Shelly in VA Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Please help if you can! I know it's late, and things always seem more bleak when I'm tired. But I'm thinking about next year, and I cannot get a grip on it. I went to HEAV this weekend, and alternately felt relieved, worried, reenergized, and daunted. Sigh... Here's the thing I can't quite wrap my mind around. Next year, my 4 kids will be pre-K, early elementary, middle school, and high school. That makes them all working on their own (for the most part); there is no such thing as a "core" that works for a 3rd grader and an 8th grader! In my mind, I know that if thousands of one-room schoolhouse teachers did this with many more than 4 kids, I can do it, but I just can't quite find a starting point. Maybe I just need someone to tell me it will all look better in the AM! Btw, my plan (today!) is TOG for history, ABeka for grammar, and, really, I'm not too commited to much else at this moment. Thank you!!! Shelly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly in VA Posted June 17, 2009 Author Share Posted June 17, 2009 I'm really not thinking clearly; I have an 8th grader this year, next year will be pre-K, 3rd, 7th, 9th. Sheesh, time for bed!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choirfarm Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Hi Shelly, I am right there with you and I only have 3. My schedule for next year is going to kill me, I think. Mine will be 9th, 7th and 2nd next year and we will be doing TOG year 3 and I don't have a clue how I will keep up with it all.. 9th grader: TOG year 3 rhetoric for history, geography, church history and literature Chalkdust Geometry Introductory Logic with DVD's Apologia Chemistry with Teaching Company videos and Microchem labs SWI- Level C for the first semester. It dovetails VERY nicely with the TOG curriculum. SOS Spanish I Piano with competitions 7th grader: TOG Year 3 dialectic for history, geography, church history and literature Chalkdust Pre-algebra Apologia General Science SWI_ level C with brother SOS Spanish I Piano with competition 2nd grader vision therapy Saxon Phonics and Explode the Code Singapore math 2a and 2 B WWE FLL TOG for history violin Don't have a clue or energy to figure out science, but I have TONS of resources: Backyard scientist, all elementary Apologia books, etc that the boys did throughout the last few years. Here is my tentative schedule: 8-8:30- I will be watching Chalkdust Geometry with my 9th grader, 7th grader will be watching and doing Chalkdust Pre-Algebra on his own and 2nd grader will be eating breakfast and doing her morning routine. 8: 30-9 Boys continue with math and I will do Saxon phonics and violin with the 2nd grader 9-9:30 I will work on science with one of the boys. Oldest is doing Chemistry so it may be going over module summary answers or making sure he has what he needs for experiment, etc. My 7th grader will be doing a real textbook with General Science for the first time so I will need to spell out my standards, help him read it, memorize vocab, etc. My 2nd grader has a break. 9:30-10 Boys continue to work on science. I will work on phonics, singapore math and FLL and WWE 10-10:15 Boys take a quick break while I continue working with my daughter. 10:15-12 Boys will work on English and History, though middle one wants to do Spanish in that block. However, Monday will be planning, and Friday I will need to have history and literature discussion with both of them. We will be doing TOG on the rhetoric and dialectic level. They are also both doing IEW intensive C. So I will need to watch the DVD with them so I will understand what they are supposed to do. My daughter will do her vision therapy on the computer as well as handwriting/copywork during this time period. Perhaps finishing math or doing some kind of math drill that doesn't need my help. 12- 12:30 lunch 12:30-1:30 My oldest will practice his piano while middle one does history or Spanish. I will do history or science with my 2nd grader. It will be TOG for history but I'm not sure for science. I guess one of the Apologia Elementary books I have on the shelf. 1:30-2:30 Oldest does Spanish I while middle one practices piano. I continue to do science or history with youngest.. Oh, literature with TOG as well. 2:30-3 Introductory Logic for oldest, Typing Tutor for middle .. I may collapse At 3 we will do our house cleaning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nan in Mass Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 I found that I did better just scheduling them both to do the same subject at the same time, even though they were doing different things. That way we could do some things together. Yes, they each had to wait a bit if I was busy setting someone else up to do something, but it still worked better. They had a few things they were doing independently that they could do if they had to wait. -Nan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 I've been here many times. :) I don't know what we are doing with our rising senior next yr. That is my panic issue! I don't do preschool, so my dd who will be 4 next month, she colors, plays playdough, plays by herself, cuts and glues......whatever she wants to do. I wait until K for academics. But, for my rising 10th, 8th, 5th, 2nd......they will all be doing their own subjects with the exception of algebra 2/trig b/c my rising 8th grader is extremely advanced in math and will be doing it with his older sister. My day is typically organized like this: Jump out of bed and throw in a load of laundry and get breakfast in the oven (we