What to do when the 1st half of the school year bombs???

[Tidbits of Learning]

I totally overextended us this year with outside activities--soccer (2 teams-practice and games), cub scouts, and a co-op. Alone each of these would have been fine, even scouts and co-op would have been fine; but, all 3 was a disaster. The activities went well but school suffered.

We should be about 3 months into school. We should have completed around 12+ weeks of school. Instead, we are on week 5. With all the activities we were taking double to finish things. It literally took 2 days to complete a day of work. In the end we would finish a week of work in 2 weeks.

How do I fix this? Do I just school until we finish (projected time-August 19)? Or do I par down and get back to basics and get us back on track to complete this year? I have even toyed with the idea of getting textbooks again to finish this year. It would not be very expensive. The kids are thriving with the living books approach and love storytime together. We just recently started Sequential Spelling and it seems to be a good fit.

Here is what I initially had planned for the year and scheduled beautifully until I totally scheduled too much "socialization" into our life!

2nd grade

HOD’s BLHFHG as written with LLATL Red for phonics, reading, spelling, grammar, and vocabulary, HWT Printing Power, Singapore 1a/1b, and sitting in on Zoology 1 as well.

4th grade

HOD’s BLHFHG with The Catholic Faith Comes to the New World to beef up history, Zoology 1 for science, LLATL Orange for grammar, reading, vocabulary, spelling, writing mechanics, poetry, research and creative writing, GUM B for extra grammar, Wordly Wise 1 for extra vocabulary, HWT Can do Cursive, Singapore 2a/2b, 3a/3b (getting as far as we can), and Phonics 4 for Young Catholics as needed.

5th grade

HOD’s BLHFHG with Exploring American History (CLP 5th grade) to beef up history, Zoology 1 for science, LLATL Purple for grammar, reading, vocabulary, spelling, writing mechanics, poetry, research and creative writing, GUM C for extra grammar, Wordly Wise 1 for extra vocabulary, HWT Can do Cursive, Singapore 2a/2b, 3a/3b (getting as far as we can).

We will also be doing History Pockets to make American History fun and interesting.

 

2nd grade is not giving me difficulty. 4th and 5th is going to go into middle August and we re-start Sept. 1! Blah! How do I save this year without burnout or losing my insanity? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Ellie]

I totally overextended us this year with outside activities--soccer (2 teams-practice and games), cub scouts, and a co-op. Alone each of these would have been fine, even scouts and co-op would have been fine; but, all 3 was a disaster. The activities went well but school suffered.

 

We should be about 3 months into school. We should have completed around 12+ weeks of school. Instead, we are on week 5. With all the activities we were taking double to finish things. It literally took 2 days to complete a day of work. In the end we would finish a week of work in 2 weeks.

 

How do I fix this? Do I just school until we finish (projected time-August 19)? Or do I par down and get back to basics and get us back on track to complete this year? I have even toyed with the idea of getting textbooks again to finish this year. It would not be very expensive. The kids are thriving with the living books approach and love storytime together. We just recently started Sequential Spelling and it seems to be a good fit.

Here is what I initially had planned for the year and scheduled beautifully until I totally scheduled too much "socialization" into our life!

2nd grade

HOD’s BLHFHG as written with LLATL Red for phonics, reading, spelling, grammar, and vocabulary, HWT Printing Power, Singapore 1a/1b, and sitting in on Zoology 1 as well.

4th grade

HOD’s BLHFHG with The Catholic Faith Comes to the New World to beef up history, Zoology 1 for science, LLATL Orange for grammar, reading, vocabulary, spelling, writing mechanics, poetry, research and creative writing, GUM B for extra grammar, Wordly Wise 1 for extra vocabulary, HWT Can do Cursive, Singapore 2a/2b, 3a/3b (getting as far as we can), and Phonics 4 for Young Catholics as needed.

5th grade

HOD’s BLHFHG with Exploring American History (CLP 5th grade) to beef up history, Zoology 1 for science, LLATL Purple for grammar, reading, vocabulary, spelling, writing mechanics, poetry, research and creative writing, GUM C for extra grammar, Wordly Wise 1 for extra vocabulary, HWT Can do Cursive, Singapore 2a/2b, 3a/3b (getting as far as we can).

We will also be doing History Pockets to make American History fun and interesting.

