# hours for your school day - 7th/8th grades???

[regentrude]

12th grade ds only needs 3 credits to meet any possible criteria for admissions into almost any selective good university.......art history, biology (we have put this off as long as possible), and 12th grade English. That said, he will be taking 8-9 credits this yr. why? Bc he wants to. :) He can't imagine a yr w/o math and physics and is thinking about adding in computer science as well.

Same here. My 12th grade DD only needs her fourth English and her fourth history credit; everything else already satisfies or exceeds the requirements of the most selective university. She will still take nine hours of classes at the university this semester and continue with math at home even though she will retake this at the university, because she loves learning and could not imagine a "slacker" year. I did not mean to give the impression we cut corners.

And as I said before, once dual enrollment starts, all bets are off with respect to the time she spends on school; some weeks physics alone took 15 hours of her time. BUT we still make sure choir and horseback riding find enough time.

[8filltheheart]

Same here. My 12th grade DD only needs her fourth English and her fourth history credit; everything else already satisfies or exceeds the requirements of the most selective university. She will still take nine hours of classes at the university this semester and continue with math at home even though she will retake this at the university, because she loves learning and could not imagine a "slacker" year. I did not mean to give the impression we cut corners.

And as I said before, once dual enrollment starts, all bets are off with respect to the time she spends on school; some weeks physics alone took 15 hours of her time. BUT we still make sure choir and horseback riding find enough time.

 

I wasn't actually addressing my edit to you b/c I know that your kids are probably very similar to mine.  However, I also didn't see any mention of dual enrollment and hrs in this thread.   I must have missed it.   I don't see how those hrs cannot be factored into how many hrs they are working b/c it is part of their high school academic load.    I think middle school is probably where my kids' days are actually longer than yours.    

 

FWIW, our ds certainly finds the time he needs for what he wants to do.  ;)  

[regentrude]

However, I also didn't see any mention of dual enrollment and hrs in this thread.   I must have missed it.   I don't see how those hrs cannot be factored into how many hrs they are working b/c it is part of their high school academic load.

This thread is about grades 7 and 8, so dual enrollment would not be relevant to most people (also, it's the K-8 forum). When I responded, I was specifically writing about our work load for grades 8 and 9 (DD skipped 8, so her 7th was sort of 8th and her 8th was 9th)

 

I think middle school is probably where my kids' days are actually longer than yours.

Yes, definitely. *High school* is a different beast.

[BakersDozen]

"I'll just go ahead and say that frankly, I don't get a 7-8 hour schoolday for a homeschooler. Please understand, I am not trying to be snarky or anything like that, I just don't get it. That it is longer than the average high school day around here does make me wonder.

 

I am aiming for about 4-5 hours a day with a 7th grader."

 

7-8 hours includes reading for the next day's class and any homework (although hopefully homework is limited). If I aimed for 4-5 hours/day I would have to cut out academics I feel are valuable and necessary.

[8filltheheart]

This thread is about grades 7 and 8, so dual enrollment would not be relevant to most people (also, it's the K-8 forum). When I responded, I was specifically writing about our work load for grades 8 and 9 (DD skipped 8, so her 7th was sort of 8th and her 8th was 9th)

 

 

Yes, definitely. *High school* is a different beast.

 

I actually see 7th/8th directly connected to high school.   If a child is used to doing 3-4 hrs in 6th-8th grade, it is really unrealistic to expect them to suddenly be prepared for a more stringent academic load in 9th.   I am more of a frog in the pot teacher.   Gradually increase the workload and then it isn't ever even noticed.   :)    (FWIW, I know your kids aren't doing 3-4 hrs......but I am attempting to write to a general audience vs. individual posters.    Ds has managed taking 10 high school credits with several of them upper level college classes precisely b/c he knows how to manage his time and has the study skills required for success on a college campus.   THose didn't just happen in high school.    They were built up over time, and especially during middle school yrs.)

 

[regentrude]

I actually see 7th/8th directly connected to high school.   If a child is used to doing 3-4 hrs in 6th-8th grade, it is really unrealistic to expect them to suddenly be prepared for a more stringent academic load in 9th.   I am more of a frog in the pot teacher.   Gradually increase the workload and then it isn't ever even noticed.   :)    (FWIW, I know your kids aren't doing 3-4 hrs......but I am attempting to write to a general audience vs. individual posters.

