Where do your high schoolers do their work?

[Shawn On the Border]

When my kids were younger, they did most of their written work at the dining room table. We had tried a school room, but it was too out of the way. The dining table was convenient for all of us. My oldest has been in school for 2 years, and likes to work on his bed. I don't know if that is a good idea, for written work. It seems like it would be good for each of them to have a work area, maybe a desk and book shelf. But, I'm not sure if their rooms are the best place- they may get sidetracked with other things.

 

What works in your homeschool?

[paceofnature]

When I had high schoolers they worked in their room on their bed. It was where they felt comfortable and could have the environment that they liked for studying ~ music/no music and without the distractions of younger siblings.

[regentrude]

dining table

my office

desk in their rooms

floor in their rooms

living room floor

[mom31257]

her room (here are pictures of her IKEA desk)

at the table when there's something I want to go over with her on the dry erase board

[MommyThrice]

Mostly at the dining room table. I just can't leave 3 boys at their desks together in the school room unless I'm working in there. Same thing at the dining room table - I have to be around. I'm tempted to give each their own closet to work in!

[SkateLeft]

My highschoolers do their work anywhere they want. :D As long as it gets done, I don't care where they do it.

 

Sometimes, they're in the living room and sometimes they're in their room. Sometimes they'll be at the kitchen table, and sometimes, if the weather is nice, they'll go work on the deck or in the treehouse. Occasionally, they'll work at a coffee shop, or the library. Since my oldest has been taking classes at the college full-time, she often works in the student center there, or in the library.

[AllSmiles]

sailmom said, "My highschoolers do their work anywhere they want. As long as it gets done, I don't care where they do it."

 

I agree :)

[elegantlion]

We have a designated classroom. If he's just reading he'll head for the living room. He has too many computer gadgets for him to work well in his room. He does work there after school, but never doing school.

[Trilliums]

My son also does school work on his bed. Stretched out on the living room sofa is another frequent spot. Occasionally at a table. He has a desk in his room but he rarely sits there. I think the chair isn't very comfortable for him.

[whiskeywife]

Sometimes the couch, but mostly the desk in the living room.

[jibaker103]

We have a designated classroom/office.All three of us each have our own desk, computer, file cabinet, and bookcase. We are totally self-contained but sometimes for variety we will head to the loft for watching lessons, movies, and documentaries or a comfy sofa anywhere in the house for reading.

[AngieW in Texas]

My oldest mostly did her work on her floor.

 

My 16yo mostly does her work on her floor, although she does have a desk in her room that she sits at to work on her laptop.

 

My 14yo mostly does her work on the living room sofa, although sometimes she'll sprawl on top of our dog on the floor.

 

ETA: My 19yo has done most of her college work at her desk. Since she is working on a degree in animation, she spends most of her time at the computer and she prefers to sit at her desk to use her laptop.

Edited July 24, 2012 by AngieW in Texas

[1Togo]

School room - table for written work and sofa w/footstool for reading

[Nan in Mass]

The question is more one of where don't they do their work. Eventually, in 11th and 12th grade, they refused to work in the car, saying that it was their only true down time. This was extremely inconvenient. They also balked at working outdoors at about the same age, except for reading, because they said the papers blew around too much. (When they were younger, all the papers fit on a clip board, but when they were older, they needed room to spread out.) They worked just about everywhere else - at the gym, on the boat, on airplanes, at other people's houses, at community college while waiting for a sibling, ... Their favourite place was in front of a large whiteboard set up in the middle of the livingroom where it had to be guarded from the cat's fluffy tail and the dog and their 2yo cousin. This was after they figured out how to study. Before that, they usually worked on their bed. I did, too, and still do, so I let it go. Headphones were a must, in our small house. They each had a desk. They just didn't use it much.

Nan

[Calm37]

sailmom said, "My highschoolers do their work anywhere they want. As long as it gets done, I don't care where they do it."

 

I agree :)

 

:iagree: , too.

[Mom22ns]

My highschoolers do their work anywhere they want. :D As long as it gets done, I don't care where they do it.

 

:iagree:

 

When they work with me, we work on the couch either in the living room or in the family room where there is a huge white board. If they are working independently, they usually work in their rooms. Ds likes to work on the bottom bunk (he sleeps on top). Dd likes to work in the big fluffy chair under her loft bed. They have desks in their room, but never do school work there. They had desks in the family room, but after not using them all year last year, they asked me to get rid of them. I'm working on it.

[southcarolinamom]

My son preferred the living room couch/coffee table area. My daughter prefers her bedroom ... on her bed, with music playing, and her favorite cat nearby.

 

Whatever it takes to get their work done! :D

[Shawn On the Border]

Thanks for the input! I do want to keep the school books in a central location, and I'll let them choose where to work. Ds13 still has terrible handwriting, so I'll make him sit at a table. We do math in my bedroom. It's comfy, and there's a nice tv for watching videos, if necessary (Chalkdust).

[angela in ohio]

We have a school room. We call it the Rec Room, and it has an individual desk, a table, and a workbench. Usually two olders take it over and little one goes to the kitchen table. They use the desk in their rooms or the office upstairs if they want total quiet for tests or writing papers (or if they can't agree on their musical selections.)

 

I'm realizing we have a total of four desks and four tables in the house, so everyone has plenty of space. :D It's more about finding a space that doesn't have someone else's project all over it.

[Jenny in Florida]

We have a homeschool area (half of the dining room). My son and I each have a desk there, and we have bookshelves that hold our stuff.

 

He does most of his work at his desk. But when he's just reading, he often goes into his bedroom or the backyard.

[Lizzie in Ma]

Depends on what subject, some of her reading and such she does on her bed or the couch, most work is done downstairs at her desk and labs are all done in the living room on a table we set up for the purpose on Fridays.

[AHASRADA]

Ds almost always works in his room on his bed. He has a desk, but it is a bit tight to sit at, and he has always preferred to "lounge" while working. He has his computer and a myriad of books spread around his bed, plus a side table with snacks, etc.

 

Dh doesn't think it's appropriate to lie in bed all day and call it "work", and I personally prefer it when we are all together in one room, so I can help/facilitate/guide each child as they need it. Unfortunately, ds is easily distracted, and with the addition of dd1, there is just too much commotion on the main floor, so he retreats to his room.

[TravelingChris]

When I am working with her, it may be in our sunroom, our dining room, our kitchen or our living room. She normally decides to work either in her room, the sunroom, or the family room. But I am with Sailmom, I don't care where she is working as long as she is doing it and not disturbing someone else. (This last one is pretty quiet except when she practices trumpet- which is always downstairs.).

[Bee Happy]

Wherever they want! If it's something together (including me) it will happen in the living room, or maybe in my bedroom.

[Miss Marple]

Pretty much everywhere :(

[Chris in VA]

We had a schoolroom in the basement. Here is his area.

He did devotions in his room, and we discussed stuff on the couch in the schoolroom, usually. (The couch is to the left under a bank of windows.) He read on the couch there and occasionally other places around the house.

I can't read at a desk--it just seems so uncomfortable.

[ilanao]

My son did Keystone last year, so he needed to use the laptop. He has a desk with a cubby, but it's a little high for him because he's short. We had an extra rolling desk/table from IKEA that I put in his room, and he does most of his work there. He likes to read textbooks on his bed or hunched over on the floor (cringe).