 

2nd grade is not giving me difficulty. 4th and 5th is going to go into middle August and we re-start Sept. 1! Blah! How do I save this year without burnout or losing my insanity? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

So, are you still doing the outside extras? Because in my house, those would be the first to go.

 

As far as academics, you have lots of overlap. My suggestion would be to cut out the overlaps: drop HOD; do LLATL as it's written and nothing else; The Catholic Faith and Exploring American History, with history pockets if there's time; Singapore; science; storytime together.

 

Next year you could pick up HOD again, if you really like it (it isn't *my* cup of tea, but I know many people like it), yes?

[Annabel Lee]

I have to agree with Ellie, the outside activities would be the 1st to go. Pare down to 1, & if that's still not allowing enough time for school, then none. This doesn't mean socialization is eliminated; the kids could invite friends over and play at friend's houses and go swimming/skiing/etc. (whatever they like to do) together on the weekends.

 

Until you make a decision, and unless you already do this, make all that time in the car and waiting for siblings count. I'd do lessons as much as possible during all of it. Best wishes!

[Hedgehog]

I have to agree with Ellie, the outside activities would be the 1st to go. Pare down to 1, & if that's still not allowing enough time for school, then none. This doesn't mean socialization is eliminated; the kids could invite friends over and play at friend's houses and go swimming/skiing/etc. (whatever they like to do) together on the weekends.

 

:iagree: I've just done this myself. The only thing we have left is ice hockey, and that's something DD11, DD9 and DS5 do with their Dad so we count that part of family time. And I get to spend a couple hours one-on-one with DD2 :001_wub:

 

I'm hoping, that in the next month or so, we'll be able to get into a routine of: regular schoolwork, regular chores and tidying, and even maybe a bit of seeing our friends. The first two alone would be more than satisfactory for me.

[Tidbits of Learning]

Soccer season is over. Scouts has went year round now and our pack meets every Thursday of the month with the last Thursday being Pack meeting. The only time they don't meet is Thanksgiving week, Christmas week, and spring break week b/c the school calendar is on break. Oh and testing week in April. We are based out of a church not a school. Co-op is one afternoon a week on Monday. We are committed and paid until this semester is over at Christmas break.

So we are down to Monday co-op for 3 hours in the afternoon and Thursday night scouts for ds. It is just that we are so far behind. HOD is working alright for us this year combining, but I have to add so much for me to feel my older dd's are getting enough.

I thought about doing just HOD BLHFHG, LLATL, Singapore Math, Sequential Spelling, and Apologia science. I would drop GUM Grammar, Wordly Wise, and the extra history for the girls.

I can either drop some things and really catch up on what we are behind or we can school and only get 2 weeks break before starting next school year. UGH!

[Hedgehog]

Soccer season is over. Scouts has went year round now and our pack meets every Thursday of the month with the last Thursday being Pack meeting. The only time they don't meet is Thanksgiving week, Christmas week, and spring break week b/c the school calendar is on break. Oh and testing week in April. We are based out of a church not a school. Co-op is one afternoon a week on Monday. We are committed and paid until this semester is over at Christmas break.

 

Just a thought.. is it really important that you are committed and paid up? Is it out of the question to just quit? ('Cause for me personally.. I think I'd quit. But I know that's probably just me.)

 

So we are down to Monday co-op for 3 hours in the afternoon and Thursday night scouts for ds. It is just that we are so far behind. HOD is working alright for us this year combining, but I have to add so much for me to feel my older dd's are getting enough.

I thought about doing just HOD BLHFHG, LLATL, Singapore Math, Sequential Spelling, and Apologia science. I would drop GUM Grammar, Wordly Wise, and the extra history for the girls.

 

If you need to add so much into HOD, is there another, similar program you could use which doesn't require so much adding in? Again from a personal perspective, I would find this quite a faff.

 

Sorry I don't have any very brilliant answers, but I guess my feeling is that if it isn't working well something has to give; that'll be the thing at the bottom of your priority pile. HTH some. I know it can be tough working it out!

[Sherry in OH]

Co-op ends in two weeks? Finish the co-op. Do not re-join for January. Cub Scouts is for your 2nd grader? What is causing it to interfere with your daughters' schooling? Could dad take son to scouting and do projects with him?