Actually, in 6th grade they DID have only 4 hours, 4.5 in 7th, 5 hours in 8th ;-)

We increased work load in 9th grade to 6 hours and that was sufficient for DD to take her first college physics class and do very well in it. Having a lighter work load during middle school did not impede her transition to rigorous high school work - so I guess I am not in the "frog in the pot" camp.

 

I also notice that my DS is lacking the maturity and concentration to give me a longer day of *quaality* work; I'd rather get good six hours than mediocre 8, if that makes sense. As always, a lot depends on the child; I am not convinced that all average 7th graders have the concentration ability for 8 hours time-on-task. And time on task it is in a homeschool, whereas a public school day counts assemblies and crowd management and recess and lunch into the school day... I doubt they did even three hours of actual WORK in 6th grade when I pulled my kids.

 

Ds has managed taking 10 high school credits with several of them upper level college classes precisely b/c he knows how to manage his time and has the study skills required for success on a college campus.   THose didn't just happen in high school.    They were built up over time, and especially during middle school yrs.)

LOL. My not-boiled-in-the-pot-gradually DD acquired the study and time management skills to excel in tough weed-out college classes while taking those classes. It just goes to show that many roads lead to Rome ;-)

[Alte Veste Academy]

I love the idea of shorter days, but, wow, I just can't imagine getting it all done in 3-4 hours past 3rd or 4th grade.

 

On the other hand, I can see where homeschoolers would expect the day to be shorter because so much of the public school day (at least when I was there) is just a big waste of time. Instructional time at school can be greatly streamlined at home. My niece was in 7th at PS last year and never had more than an hour of homework, either. Then again, she's in the honors English program, but it is a tremendous struggle for her to get through the two low level books she is assigned to read over the summer.

 

We do longer days. I wish they were shorter and it seems they should be, but I haven't figured out how to make that happen.

 

Wow on that being considered honors level 7th grade work. It's like night and day from the honors program I did in middle school. I don't doubt that some are sorry excuses for honors programs (that was probably even the case way back when), but I honestly do believe that many homeschoolers fall into a trap (or stay in the trap they fell into in the elementary years) of keeping short days because they assume that whatever they do will be better than what the PS is doing. Obviously, that isn't you, by the way! And I don't believe it's true of everyone who chooses to keep short hours. But I know at least two homeschoolers who aren't amping up requirements at all going from elementary to the middle years, relating similar anecdotes about low requirements and wasted time in B&M schools. Anyway, I don't doubt that those anecdotes are true, but (1) I want my kids to be on par with the best educated children, not the bare-bones, "time-served" educated children, and (2) the fact that the PS may be dropping the ball is no excuse for me to do the same.

 

Also, kind of a personal pet peeve with me, but I think people should own their decisions. I wouldn't do something just because Jane Doe is doing it and not do something because the PS does or doesn't. If a homeschooler philosophically believes in shorter days and get lots done in little time, great. If she purposefully sticks to bare bones subjects, but ensures that her kids give those subjects their all, great. If she takes more hours per day, going deep and wide in the name of a liberal education, great. But I personally wouldn't do this, that, or the other because of some other person's/entity's success or failure.

[rdj2027]

When I talk about time, I talk about pure academic work/instructional time.  My 8th grader does about 4.5 to 5 full 60 minute hours a day.  This translates into roughly 6 45 minute sessions 5 days a week.  It does not include breaks, P.E. and hands-on subjects like studio art, music practice and such.  I cannot imagine him having a 7 to 8 hour day in this context.

[Mom0012]

Actually, in 6th grade they DID have only 4 hours, 4.5 in 7th, 5 hours in 8th ;-)

We increased work load in 9th grade to 6 hours and that was sufficient for DD to take her first college physics class and do very well in it. Having a lighter work load during middle school did not impede her transition to rigorous high school work - so I guess I am not in the "frog in the pot" camp.

 

I also notice that my DS is lacking the maturity and concentration to give me a longer day of *quaality* work; I'd rather get good six hours than mediocre 8, if that makes sense. As always, a lot depends on the child; I am not convinced that all average 7th graders have the concentration ability for 8 hours time-on-task. And time on task it is in a homeschool, whereas a public school day qcounts assemblies and crowd management and recess and lunch into the school day... I doubt they did even three hours of actual WORK in 6th grade when I pulled my kids.

