Feeling Like A Slacker~

[Joyofsixreboot]

Please tell me I'm not the only 'do the next thing' type out there. All the filing and planning threads. Oy! Maybe it's because we school year round or maybe I'm just too lackadaisical but all that planning would make me nuts. But then I think maybe I should be doing that. Maybe my kids are missing something that I would notice if I had a plan. :001_unsure: All right, I obviously need more coffee.

[linders]

I love - love - all the beautiful plans and charts and tables. I admire the effort that went into them and imagine that it might add to our homeschool experience. In fact, I've copied a couple of them, filling in dates down the side, subjects across the top. And then....

 

At the end of each week, I fill in what we did. Not ahead of time, after. I do have a rough idea in my head of what I want to accomplish for the year, and a general idea of which subjects we'll do each day. Somehow, it has always worked out so far, at least with the curricula that we use (none of which come with a schedule).

[Pata]

We don't file, but I do plan out some of our stuff before the year begins, so that during the year I can just do the next thing :).

[mommyagain]

You're not the only one:rolleyes:!

[NaturalMomma]

Please tell me I'm not the only 'do the next thing' type out there. All the filing and planning threads. Oy! Maybe it's because we school year round or maybe I'm just too lackadaisical but all that planning would make me nuts. But then I think maybe I should be doing that. Maybe my kids are missing something that I would notice if I had a plan. :001_unsure: All right, I obviously need more coffee.

 

Well, I didn't do much planning last year, but I found that homeschooling four with one very busy toddler, you must have a plan. My older children didn't seem to enjoy schooling much without one. This year I plan to have it a little more structured for them. I allowed the children to express what they would like to see in their school day.

 

I think it all depends on what works for your family. If your way is working, I say if it's not broke than don't fix it. It's so easy to read all the post and get caught up in what everyone else is doing, but do what works for you.

[GoVanGogh]

Did you see the poll the other day re: Did you finish the school year?

 

Someone replied that "finishing wasn't their goal." I need to go back and re-read what that person wrote. It really hit me.

I have always felt like a slacker. Even when my child was a baby, I always joked about being the slacker mom when all my friends were doing this or that with their baby. I have always just sat and read to my son. Guess that paid off - I now have a son that would pick reading (most days) over TV or video games.

I like the organic feeling to our unplanned days. My son is thriving and learning - and, most importantly, he loves learning! I simply cannot wrap my brain around all those filing systems and complex plans. I keep a simple flow chart with the general direction we want to advance penciled in. Otherwise, we just go with the day. :D

 

Found the quote I liked - from Rosy.

Finishing isn't a goal I have. We move at whatever pace is comfortable. We finish some books in less than a year and some in more. We abandon some mid-year and start others.

That sums up our school. Edited July 21, 2010 by Suzanne

[Another Lynn]

You are not the only one. I don't file. I do have a list of things I want to complete during the school year and a general plan for the pace needed to do so. But then I just look at where we are each week and plan out the next based on that.

 

I could never do all that filing - it would seriously hamper my curriculum hopping :lol:.

[Capt_Uhura]

Well, as someone else said, if it works for you, it ain't broke!

 

I have a 5th grader and a 2nd grader and a pre-Ker. I think this year I will plan more. Usually I read ahead in our curriculum to see where it's going. I spent last week reading MCT Paragraph Town and Essay Voyage to see where the program is going, how writing intensive it is and what else might go w/ it. So I might plan a bit more on the weeks that PT is not writing intensive, I'll do outlining book I have and Paragraph Writing Made Easy. Rightstart has always been do the next thing but I do have a two-page spread with subjects across the top and 20weeks down the left side. In the little squares I write lesson numbers or chapter numbers taking into account holidays and breaks. Then as we do them, highlight the square in yellow. I can pick up that two-page spread and no in one glance which subjects we're on schedule for and which ones we're not.

 

I'm finding we get more done when I plan. For history, that means checking beforehand which of the books we'll read and seeing if the library has them and ordering them ahead of time. I will be scheduling in an hour of reading time each day that is not free-reading/pleasure reading.

 

I'm also planning which books we'll read for discussion, writing notes about what resources I have to go w/ that book and I'll get all of those (books and resources) together in one bin so it'll be pick up and go when the time comes.

 

I think doing some planning will make the year more pick up and go.