 

Start schooling 6 days a week. A few hours each weekend from now until May could cut a significant number of days from your summer school schedule. Cut back to the basics for a month or two. See how things are going. Then add in one or two of the fun subjects. Have your daughters read their extra history at bedtime or during down-times. Or, get audiobooks and just let them listen.

[twoxcell]

I say drop most of the outside things and get to work. I personally would not drop HOD, but cut back on the addons a bit if needed.

[Tidbits of Learning]

Co-op and scouts are manageable now that we are done with soccer. HOD is going alright for us. It is me that has added so much b/c I was worried. I am finding it hard to let go of the things I have added though.

Looking at what I have listed, what would any of you drop for the girls?

[Narrow Gate Academy]

Co-op and scouts are manageable now that we are done with soccer. HOD is going alright for us. It is me that has added so much b/c I was worried. I am finding it hard to let go of the things I have added though.

Looking at what I have listed, what would any of you drop for the girls?

 

 

It looks to me like a lot of overlap in language arts. I would simplify and focus on LLATL and drop GUM and Worldly Wise. Do they really need the HWT? If they can write their regular language arts work in cursive, I would drop that also. HTH

[Farrar]

It sounds like it was soccer that actually was hurting you guys... Though even then... How much of this is really the activities and how much of it is the activities aggravating the fact that you're just moving slower than you expected through all your curricula?

 

I doubt that one afternoon a week and one evening meeting could actually end up holding you guys back that far so I wouldn't drop anything you're doing now. I would look at ways to speed up and reconsider how you're using your curricula. For example, if the kids are doing well and you have confidence that they're getting things, are there times when they can skip some practice math problems by "just doing the even numbered ones" or other things like that? I don't know your curricula, so I'm just throwing that out there...

[TxMama]

Sounds like you are getting back on track!

 

I'd drop the extra grammar and vocabulary for the older girls. This will free up some extra time during each day for them to work through LLATL a little faster.

 

I also would be willing to let the older girls skip HOD since BLHFHG isn't age appropriate for them. This will give them more time each day to catch up on their History.

 

If you are willing to shorten your summer vacation a by 6 weeks or so then you could be caught up! Perhaps the idea of having a long summer break would be a big motivator for the older girls to get caught up.

 

Best of luck, mama!

[Joyofsixreboot]

Does it really matter when you finish? I start new years of different subjects whenever we get done with something. It doesn't sync up and doesn't all start in the fall. Just move on and when you're done start the next thing.

[pamd]

I say take a deep breath, it's all going to work out.:grouphug: You know what works and what doesn't for your family. Start fresh and do what you can without overloading all of you, that won't help anyone and will only add to the frustration. God gives us do overs so pray, trust him and I will pray for you as well and don't beat yourself up. The good thing about home school is we can always tweek things to make it work. Hope this encourages you and you just start fresh without overload do a regular schedule and take it one day at a time.:D

[wildlifemom]

I don't know much about the curriculum you are using, but I have a philosophy that I go by when I am choosing what we do, extra curriculur and academic wise. If we do "such and such" and it will make me (the mom) insane, then we don't do it. I always chose sane mom. That is what my kids will remember. Not ballet classes at age 5 or 10, or gymnastics at age 7, etc. They will either look back and say we did alot and mom was nuts, or look back at a calm family life. Now, at this point for you, not having soccer any more is a big plus. I agree with who ever said to skip stuff that was review, not do every little thing. As hard as this may sound, I would encourage breaks. I may be tempting to keep working and not stop b/c you are behind. But that will create burn out quickly. I would look at your books and figure out which things are the most important subjects. Then look at those subjects and pick out the things in that which are most important in those. Does that make sense? What doesn't get done this year, will get addressed in review in upcoming years. And you will be calmer and better able to teach it.

 

Hang in there!

[Chris in VA]

BLHFHG is listed as for 6-8 year olds. No wonder you have to beef it up! It sounds like you are trying to keep them all together, but honestly, I don't think it works efficiently to use a younger program for an older child (tho the reverse is sometimes true).

I'd drop that for the older girls, except maybe the Bible time, use the Catholic resource you have for history, and just add in some historical fiction. Keep it for the little one. The biggers can sit in if you do a cool project. Keeping everyone in the same time period is definitely the way to go, just change the materials a bit. You can still probably invite the olders to the read aloud.

 

I'd drop the other language arts program for the littlest, as HOD should cover all of that in a way that's fine for a 2nd grader.