 

 

LOL. My not-boiled-in-the-pot-gradually DD acquired the study and time management skills to excel in tough weed-out college classes while taking those classes. It just goes to show that many roads lead to Rome ;-)

 

I guess we need to take into consideration though that your kids are highly gifted? Forgive me if I am incorrect. I just seem to remember you saying something about your 13 yo being exceptional and taking a college physics course at 13. I think if that is the case, it has to make a difference. My dd is very bright, but she can't get all her work done in 4 hours.

 

ETA: I see you mention the physics class here, too.  I was just pondering this some more and thinking about how I could possibly have my dd's work done in 4 hours because I would love to be able to do that.  My son has lds and spends about the same amount of time on his work as my dd does because that's what it takes to keep him at grade level.  So maybe in some ways it is a personal preference?  I have one child who is accelerated and one who is on grade level, but they both spend the same amount of time on school. In my mind, the 7 - 8 hours is what they can handle, so I try to limit it to that, but do as much as I think they can within that time. 

[Mom0012]

Wow on that being considered honors level 7th grade work. It's like night and day from the honors program I did in middle school. I don't doubt that some are sorry excuses for honors programs (that was probably even the case way back when), but I honestly do believe that many homeschoolers fall into a trap (or stay in the trap they fell into in the elementary years) of keeping short days because they assume that whatever they do will be better than what the PS is doing. Obviously, that isn't you, by the way! And I don't believe it's true of everyone who chooses to keep short hours. But I know at least two homeschoolers who aren't amping up requirements at all going from elementary to the middle years, relating similar anecdotes about low requirements and wasted time in B&M schools. Anyway, I don't doubt that those anecdotes are true, but (1) I want my kids to be on par with the best educated children, not the bare-bones, "time-served" educated children, and (2) the fact that the PS may be dropping the ball is no excuse for me to do the same.

 

Also, kind of a personal pet peeve with me, but I think people should own their decisions. I wouldn't do something just because Jane Doe is doing it and not do something because the PS does or doesn't. If a homeschooler philosophically believes in shorter days and get lots done in little time, great. If she purposefully sticks to bare bones subjects, but ensures that her kids give those subjects their all, great. If she takes more hours per day, going deep and wide in the name of a liberal education, great. But I personally wouldn't do this, that, or the other because of some other person's/entity's success or failure.

I agree it seems very weak for honors English and I have asked my sister what they do in that class and how her dd is able to handle it if it is so difficult for her to read two books over the summer. She doesn't know.

 

I also agree we have to make our own choices and decisions. I just think one of the ways many homeschoolers do that is by trying to determine what is age appropriate and acceptable based on what the schools are doing. I am doing a lot with my children, but since I only have experience with my own 2 children, I look for outside measures to help me gauge whether or not I am on the right path with them. When I read the high school boards, my blood pressure goes up because it seems like so many people are working on such a high level. It's way beyond anything I ever did in school and I was successful in college and was a professional with a well-paying career. It is difficult to reconcile my niece's current experience with ps and my own experience with the accomplishments of many of the people on that board.

 

ETA: I've gotten off-topic again, but my main point was that I could see why people might think 7 or 8 hours is a lot for homeschooling, especially if they stay away from the high school board, LOL. :)

[8filltheheart]

I guess we need to take into consideration though that your kids are highly gifted? Forgive me if I am incorrect. I just seem to remember you saying something about your 13 yo being exceptional and taking a college physics course at 13. I think if that is the case, it has to make a difference. My dd is very bright, but she can't get all her work done in 4 hours.

 

Gifted vs. avg has not made a difference in our household in being able to get work done that quickly.    My gifted kids are doing higher level materials/more difficult work which matches their abilities, so the work takes pretty much equivalent amts of time.     The only way I can imagine days less time is by actually covering less subjects.   For example, my avg 6th grader this yr is taking math, science, history, literature/English, Latin, religion.   I anticipate her days taking approx. 6-6 1/2 hrs.  The only way her days could be shorter would to cover less material or cut Latin and religion which is not going to happen.    When our advanced ds was in 6th grade, he did LLfLOTR + writing, spelling, grammar, Foerster's alg, history, science, French, and religion.    He was actually working longer than 6 hrs b/c he is a slow reader and the reading in LL took him twice as along as his sibling that he was taking the course with  (his 8th grade sister) but he really wanted to do the study. 