[catz]

Please tell me I'm not the only 'do the next thing' type out there. All the filing and planning threads. Oy! Maybe it's because we school year round or maybe I'm just too lackadaisical but all that planning would make me nuts. But then I think maybe I should be doing that. Maybe my kids are missing something that I would notice if I had a plan. :001_unsure: All right, I obviously need more coffee.

 

I don't plan at all. I'm all about open and go, or following rabbit trails if we want. My kids are above grade level though so I don't feel any pressure to set goals for them. I used to really look at milestones and what your X grader should know, but I discovered there is really nothing magical in those books and it feels better for us to take a more holistic approach. Over the course of a few years, we end up covering quite a bit of ground.

[Mommamia]

You are not the only one......we are a "do the next thing" homeschool. I've thought about creating schedules. We've done it this way for 3 yrs now and it seems to work. We just keep working until the book(or whatever) is completed. I purchase curriculum that works well with this method....MUS, GWG, WWE, etc. Even science. There is a little planning with that, but mostly just organizing other books/materials.

 

Enjoy the journey!

[hsbaby]

I have never done any lesson planning...more just "do the next thing". This works fine for the basics....LA, Math...anything we use a workbook for. However, I did find that I was unprepared a lot of the time. We didn't read as many books as I would have like because I just didn't plan ahead. I would also have to skip some of the "fun" stuff in Science and even History simply because I didn't read ahead to know enough to buy certain supplies. So, this year I am "mini" lesson planning:) I have scheduled out all of the kids readers and read alouds, set aside certain days for electives such as music and art (so that I know what supplies we need!). But, i'm still keeping it day by day with the workbooks. Doing a lesson per day has always resulted in finishing up by the end of the year!

[Colleen in NS]

I do have a list of things I want to complete during the school year and a general plan for the pace needed to do so.

 

This is pretty much how I operate now, too. I know what skills I want to teach, I know what materials I want to use to teach these skills, I know what general content areas I want to cover ("early modern history/lit.", "chemistry"), and I have some "spines" that will expose us to the content. But I don't plan out all the little details for content anymore - it's too tiring for me, and I want to allow leeway for the kids to decide what specifics they want to read about/experiment about/talk about. We lean on the library for these specifics. I have basic content study plans in place for each week (read, list facts, do the map, put dates on timeline for example for history), but I don't get into planning out specifics anymore. This leaves more room for them to do fun projects if they want, and to play and learn lifeskills.

[PollyOR]

I love - love - all the beautiful plans and charts and tables. I admire the effort that went into them and imagine that it might add to our homeschool experience. In fact, I've copied a couple of them, filling in dates down the side, subjects across the top. And then....

 

At the end of each week, I fill in what we did. Not ahead of time, after. I do have a rough idea in my head of what I want to accomplish for the year, and a general idea of which subjects we'll do each day. Somehow, it has always worked out so far, at least with the curricula that we use (none of which come with a schedule).

 

The same happens here. I love playing with planning but life happens (my adult dd drops in with the grandkids before school is finished for the day, one of my students has an off day, we have a couple of Dr.'s appointments that week, etc.). Within a few days of trying to stick to a planned schedule, we've fallen off the wagon and I'm awash in guilt. I do want to be a little more organized this year so we can actually do more science. But mostly, we'll be doing the next thing.

[Alison in KY]

You're not alone.

[Kim in SouthGa]

I semi-plan. First I make a nice little color-coded chart of what all curriculum/books/classes my kids will be using for each subject. Then I figure out what we need to buy and what I already have. Then I figure out how many days a week it needs to be done. I also plan out their memory work and type up the WTM reading list for each of their grades (with some changes if necessary). From there I try to make a somewhat coherent daily/weekly schedule. First I block off any outside activities and online classes. Then I just try to roughly type in the subjects each one needs to do on each day. I tape a piece of paper to workbooks they can do by themselves, like Spelling Workout and Wordly Wise, that tells them what do do each day-like Monday: read definitions and do A; Tues: do B & C; Wed. study online; Thursday: quiz. And that is about as far as it gets. I did make copies of most stuff and put it in file folders, like all the tests for the Apologia science and history narration sheets. I have a pretty basket with colorful folders on my counter that is marked accordingly and the kids just get what they need. I have learned that I need a fairly easy open and go program at this point. I do try to stay about 3 weeks ahead on library books we need. The kids have checklists that have enough room to write in page numbers if I need to and check off the stuff that is just open and go. It also has a list of their memory work so they don't forget anything. I just get all their stuff together on the weekend. This past year we used "modified" workboxes-file boxes with hanging folders. They all hated it, so I 'm not sure where I am going to put everything now.