 

I'd drop History Pockets. I don't know which one you are using, but I have used two of them, and found the coloring and cutting tedious, and not very reinforcing of the material. You could add it back in if you need a Friday project or something.

 

I'd drop the HWT if they know how to form the letters, and just let them write in cursive all. the. time. for practice. If they are still learning the letters, let them continue.

 

I'd drop Wordly Wise in a heartbeat. I hated it. Dd got so much more from reading well-written books. At this point their spelling should be covering word roots--or will, in the next couple of years or so. (If you absolutely have to do vocab, have them pick 5 words from their reading that they don't know, and look them up.)

 

If your grammar program is strong, you shouldn't need to beef it up with GUM. Drop it.

 

Whew! Now that I've proposed hacking away at your curriculum...:D YMMV, of course.

 

Oh, and what exactly do they do at Co-op? Is it something that requires work outside of the actual time you are there? If so, I'd axe it after Christmas. If not, it seems like a non-intrusive way to go. Just make sure you do math every day--even co-op day. Then you will finish nearly on time.

 

You could add math to Saturday, too--if you do, taking off one Sat at Christmas and one Sat at Easter/Spring, and maybe one just for the sake of having wiggle room, you could knock off almost 5 weeks of math from your schedule by the end of June.

 

So, there you have it. :D

Edited December 4, 2010 by Chris in VA

[Hedgehogs4]

yup...outside activities get the boot and school is the priority. then as you get your new routine firmly down, you can add in one or two. we have outside art lessons, and an occasional sport that doesn't require a lot of commitment (like a 5-week session of gymnastics), but mostly, we are home. it's been our best year yet.

[Greta]

Does it really matter when you finish? I start new years of different subjects whenever we get done with something. It doesn't sync up and doesn't all start in the fall. Just move on and when you're done start the next thing.

 

:iagree: We once finished school at the end of July and started the next year mid-August after only a two week break. I find long breaks detrimental anyway, so this actually worked great for us and set a precedent! I now rarely break for more than two weeks, and NEVER more than four. Our breaks are spread throughout the year instead of concentrated in the summer. Works for us.

[MaMa2005]

I would drop outside activities that are during the school day and add Saturday school. Just buckle down for a few weeks and have the children work at school a little longer each day. For example, we do Megawords and it usually lands on HST+ to do 3 days a week. Often, DS wants to do all three lessons in one day. An added 10 minutes to the day and we have knocked out the week. Maybe that would help.

[brownie]

I agree with a PP, but was afraid to ask :) Other than the coop, it sounds like just a couple evenings a week out of the house. I don't see how that is keeping you from finishing school...perhaps there is another issue to address (like cutting your curriculum). How long are you spending on school each day?

 

Coops on the other hand take you away during what is for us, traditional school hours. So if it is not efficiently contributing to what you want for your kids, that is another thing entirely. We are out mornings about 16x a year for coop. However, we attend about 7 extracurriculars a week between my 3 kids. Mostly they are during traditional afterschool hours so that gives us all day to do school. We usually go 8AM to 1PM, leaving time for chores, play and activities.

 

That said, I am still stressed achieving the right balance, but we do get everything done. Brownie

[Tidbits of Learning]

I agree with a PP, but was afraid to ask :) Other than the coop, it sounds like just a couple evenings a week out of the house. I don't see how that is keeping you from finishing school...perhaps there is another issue to address (like cutting your curriculum). How long are you spending on school each day?

 

Coops on the other hand take you away during what is for us, traditional school hours. So if it is not efficiently contributing to what you want for your kids, that is another thing entirely. We are out mornings about 16x a year for coop. However, we attend about 7 extracurriculars a week between my 3 kids. Mostly they are during traditional afterschool hours so that gives us all day to do school. We usually go 8AM to 1PM, leaving time for chores, play and activities.

 

That said, I am still stressed achieving the right balance, but we do get everything done. Brownie

 

It isn't now. Soccer did and we had soccer every day of the week for at least one team or the other plus co-op and scouts at the same time. We just finished soccer. We are behind and that stresses me. I also take ds 3 to day school from 8:40 to 9:30 (driving time) and from 11:40 to 12:30 (again driving time). I thought having him in day school would make schooling easier with the big kids and it does, but it also has us up and out of the house a lot. Since soccer ended, we have had the chicken pox, Thanksgiving holiday, and currently strep throat.