 

I'm not suggesting that others need to follow our path.   However, I have unfortunately witnessed the outcome of too many students whose expected level of input/output did not increase appropriately for the various grade levels.   The amt of work they were doing in 4th/5th grade was on par with the amt of work they were doing in high school.   They did not transition from homeschool to college well.  Not at all.   They lacked many  basic academic skills (mainly in writing) in addition to time management skills (they had no idea how to cope with multiple assignments, overlapping due dates, etc.)   Unfortunately, those students are the ones that shoulder the repercussions of not being adequately prepared.  

 

I have no doubt that Regentrude's kids are more than prepared for academic success.   However, she and her dh are both phDs and their expectations/educational insights and even their lives are not going to easily translate across the general population.     We all need to carefully discern how what we are doing impacts the individuals before us.    What is great at age 10, may not be so great at age 13, and maybe even less than adequate at 16/17.   However, not everyone has the same educational goals and that will impact what focus is taken as well.   So, everyone needs to discern with a grain of salt.   But, we need to keep in mind the goals of the student as well.

[elegantlion]

We did between 4-5 hours at the 6th- 7th grade, 5-6 at 8th grade. Ds has a "full" point at which nothing else will stick. This focus level has increased every year.  

[AngelaNYC]

I was hesitant to post since our daily scheduled academic seatwork takes about 2-3 hrs/day.  Ds is going into 7th grade and is on grade level.  Then I thought about comparing his week to what a week looks like in public/parochial school and came up with a new breakdown of a real week for ds:

 

Math:  5 hrs/week

Lit:  5 hrs/week

Hist:  1.5 hrs/week

Geog:  1 hr/week

Sci:  2-3 hrs/week

Trip or Outside class:  2-3 hrs/week (often more)

PE:  4 hrs/week

Religion:  1.25 hrs/week

Technology:  5 hrs/week

Misc (Art, Music, Health, Language Arts, Current Events):  3 hrs/week

 

[Mom0012]

Gifted vs. avg has not made a difference in our household in being able to get work done that quickly.    My gifted kids are doing higher level materials/more difficult work which matches their abilities, so the work takes pretty much equivalent amts of time.     The only way I can imagine days less time is by actually covering less subjects.   For example, my avg 6th grader this yr is taking math, science, history, literature/English, Latin, religion.   I anticipate her days taking approx. 6-6 1/2 hrs.  The only way her days could be shorter would to cover less material or cut Latin and religion which is not going to happen.    When our advanced ds was in 6th grade, he did LLfLOTR + writing, spelling, grammar, Foerster's alg, history, science, French, and religion.    He was actually working longer than 6 hrs b/c he is a slow reader and the reading in LL took him twice as along as his sibling that he was taking the course with  (his 8th grade sister) but he really wanted to do the study. 

 

I'm not suggesting that others need to follow our path.   However, I have unfortunately witnessed the outcome of too many students whose expected level of input/output did not increase appropriately for the various grade levels.   The amt of work they were doing in 4th/5th grade was on par with the amt of work they were doing in high school.   They did not transition from homeschool to college well.  Not at all.   They lacked many  basic academic skills (mainly in writing) in addition to time management skills (they had no idea how to cope with multiple assignments, overlapping due dates, etc.)   Unfortunately, those students are the ones that shoulder the repercussions of not being adequately prepared.  

 

I have no doubt that Regentrude's kids are more than prepared for academic success.   However, she and her dh are both phDs and their expectations/educational insights and even their lives are not going to easily translate across the general population.     We all need to carefully discern how what we are doing impacts the individuals before us.    What is great at age 10, may not be so great at age 13, and maybe even less than adequate at 16/17.   However, not everyone has the same educational goals and that will impact what focus is taken as well.   So, everyone needs to discern with a grain of salt.   But, we need to keep in mind the goals of the student as well.