I am a procrastinator and in the past have had a lot of trouble keeping up with corrections. I'm honestly afraid that if I had my whole year planned out ahead of time, I might not grade their work for weeks at a time. If I have to sit down and plan it out for the next week, then I am forced to look at it.:)

I do however like the idea of getting all the copies together for the 3 year old. I'm pretty sure she'll get looked over otherwise.

[melissel]

I haven't read the rest of the thread, but if what you're doing is working for you, you should definitely keep doing it. I have to plan because I'm a perfectionist--if all the details aren't right there in front of me, I'll decide that it should just wait until it's perfect some other day...and then nothing ever gets done. It's how it has to be for me, I guess *shrug* We're all different!

[Night Elf]

Please tell me I'm not the only 'do the next thing' type out there. All the filing and planning threads. Oy! Maybe it's because we school year round or maybe I'm just too lackadaisical but all that planning would make me nuts. But then I think maybe I should be doing that. Maybe my kids are missing something that I would notice if I had a plan. :001_unsure: All right, I obviously need more coffee.

 

If it works for you, don't change it. The grass is not always greener and we tend to make mistakes when we change things because other people make them sound good. I switched from a 'do the next thing' to a planner because 'do the next thing' was no longer working well for my children. It came down to my deciding between a year's worth of trouble vs. a couple of weeks worth of trouble (planning for the first half of the year). I chose the latter. :)

 

I'm not doing the filing thing. That's more than we need, so while I think it's a great idea, it isn't something I should spend my time on doing.

[lionfamily1999]

The only planning I do is get a general idea of how many lessons we need to do a week/month to get whatever we're doing done in one year.

 

Ironically, that lets me fly by the seat of my pants better. I know that if we want to take Friday off, then we have to do grammar three times between Mon-Thurs, for instance. Or, if I feel like taking a whomping nap, knowing ds will only get about half of the work I give him done, then I can already have a ball park idea of what I have to add on to the next day.

 

Imo, you are not missing anything by NOT planning, except head aches and a compulsion to stick to your schedule. :D

[JenniferB]

I agree with Beth, you just do what works for you. I keep adding more and more structure, more and more organization, in an attempt to control life more. So, I'm doing the filing thing. I admire those who do the next thing, plug along, get stuff done, and have a more relaxed attitude. Aaah, that would be nice. Enojoy it, and enjoy your school year.

[VBoulden]

I notice you have six children... ;) I have TWO (and I am only homeschooling one of them) and I have no formal plan. What's MY excuse? :001_huh: I just do the next thing, like you said. So, give yourself grace.

[jpklehm]

I have never done any lesson planning...more just "do the next thing". This works fine for the basics....LA, Math...anything we use a workbook for. However, I did find that I was unprepared a lot of the time. We didn't read as many books as I would have like because I just didn't plan ahead. I would also have to skip some of the "fun" stuff in Science and even History simply because I didn't read ahead to know enough to buy certain supplies. So, this year I am "mini" lesson planning:) I have scheduled out all of the kids readers and read alouds, set aside certain days for electives such as music and art (so that I know what supplies we need!). But, i'm still keeping it day by day with the workbooks. Doing a lesson per day has always resulted in finishing up by the end of the year!

 

This past school year my husband was home a lot (working out of the house) so for some reason I did more "do the next thing" and less planning and this is how things worked out for me, too. I didn't like being so unprepared and not being able to do some of the things I wanted us to do, so for this year I am planning more. I'm not into tearing apart workbooks or doing workboxes, but I am planning out our book lists and supply lists more thoroughly so we can/will do all that I want us to do; in the end, hopefully, we'll have more fun because it will be more about books and experiments and less about finishing the pile of workbooks each day. :bored:

 

I'm excited!

 

Pam

[JMDRAD]

I think it would be awesome to have things super planned and laid out for the year. But, it just does not work for me. I use Sonlight so some of my stuff is laid out for me. I don't have to hunt for books, etc. As for the other subjects I plan those the night before to give myself a list to check off. It works for us and we get it done.