So instead of being on a good track with school we are behind schedule. We school 180 days and declare yearly. I declared end of May/beginning of June last year and must send it in by that time this year. We also have to declare the children's grade level. So I am a big ball of stress and there is still daily driving to accomplish Monday through Friday.

I appreciate everyone's advice and have an idea of what I will cut from our curricula in order to hopefully finish at least 80% of math and language arts before testing in April.

I am just a big ball of stress right now and it makes me a bit nutty to not have a complete plan and have everything worked out.

[ChandlerMom]

I think you've gotten some great suggestions.

 

All I'll add is the suggestion to cut deep to whatever you feel is core (plus consider Sat lessons, maybe half-day?) and re-evaluate in 2 weeks. If you aren't making up ground, cut deeper. If you feel like you are getting traction, keep at it. Personally, things like Day School and Co-op I'd seriously consider shelving until you are back on track. It's hard to let go to "the plan" and activities, but the sooner and most completely you cut back, the sooner you'll be back on track and the sooner you will stop feeling so stressed. It's easier to cut out those activities and add them back in when/if things get under control that to try half-measures and get even FARTHER behind, more stressed, and HAVE to give them up. kwim?

 

You can do it! Have faith in yourself and your kids. If they don't get all the depth of history.etc this year, they will next time around! Deep breaths and remember you can only go from where you are, so don't sweat the "where I should be-s". Draw a new map and go!

[NanceXToo]

Why do you need "extra grammar" and "extra vocabulary"...? I guess I never really understood the whole "we need two different programs for this, and two different programs for that" thing. I'd rather stick with ONE of each, and let them have their extracurricular activities (which to me are important in their own rights) and ease up a little bit on the expectations of doubling up on subjects for 9 and 10 year olds. You'll be less stressed, they'll be less stressed, you'll all be less behind, AND they'll have time for cub scouts and sports and so on.

[Tidbits of Learning]

Why do you need "extra grammar" and "extra vocabulary"...? I guess I never really understood the whole "we need two different programs for this, and two different programs for that" thing. I'd rather stick with ONE of each, and let them have their extracurricular activities (which to me are important in their own rights) and ease up a little bit on the expectations of doubling up on subjects for 9 and 10 year olds. You'll be less stressed, they'll be less stressed, you'll all be less behind, AND they'll have time for cub scouts and sports and so on.

 

Originally, I bought the extra grammar and vocabulary based on reviews of LLATL that said it was too light and you would want to supplement in the areas of grammar, vocabulary, and handwriting. After starting it, I found that it really doesn't need supplementing. At least not at this age/grade level.

So I wasn't doing it to necessarily have 2 programs, but b/c I was under the impression that supplementing was necessary at this level of LLATL for it to be on grade level.

[kathkath]

Here's a different perspective:

 

What is it exactly that you want them to KNOW and be able to do at this point in the year? Is it really necessary to complete said pages to say you have been successful? In the short term, how about paring down to meet specific learning/understanding objectives w/o all the paper, to catch you up to speed? (boot camp!) The end goal is learning, not completion of curriculum. I suggest hitting that creatively and then at that point evaluate what in your schedule needs to change in order for you to meet your goals in the spring.

 

Perhaps sitting down and talking with you older kids about the issue can help. Involve them in brainstorming solutions. If they really like soccer, perhaps they will be willing to alter their morning schedule to get more done, such as getting up early, buckling down, etc. Kids can be surprisingly good at generating creative solutions so I would put the burden on them to help you figure this all out. I imagine that giving them more ownership in the process can only help, regardless of what your final decision is.

[Tammyla]

Drop the supplements and only participate in activities that bring you joy.

 

Do the lessons (your core) daily, and prepare yourself for days you must leave the house. Doing too much often leads to poor quality.

 

Over scheduling is something we can learn from, and many of us have. Make the lessons your priority and enjoy your little ones.

 

Originally, I bought the extra grammar and vocabulary based on reviews of LLATL that said it was too light and you would want to supplement in the areas of grammar, vocabulary, and handwriting. After starting it, I found that it really doesn't need supplementing. At least not at this age/grade level.

So I wasn't doing it to necessarily have 2 programs, but b/c I was under the impression that supplementing was necessary at this level of LLATL for it to be on grade level.