Yes, I agree with you.  After I posted that question about gifted vs typical, I thought about it some more and realized my accelerated dd and my son, who is on grade level, both work the same amount of time at this point.  I just have different expectations with what they do with that time.  I think that is somewhat along the lines of what you said in one of your earlier posts, but that didn't click with me when I originally read it.  I want them each to be challenged and to accomplish what they can to the best of their abilities in a time period I feel they can handle.  For them, that is around 7-8 hours.

[regentrude]

I guess we need to take into consideration though that your kids are highly gifted? Forgive me if I am incorrect. I just seem to remember you saying something about your 13 yo being exceptional and taking a college physics course at 13. I think if that is the case, it has to make a difference. My dd is very bright, but she can't get all her work done in 4 hours.

No, I do nto think it has anything to do with being gifted - the fact that they are gifted simply means that I increase the academic expectations I have for the kids and that they are working significantly above grade level. But I still taylor the amount of time I expect them to put in to their chronological age, if that makes sense.

Now if my kids were working on the same stuff their same age peers do in ps, they would be a lot faster; however, that is not my educational goal - they need more of a challenge.

[Mom0012]

No, I do nto think it has anything to do with being gifted - the fact that they are gifted simply means that I increase the academic expectations I have for the kids and that they are working significantly above grade level. But I still taylor the amount of time I expect them to put in to their chronological age, if that makes sense.

Now if my kids were working on the same stuff their same age peers do in ps, they would be a lot faster; however, that is not my educational goal - they need more of a challenge.

Got it.  Thanks!

[momto2Cs]

 

I was hesitant to post since our daily scheduled academic seatwork takes about 2-3 hrs/day.  Ds is going into 7th grade and is on grade level.  Then I thought about comparing his week to what a week looks like in public/parochial school and came up with a new breakdown of a real week for ds:

 

Math:  5 hrs/week

Lit:  5 hrs/week

Hist:  1.5 hrs/week

Geog:  1 hr/week

Sci:  2-3 hrs/week

Trip or Outside class:  2-3 hrs/week (often more)

PE:  4 hrs/week

Religion:  1.25 hrs/week

Technology:  5 hrs/week

Misc (Art, Music, Health, Language Arts, Current Events):  3 hrs/week

 

 

Looks about right to me!

[8filltheheart]

I can not really understand why any kid needs to spend an hour and a half on math if he can spend less and finish the work by the years end.  I think this sort of time table is insane.  I think 3-4 hours is ample.  My older one transitioned to high school just fie and we are a busy active family with 6 hours of soccer for the 8th grader per week not incl games.

 

I guess it is all a matter of perspective.   When my 12th grader was in 8th grade, that yr he completed Foerster's alg 2/trig,  and AoPS alg 3, as well as AoPS Counting and Probability on top of math club with a math coach.  ;)  He loved every minute of it and wanted more.  :)  

 

It is also going to depend on what they are transitioning to in high school.     Kids that are only doing 3-4 hrs in 8th grade would most likely have a difficult time adjusting to taking AP courses which are notoriously time consuming or AoPS math classes which can take more than 2 hrs just for a single math problem.  My ds might have easily spent 3-4 hrs just on math daily when he was taking AoPS classes.  

 

FWIW, not all kids do need to spend 1.5 hrs on math daily.   But, by the time my kids are in 8th grade, all of them have been taking alg at a minimum and it takes them at least an hr/day for alg.  Some days when they are doing mostly word problems, it can take longer.  

 

When my kids are younger, no, they aren't spending that much time on math unless they do want to.   My current 6th grader isn't that strong of a math student, but she really starting to enjoy math.  (which is ironic b/c she used to hate it.  :) )   She actually asked me for math this yr.  

 

Writing is the one area that I do not see how it is accomplished when students are only doing 3-4 hrs of work a day in 8th grade.   My kids are researching/writing/revising, etc at least 45 mins every single day.   Some days closer to an hr. 

[regentrude]

I can not really understand why any kid needs to spend an hour and a half on math if he can spend less and finish the work by the years end.

Maybe he does not NEED to - but WANTS to?

Maybe he is not using typical 8th grade material but has chosen to work through the entire AoPS Intro to Algebra text in 8th grade, for example?

 

I do not think every child must, or should, spend 1.5 hours on math daily. My DS is incapable of concentrating this long - but since we are a few years ahead of the game, he does not have to.