normally eat whole wheat muffins for breakfast b/c it keeps them full until lunch time.) After breakfast, I work with my youngest. I finish all core materials with her. While she is working with me, the older kids are either reading or whatever subject they can work on independently. When the youngest finishes, I start rotating through the older kids. This past yr I would do math instruction with the older 2 and then while they were doing math, I would do history and science with the middle dd. She would go and work on a writing assignment and I would do history with ds. And thus went our day. I have never succeeded in multilevel teaching once my kids became so widespread age-wise. It has simply been easier for me to teach, send them to work on what we just discussed, rotate to next child, etc. When I have k-2 kids, I do work with them until they are finished b/c their days are short and it is easier to get them to focus and be done so they can go off and play. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallory Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Mine are all spread out next year too. Sis is starting high school, L is starting the logic stage, M is firmly in grammar, and T and N are messers (3 and 1). To top it off, we are moving in a few weeks (buying our first house!!!), and I haven't really even thought about what we are going to do next year. :confused: Though I don't think we are going to combine much. The two boys in Science and History, and I am thinking of having sis teach L spelling, so they can both work on it. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vida Winter Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 I am facing this too. Mine will be 9th, 4th, and Kinder. I am implementing Sue Patrick's workbox system for the two younger kids to keep things clicking along with them and to incorporate a few things they can do on their own. My oldest works well independently but still needs quite a bit of time with me each day, particularly with writing and history. Now if I could just hire a housekeeper and cook, I'd be set! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughing lioness Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 (edited) Mine's been like that for a couple of years. This year will be easier becasue I had another graduate so it's just a 1rst, 4th and 9th grader. Lucky for me the grad will be home though I'm not sure how much she'll be around. Enough to help with some of the chores, though. We all do memory work together. In the morning and we spend a couple days a week hitting it hard. Then, it's doing different things, which gets tougher. The older kids just have a much longer school day. The thing I've found that has saved my sanity- despite crazy days- is to have CLEAR what I want to get done for the year. I compulsivly plan through the spring and summer- have it really nailed down. My goals are set, the curriculum is ready, I know what I'm doing. I get the curriculum I'm going to use and USE IT. I very rarely trade out or quite a curriuculum mid-year. Partly I know what I like and will use and partly becasue it's cost us time in the past to switch. There is always something better out there (so it seems) but generally there's nothing show-stopping about what I have in my hand. Create the vision clearly in your mind. Everything is created twice. I know that if I envision it happening, making it happen will be easier- kwim (with a huge nod to Stephen Covey and 7 Habits). We participate in a small co-op and if I know I just have to hit things hard 4 days a week we are good for the week. I'm hoping to have my ds do Latin on-line, too- can you do that at all? There are TONs of on-line classes these days. We also do Latin and Logic with videos. Memory work utilizing CD's- utilize as many "helpers" as you can. CD's, DVD's, co-ops (make sure they help, though and aren't a distraction). Is there a homeschool high schooler or grad in the area that you could pay a small amount or barter with to help with the younger kids or chores? I've had to "let go" of some things and realize that my kids are benefitting from our family in ways that go beyond academics and that has to be o.k. on some days, even though academics and scholastic training are a huge priority. What I'm trying to say is this: Overplan and then be willing to flow with the day, the kids, your life. Someone on this board has on their sig block "Breathe your life." I love that! Also, when you need a break, take one. I was going to try to keep school going this summer and realized yesteday I am sick.of.it. I want to be outside, reading whatever, cleaning the house, gardening. Everything is seasonal, too, right, so I'm going to take this season and re-group so that I can be ready for fall. Edited June 17, 2009 by laughing lioness Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan C. Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Now if I could just hire a housekeeper and cook, I'd be set! :lol: You will all love this: Until my husband took the second job, he cooked and cleaned the house for me. Taking bets on how many of you will announce this to your men :) He said I looked overwhelmed when our youngest reached middle school age (have two kids, four years apart). The two years where we were doing 7th & 11th, then 8th and 12th grades were a lot of work for me. He said to tell him what he could do after work, I said clean and cook. He was relieved it wasn't teaching a subject! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda in NM Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 I'm toying with the idea of workboxes for my 15 yos--I got the Workbox e-book, and I've been reading it. He has a very busy hockey schedule (usually); we're not even sure where we'll be next year...I was thinking the workboxes might help us stay organized (probably more a tool for me than for him, esp. if we're commuting home several times a week--three hours each way...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan C. Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 Please help if you can! I know it's late, and things always seem more bleak when I'm tired. But I'm thinking about next year, and I cannot get a grip on it. I went to HEAV this weekend, and alternately felt relieved, worried, reenergized, and daunted. Sigh... Here's the thing I can't quite wrap my mind around. Next year, my 4 kids will be pre-K, early elementary, middle school, and high school. That makes them all working on their own (for the most part); there is no such thing as a "core" that works for a 3rd grader and an 8th grader! In my mind, I know that if thousands of one-room schoolhouse teachers did this with many more than 4 kids, I can do it, but I just can't quite find a starting point. Maybe I just need someone to tell me it will all look better in the AM! Btw, my plan (today!) is TOG for history, ABeka for grammar, and, really, I'm not too commited to much else at this moment. Thank you!!! Shelly Shelly, If it were me, the 9th grader would be mostly independent, the 7th would be semi-independent, and most of your time spent with the two younger (while checking periodically on the older two). My hats off to you, I was overwhelmed with just two..... but the thing that saved me was to get curriculum that "ran itself" where I only checked answers and gave tests. I got dvds and email support for math/science, so if they got stuck, they could email for help. I said I would never use textbooks, but that changed when life got crazy and I didn't have time regularly to teach subjects. Cathy Duffy has a great book out, 100 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum. She rates the curriculum according to several things, one is how much parent involvement is required, I only pick the "low involvement" curriculum. Funny, everything with high involvement was on the shelf not getting used. Now, breathe in, breathe out :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 I'm toying with the idea of workboxes for my 15 yos--I got the Workbox e-book, and I've been reading it. I'm unfamiliar with the concept of workboxes. Would you mind explaining a little about it? Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly in VA Posted June 18, 2009 Author Share Posted June 18, 2009 Thank you to everyone who posted! Great suggestions for me to think about and use in my planning. I appreciate the input! Shelly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly in VA Posted June 18, 2009 Author Share Posted June 18, 2009 Here's a link: http://suepatricksworkboxsystem.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shelly in VA Posted June 18, 2009 Author Share Posted June 18, 2009 You might get a better feel for the system if you search on these boards - I used the search feature for "workbox" and "Sue Patrick" and I came up with lots of threads on the system. Hope that helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kareni Posted June 19, 2009 Share Posted June 19, 2009 You might get a better feel for the system if you search on these boards - I used the search feature for "workbox" and "Sue Patrick" and I came up with lots of threads on the system. Hope that helps! Thanks, Shelly! I'm now somewhat more up to speed after doing a little searching and reading. Regards, Kareni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2boys Posted June 19, 2009 Share Posted June 19, 2009 You will all love this: Until my husband took the second job, he cooked and cleaned the house for me. Taking bets on how many of you will announce this to your men :) He said I looked overwhelmed when our youngest reached middle school age (have two kids, four years apart). The two years where we were doing 7th & 11th, then 8th and 12th grades were a lot of work for me. He said to tell him what he could do after work, I said clean and cook. He was relieved it wasn't teaching a subject! Hmm... I also have two, and they are four years apart. I think I need to print your post and pull it out in a few years and give it to my dh. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda (Australia) Posted June 19, 2009 Share Posted June 19, 2009 Hmmm - it can be a challenge! My oldest has learning difficulties, and still needs a lot of help with essays and such. The next three are mainly independant - my 12 year old also needs a lot of help, as do the youngest three (check out my signature for their ages). It's a juggling act! With everyone, there's some workbooks / texts that they do indepdently, and I have made up a timetable for each child, where I try and schedule that while the younger ones do math and phonics workbooks, I'll be working on Latin with the older ones - then, I do history and science with the younger ones, while the older ones work independently. And in the afternoon, I again work with the older ones on Logic and History, while the younger ones do drawing or building with lego, etc. But yeh, it really is a juggling act - and like the poster said above, sometimes, you have to let go of some things you'd really like to cover, but simply don't have the time. That's been a difficult one for me this year. No time to get bored, though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.