[Deb in NZ]

I find that "fail to plan, plan to fail" is true with me. When I just "did next thing", moving at my dc's pace & fitting in "life" we got too far behind. I knew this year was going to be a bit crazy with dd moving away for study, ds#1 beginning polytech part-time, & both boys in rep. sports, scouts, etc. AND us planning to do major renovations on the house. I took a couple of weeks the end of last year to plan out the year for ds#2. By plan, I mean look to the curriculum I've chosen, decide if I need to add / subtract anything to meet the goals we have for him for the year, divide the material up into 40 weekly assignments or 4 term chunks, print out 40 weekly assignment sheets & get this bound into an assignment book. I divided up his work into 4 "blocks" that should take about an hour each. One block is work that he needs to do with me (Latin, spelling, etc.). The other 3 blocks he should be mostly independent. I told ds#2 before the year even began, that what was not finished during the term needed to be finished before enjoying his 2 week holiday at the end of each term & that the next term would begin on time, no matter if he had to double up on assignments. This has worked GREAT! During the first term when we have a number of regattas that require us to leave on friday, I had ds#2 do the day's 4 blocks + 1 extra each day M-TH, leaving friday free. It wasn't much extra work to simply double up each day on a different block. We have just started the 2nd half of our schoolyear & ds#2 is right on track to finish soon after dd & ds#1 finisih their tertiary studies for the year. I don' write out objectives, etc. for each subject, but simply schedule out our chosen materials. Scheduling out the year & printing it ahead of time has had one unplanned benefit. It has prevented me from changing gears mid-year. Looking back over the past 9 years that I have HSed my dc, where we lost ground was when I decided mid-year to change our curriculum. (It doesn't help that most of you are just beginning your year when we are half finished & I read on the boards about the amazing things that you have found for the year. ;) ) This year I put all your great ideas into a folder labeled "2011" & refused to add in anything. I wish I had done this year ago & I wouldn't have piles of curriculum to sell & dd & ds#1 would have gotten farther in some areas. But at the same time our "rabbit trails" have allowed them both to discover their passions. Both dd & ds#1 have settled into tertiary study fine, so I must have done something right.

 

Don't fuss if your system is working for you. If it's not working, try something new. My dc work well with a weekly work list, so I've used that to some degree all 9 years, but this year printed out the whole year ahead of time, rather than a week at a time. I've found that with no sheet ready on monday, we got very little work done. By the middle of term 1 life would get crazy & I would not get the sheets printed ahead of time. By doing all the "planning" before the year began when I was excited about our new year & I wasn't busy with scouts / sailing / hockey / gymnastics / etc. , I could get everything prepared & I felt prepared for "school."

 

JMHO,

[TengoFive]

I have always been a "do the next thing" homeschooler, but I found there were some things I really wanted to do, that we never got around to. I also end up taking way too long of breaks after a baby is born or something happens to shift us out of our routine. This year, I'm hoping to bypass that. I don't really worry about when a book will be finished, as we just start the next book immediately. I also have found that my kids really have a tendency to lose books. The filing method will eliminate that. They might lose the weeks worth of work, but we won't lose the whole year and have to repurchase. We may after this year go back to "do the next thing," but for now my kids are really enjoying knowing exactly what they're expected to complete in a week.

[Rebecca77]

I've tried to just do the next thing, and it's just too frustrating having to stop throughout my morning to make copies of things my kids need. Days go a lot smoother when everything needed is ready to go.

 

I like the filing idea, but there's no way I'm printing and gathering everything we need for the year now. I will instead, just plan and print for 9 weeks at a time. I'll have 9 file folders with everything needed paper clipped by day, which will then be put in the corresponding workboxes the night before.

[Amy loves Bud]

Please tell me I'm not the only 'do the next thing' type out there. All the filing and planning threads. Oy! Maybe it's because we school year round or maybe I'm just too lackadaisical but all that planning would make me nuts. But then I think maybe I should be doing that. Maybe my kids are missing something that I would notice if I had a plan. :001_unsure: All right, I obviously need more coffee.

 

Me! I'm all planned out for our next school year. I have two pages of planning - one for each child. Each child has a bookshelf with their books on it. I'm done.