[PeterPan]

If it's any consolation, 2nd semester is longer than 1st, meaning you're going to be fine. Many people school through the summer, so a little bit of that won't hurt. Also, sounds like you need to do some talking with your significant other about that day school. Is this for a ds age 3? You just want to make sure it's not something you could do faster at home. That's a lot of driving. If he's three and this issue is wrangling everyone, maybe the need is to find practical ways to school with multiple kids. Meet the problem head-on.

 

I'm with Chris that you need to simplify.

 

The other thing I'll toss out is that this pace that has left you feeling stressed may be the reason your kids are sick so much. Sometimes it's that we get busy and eat a lot of junk, trying to keep up (drive thrus, whatever). Sometimes it's that they're just plain feeling it. A calm, sensible pace is good for ALL of you.

 

Your kids are still young. This isn't like high school where you HAVE to cover xyz amount of content or you're behind. Most of elementary is about skills, and you can still get those skills nailed by the end of this year. I suggest you take a short break then resume with a nice summer schedule. Summer schedule can be an hour a day of academics (math and LA) and fun read alouds and science projects. It doesn't have to be much, but it will be just enough to make up for the time you missed this first semester. We happen to like summer schooling like that and have many happy memories of schooling on blankets in the yard, schooling in tents, etc. Who knows, you just may find a new thing you like!

[PeterPan]

Here's a different perspective:

 

What is it exactly that you want them to KNOW and be able to do at this point in the year? Is it really necessary to complete said pages to say you have been successful? In the short term, how about paring down to meet specific learning/understanding objectives w/o all the paper, to catch you up to speed? (boot camp!) The end goal is learning, not completion of curriculum. I suggest hitting that creatively and then at that point evaluate what in your schedule needs to change in order for you to meet your goals in the spring.

 

Perhaps sitting down and talking with you older kids about the issue can help. Involve them in brainstorming solutions. If they really like soccer, perhaps they will be willing to alter their morning schedule to get more done, such as getting up early, buckling down, etc. Kids can be surprisingly good at generating creative solutions so I would put the burden on them to help you figure this all out. I imagine that giving them more ownership in the process can only help, regardless of what your final decision is.

 

My only caution here is that little kids should not have to do double work or stress out more because YOU didn't schedule well and got them behind.

[skueppers]

I also take ds 3 to day school from 8:40 to 9:30 (driving time) and from 11:40 to 12:30 (again driving time). I thought having him in day school would make schooling easier with the big kids and it does, but it also has us up and out of the house a lot.

 

I feel your pain -- I spend 3 hours a day driving my 3 yo to and from preschool. It does make it much easier to do school with his sister, but it's a huge chunk of time. I take advantage of the time by having my daughter watch German-language videos, do math drills, memory work, and music appreciation in the car. Could your kids read in the car, or listen to relevant audiobooks?

 

(The preschool in question is German-immersion. German skills are a major priority for us, so for our family this is time well-spent.)

 

One thing you might look at -- is there a library or other suitable public building near the preschool? I sometimes do school with my daughter in a library or cafe over near my son's preschool. It saves some driving time, and also reduces distractions.

 

Since soccer ended, we have had the chicken pox, Thanksgiving holiday, and currently strep throat.

 

Which of these things actually prevent you from doing school? Of course if kids are too sick to get out of bed, they're probably too sick to do schoolwork, but I wouldn't have thought chicken pox or strep throat fell into that category. Can you modify your school plans to get things done even when people are sick? Maybe you're watching nature videos on TV instead of doing a science experiment, but it's still science.

 

We school 180 days and declare yearly. I declared end of May/beginning of June last year and must send it in by that time this year. We also have to declare the children's grade level. So I am a big ball of stress and there is still daily driving to accomplish Monday through Friday.

 

OK, so are you really having trouble getting 180 days of school done between June 2010 and June 2011? Or are you just having trouble getting as much done as you think you should?

 

It sounds to me from your description as though you DID do schoolwork on more than 25 days since the beginning of the school year, you just only got through what you'd planned to do in the first five weeks. Just because it took you two weeks to get through the work you'd planned for one week, doesn't mean you didn't do school for however many days you worked.

 

I think it might help to sort out exactly WHAT you are stressed about, and sort these reasons in order of importance. By separating the genuinely important issues from the not-so-important issues, you may be able to find stress-reducing solutions more easily.