But I can easily see scenarios where either the student loves math and wants to go above and beyond, or where the student struggles or learns slowly and needs the extra time to stay on track.

[Luckymama]

I can not really understand why any kid needs to spend an hour and a half on math if he can spend less and finish the work by the years end. I think this sort of time table is insane. I think 3-4 hours is ample. My older one transitioned to high school just fie and we are a busy active family with 6 hours of soccer for the 8th grader per week not incl games.

 

Dd is one of those spending 1.5 hours on math a day, even through the summer, her choice. She'd do only math and science all day if I would let her! Math is her thing, and is the primary reason we began homeschooling in fifth grade. She is accelerating herself through the Art of Problem Solving curricula (and I join regentrude and 8filltheheart at not being able to guess how long certain AoPS problems or sections might take!).

 

I don't want to leave the impression that dd is chained to the kitchen table all day. She is done every day by 3:30 so that she has a nice break and snack before heading to ballet (7 hr/week plus rerhearsals) or to Lego League practice (4 hr/week August-January) :)

[quark]

NM...not a useful contribution :P.

[8filltheheart]

 I don't think mine will necessarily need a 7-8 hour assigned work day when he is in 7th-8th grade unless 3 hours of that is completely self-directed. He's all of 10 and only in 6th and 4 to 5-ish hours of seat/ assigned work (without piano, PE) feels just right. I don't think our lifestyle will be as fluid if we add 2 more hours in 7th. I don't see us getting to all the delightful books and documentaries we want to consume voraciously and discuss and take apart with gusto if I add more assigned time.

 

Quark,

 

You probably won't need for it to be assigned.   Our homeschool will probably look 100% different when I have an only or just my youngest 2.    Ask me how middle school looks in about 9 yrs when our 3 yod gets there.  ;)   I have this sense that she is going to keep me on my toes more than my 12th grader ever did.   Some of the conversations she has now already freak me out!

 

I think if our 12th grader had been an only, our homeschool would have been a lot less structured and more fluid.   He loves philosophy and deep contemplation.  He is also completely self-motivated and self-directed.   He researches subjects that he needs/wants and runs with them.   He would have loved the freedom to explore philosophy and theology more fluidly and in far more depth than we have.   But I don't have the ability to be that flexible.   So structure and schedule is really a necessity for my involvement.    But, my kids do lots on their own or ask me to find them resources.   I certainly don't have time for learning 4 foreign languages.  :P  (Nor do I have even the slightest desire!!)

[8filltheheart]

NM...not a useful contribution :p.

I think it was/is.   It is really hard to overlay any familial situations and get any correlation.   It is why homeschoolers really cannot be lumped together as a group b/c nothing really should resemble each other from one house to another unless it is school at home vs. homeschooling.   I think it is an important perspective that everyone should keep when reading any thread.

 

It is just really hard for me to wrap my head around this one.   I have always (and I mean probably 100s of posts) argued on this board for "less is more."   But, that is normally when I am posting in pre-k to 4th grade threads.   Most of the posters in those threads have school days longer than my 6th graders!   So to be involved in a discussion where I am actually discussing longer days is rather bizarre from my perspective!  ;)

[TKDmom]

Y'all are popping my happy little bubble. I want school work to be done by 2pm. Well, I really want it to be done by noon, but that has never actually happened. :tongue_smilie:

 

It takes my rising 7th grader for.ev.er to do anything. And she probably does need to spend 8 hours a day schooling. But I don't want to commit that amount of time to reminding her to stay on track. *pout*

[quark]

LOL, you are too quick 8! :)

[BakersDozen]

"I was hesitant to post since our daily scheduled academic seatwork takes about 2-3 hrs/day. Ds is going into 7th grade and is on grade level. Then I thought about comparing his week to what a week looks like in public/parochial school and came up with a new breakdown of a real week for ds:

 

Math: 5 hrs/week

Lit: 5 hrs/week

Hist: 1.5 hrs/week

Geog: 1 hr/week

Sci: 2-3 hrs/week

Trip or Outside class: 2-3 hrs/week (often more)

PE: 4 hrs/week

Religion: 1.25 hrs/week

Technology: 5 hrs/week

Misc (Art, Music, Health, Language Arts, Current Events): 3 hrs/week"

 

This is very helpful! We spend more hours/day yet now I see why and that helps put things into perspective (I'm one who felt guilty for subjecting my dc to long school days while other dc were done by noon, lol). We do History, Science and Language Arts every day. So that bumps us quite a bit.

