Homework/study time ?

[BakersDozen]

Do you get a lot of grumbling from your dc regarding homework/study time? I know this used to be the norm (gathering at the kitchen table with the lamp lit and preparing for the next day's lesson) yet I just don't know how this would go over with my family. My challenge now (and for the last few years) is homework and school outside of our normal school day. We start at 8:30 and end at 3:30 with some breaks but really we have a very full day. This year will require homework, there's no way around it. My 16yo is about to have a breakdown because she doesn't have hours of free time to do what she wants (she's less than willing to get up early before school starts). I think they could easily have an hour of homework at night and two hours would be closer. Any advice? Our dinner time usually lasts about 30 minutes, clean up should take 30 minutes (if they are focused), we like to take a walk as a family and have family time before bed so that's another hour...how would I fit in homework/study time??

 

 

I'm at a loss so any input would be appreciated.

[regentrude]

I hear you. My DD has a very full schedule, with dual enrollment classes and extracurriculars, and has to work more than our standard 8-3 school time.

But if I look at how much time there still is in the day if you end school at 3:30, I see about 7 hours until bedtime. Plenty of time for homework and dinner and extracurricular activities. Does your DD have any outside activities on weekday afternoons? Mine rides horses several days a week. I find it important that she has a break after school and encourage her riding first and finishing school work later in the evening.

If your DD is pressed for time, I personally would not insist that she participate in the family walk on nights when she has a lot of work; she might enjoy a productive hour of quiet work having the house to herself.

Last semester, when the outside class demanded a lot of work, my DD often also spent a few hours on Saturday and Sunday doing homework; that helped reducing the pressure on week nights.

[jessicalb]

We are getting to that point now and it isn't easy for him to transition, but we are figuring it out. Right now the rule is that all schoolwork, chores, responsibilities have to be completed by Friday before we leave for Park Day with our homeschool group. If he can make a case for doing it over the weekend, that will be allowed, but no sleepovers unless everything is caught up. All school WILL be done before the next Monday or all screen time, texting, phone, etc is gone, as well as no park day or sleepovers until it is 100% caught up.

 

I would never hold him to this for illness or my lateness in grading or anything, but I am fair in what I assign and he needs to learn time management, and so far this is working. I think it helps that I give him things that are to be completed anytime during the week, so he can build his own schedule and work the way he likes to reach completion on all the items.

[BakersDozen]

Thank you both for your replies. Tonight I wrestled with whether or not to have everyone go on a walk and decided that it was important for us to do so. What a joy it was to see my 16yo and 15yo (typically my two who get along the least!) walking the entire way together chatting about who knows what!! When we got home and the evening routine was done I had everyone who had homework gather at the table. The first thing that happened was my "middles" (ages 7, 9 and 12) went and got their work for tomorrow once they saw their older siblings working! They all sat at the table working and actually enjoying themselves (well, 16yo was factoring equations so she wasn't having much fun). After about 20 minutes I told them to put their books away and sit in the living room. At first there were frustrated looks as none of them finished their work yet for the next 30 minutes we spent time together laughing and reminiscing about the years when it was just the 5 older ones...and I wanted to cry. I wanted to freeze time, to make the evening drag out as long as possible.

 

I forgot what matters. Equations will be factored, Physics chapters will be read, but family time every night before bed is the most important thing in our evening. After tonight's lovely time together I decided to use weekends for finishing work rather than cutting into our family time. I do believe that would reduce the pressure/time constraint on weeknights. I may have them spend 30 minutes/night working but after that my dc are MINE! I'm a bit selfish as far as they are concerned. ;)

 

Does your DD have any outside activities on weekday afternoons?

She loves to Irish step dance so she typically does that from 3:45-4:45. I try very hard to protect that time for her. My other dc are better at getting up early and playing a game or going to the skate park so they have their free time first thing in the day.

[jessicalb]

I forgot what matters. Equations will be factored, Physics chapters will be read, but family time every night before bed is the most important thing in our evening. After tonight's lovely time together I decided to use weekends for finishing work rather than cutting into our family time. I do believe that would reduce the pressure/time constraint on weeknights. I may have them spend 30 minutes/night working but after that my dc are MINE! I'm a bit selfish as far as they are concerned. ;)

 

This is a great point. My first priority is absolutely relationship. :)

[gingersmom]

My son is only in middle school but we have study hall Mon-Thurs from 7-8:30pm. If he has an activity that ends late then study hall begins when he gets home.

 

We also school from 8:30-3:30 so there is plenty of time after school for him to do whatever he wants/ice skating/gym, etc.

[mschickie]

We were always more relaxed with sd in high school. She had her weekly assignments and if she got them done she had free time. We did not have set school hours, just particular times in the day we sat down to go over stuff. Some weeks she had tons of free time, others not so much. Same goes for her now in college, some weeks she drags her work out other weeks it is done right away.

