) and finally settled on the free program called Blend Phonics over at Don Potters site http://www.donpotter.net/education_pages/blend_phonics.html
It has been super easy to follow and each day we just write out the words as instructed on a dry erase board and make up silly sentences. It's really improved my 5 yo's blending skills within just days (before she was sight reading and if she stopped to sound it out she just couldn't blend it together at all). I ordered the printed version for a few pounds/dollars so it's easy for me to just open and see the lists of words for that lesson. I try to do as many of the words as we can comfortably do for each lesson. It is super simple and has built in review of previously learned sounds (like "those" on the day we learn o__e to cover th again).
It's so simple you can be as flexible as you want with it. I wish I'd found it sooner!
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I am reading this with interest as its a question I've been asked lots by non homeschoolers. What if she wants to go to school? In the past, when I was of more of an unschooling flavour, I would have said I'd let her go, secretly hoping she would never ask or that I'd manage to convince her otherwise. This was years ago when she was only three and I didn't send her to nursery with the other kids. Now in the last few years I have kind of changed my stance to one that is far more accepting of a parent having the right to say NO if it's not ok. I still don't know what I'd do at the time but I think if you take their feelings into account and still think it's not the best idea, then you CAN say no. I guess it really depends on your own parenting style and relationship but I think it should be said that its OK to make that decision for them.
I hope it goes well, my daughter is still only young so I can't pretend to have been there but I wanted to agree with the fewer posters who said that they would say no.
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I am reading this with interest as its a question I've been asked lots by non homeschoolers. What if she wants to go to school? In the past, when I was of more of an unschooling flavour, I would have said I'd let her go, secretly hoping she would never ask or that I'd manage to convince her otherwise. This was years ago when she was only three and I didn't send her to nursery with the other kids. Now in the last few years I have kind of changed my stance to one that is far more accepting of a parent having the right to say NO if it's not ok. I still don't know what I'd do at the time but I think if you take their feelings into account and still think it's not the best idea, then you CAN say no. I guess it really depends on your own parenting style and relationship but I think it should be said that its OK to make that decision for them.
I hope it goes well, my daughter is still only young so I can't pretend to have been there but I wanted to agree with the fewer posters who said that they would say no.
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I am starting a part time degree with three small children...advice please!
in General Education Discussion Board
Posted
Thanks for your reply. Yes my husband has tried this as he works from home regularly. He has homeschooled our daughter for a few weeks after I had our son and will often complete hs work with her if I have to take the others to the doctor etc. We obviously have not tried it full scale yet, but I do have back up plans if it proves a problem. Anywhere from having her do only her workbook based work on those days, to schooling year round to make up for those days, to having one of my willing relatives to take her on those days and do her work with her.
Yes I have been home for 7 years and have done plenty of interesting projects and learning online, however it really isn't the same as getting my teeth into a subject I'm interested in and achieving a degree. My avid crocheting and powerlifting have not done much for my future career prospects either.