[Lori D.]

This is just me, but I found I had to work hard and fight upstream to keep "down time" and family time in our schedule throughout high school. Ultimately, we decided family time and time for recharging and self-discovery were more important to us than a rigorous classical education, so we cut back to "just get 'er done" science and math (since those are not the areas DSs were headed towards) options, while keeping more closely toward the WTM style of Literature and History. Everyone has to make those decisions of what the priorities need to be, and it will be different for every family; that's just what our choice was.

 

Be prepared: in addition to the coursework, you have to leave time for high schoolers to:

- learn to drive

- learn life skills (personal finances, budgeting, cooking, getting around town, etc.)

- be involved in extracurriculars

- learn study skills

- practice and participate in events for sports, music, etc.

- prep for ACT/SAT testing

- do outsourced classes (on someone else's schedule; homework; possible commuting time if it's on a campus...)

- possibly work part time

 

Below are ideas for helping to prevent overload. Use if they fit with your homeschooling philosophies -- discard if they don't. ;) BEST of luck in taming / reclaiming your family schedule! Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

 

Use Some Less Rigorous Programs

If there is not an interest or need for an ivy-league or specialized college after high school, back down on a notch on the rigor level in subject areas that are not going to figure heavily in the student's future. It is okay to use a few "just get 'er done" programs as needed to bring the schedule under control.

 

 

Modified Block Scheduling

We got more done in high school for Science and History by switching to scheduling each just 2 days/week for 2 hours/day. The fifth day of the week was for catching up what didn't get completed. the 0.5 credit each for Logic, Economics, and Government also worked well by scheduling them each for just 1 day a week, for the whole school year. Think through what subjects might work well in your own home with block scheduling.

 

 

Try a Rotating Schedule

If block scheduling doesn't work, try a rotating schedule which drops a different subject each day. For example, if you have 7 subjects, you do 6 subjects each day, dropping a different subject each day, and at the end of 7 days, you have done each subject 6 times. Many high schools operate under a similar schedule, which means each of the 7 subjects meets 155 times in the 180 days of the school year.

 

 

Reduce the Credit Load Per Year

- Do the bare minimum -- plan for only 5-6 credits per year rather than 6-8.

- Spread out a credit -- take 1.5 to 2 years to do a 1 year credit.

- Postpone till summer -- do a lighter load in the school year, and do a lighter subject worth 0.5 to 1.0 credit as summer school.

 

 

No Homework

- Literally limit how much time you schedule for a subject. Don't spend more than 45-60 minutes per day on a subject, especially one the student really struggles with. Take the pressure off from the start and just plan on working through the summer on that one subject to finish it (again at no more than 45-60 minutes/day).

- If the student "gets it", don't do EVERY single problem or assingment. Do enough for comprehension and fluency -- cut out the overkill. (example -- cut out some of the math problems in a lesson)

- Drop a few quizzes, worksheets, and "busywork" assignments from the curriculum to ease the schedule.

 

 

5th Year of High School

Especially if you have a young high schooler, consider taking an extra year to complete high school, which greatly eases the load each year.

 

 

Dual Enrollment to Reduce Time

An option for 11th or 12th grade is to take a community college (CC) course for dual enrollment (credit for high school AND college). Often, these CC classes (the 4-5 unit classes) allow you to count the one semester of CC credit as one full YEAR of high school credit. Foreign Language, Science, and Math classes usually count this way. So, for example, 2 semesters of Spanish at the CC could be your 2 YEARS of Foreign La.nguage for the high school transcript, saving you an entire year of not having to deal with a Foreign Language credit at home. NOTE: you do LOSE some time with this option, too -- due to being on someone else's schedule; the class homework/assignments; commuting to the campus; and the administrative time required for signing up to attend the institution, taking on-campus assessments, paperwork, registration, buying books, etc.

 

 

"Double Dip"

- If your student spends a LOT of time in an outside-the-home activity, count that extracurricular towards credit as well as on the extracurricular, and cut out of the curriculum any assignments / chapters / work that is overlap.

- Count research papers done for History for both the History credit AND for the Composition/English credit.

- Count physical activities done for fun on afternoons / weekends / summers towards the PE credit.

 

 

Limit Extracurriculars

Outside the home activities eat up a lot of the afternoons / evenings / weekends; limiting the activities so the family has at least 2 days a week where no one needs to go anywhere outside the home day/night is a huge help.

 

 

Carpool

Where possible, get involved in carpools so you can half the amount of time you spend driving -- that's time you can spend at home with the other children who are not doing that activity.

Edited August 14, 2012 by Lori D.