 

Thanks for posting your schedule - very good to see!

[Kathie in VA]

We are also looking at about 7 to 8 hours average per day ... about 33 hours per week.  This is for class and homework time for the main school subjects (math, writing/grammar, history/geography, literature/vocabulary, science, Latin, logic, and cursive handwriting... and maybe some spelling).  My ds will also continue with Boy Scouts but that's separate hours.  Still need to add in more physical activity and music.

 

One thing to keep in mind .. we are preparing them for high school level work habits... which in turn are preparing them for college level work.  If I remember correctly, at college we were told to expect to need about 2 hours of homework for every hour in class.  Each class was 3 hours a week so hw was about another 6 hrs ... totaling about 9 hours per class and we typically took about 5 classes... so in college they expected about 45 hours a week ... usually more if you take a lab classes  (~ 1 more hr cw and 2hrs hw = +3hrs totaling 48hrs/wk).  This works when you consider that college is prep for the work force which averages a minimum of 40 hours a week.

 

 

[8filltheheart]

 

I was hesitant to post since our daily scheduled academic seatwork takes about 2-3 hrs/day. Ds is going into 7th grade and is on grade level. Then I thought about comparing his week to what a week looks like in public/parochial school and came up with a new breakdown of a real week for ds:

 

Math: 5 hrs/week

Lit: 5 hrs/week

Hist: 1.5 hrs/week

Geog: 1 hr/week

Sci: 2-3 hrs/week

Trip or Outside class: 2-3 hrs/week (often more)

PE: 4 hrs/week

Religion: 1.25 hrs/week

Technology: 5 hrs/week

Misc (Art, Music, Health, Language Arts, Current Events): 3 hrs/week

Yes, I agree that it is helpful to see. Different families have different focuses. Technology has a strong focus in your homeschool. Science and history less.

 

My kids do science, history, all language arts and most especially writing for close to an hour every day and technology is something that they use or learn or spend time on their own but not scheduled formally.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

Quark,

 

You probably won't need for it to be assigned.   Our homeschool will probably look 100% different when I have an only or just my youngest 2.    Ask me how middle school looks in about 9 yrs when our 3 yod gets there.  ;)   I have this sense that she is going to keep me on my toes more than my 12th grader ever did.   Some of the conversations she has now already freak me out!

 

I think if our 12th grader had been an only, our homeschool would have been a lot less structured and more fluid.   He loves philosophy and deep contemplation.  He is also completely self-motivated and self-directed.   He researches subjects that he needs/wants and runs with them.   He would have loved the freedom to explore philosophy and theology more fluidly and in far more depth than we have.   But I don't have the ability to be that flexible.   So structure and schedule is really a necessity for my involvement.    But, my kids do lots on their own or ask me to find them resources.   I certainly don't have time for learning 4 foreign languages.  :p  (Nor do I have even the slightest desire!!)

 

Quark and 8,

 

What you've both said is interesting because part of the reason my 11yo's day is structured is to allow time for philosophy, discussion, debate, contemplation, conversation, time to read the books we want to read, etc.  It appears the two of you are saying those are reasons to have less structure. 

 

8,  you said you would have been more flexible with your 12th grader if he had been an only. In what way? If he is self-motivated and self-directed why couldn't you have done that anyway?  Would it have upset the other children?

 

I'm curious why that couldn't occur in your family because he wasn't an only? The large families I know in real life each have different approaches, so I'm curious what about yours wouldn't allow that to happen?

[AngelaNYC]

Yes, I agree that it is helpful to see. Different families have different focuses. Technology has a strong focus in your homeschool. Science and history less.

 

My kids do science, history, all language arts and most especially writing for close to an hour every day and technology is something that they use or learn or spend time on their own but not scheduled formally.

 

The only subjects that I schedule (stagger?) throughout the week are Math, Lit, Science, History, and Geography (well, I will starting in the fall, but it's similar now).  And that's what takes us about 2-3 hours/day.  I can't see us at home for 6-8 hrs/day with formal curriculum.  Ds would turn off completely and have no long-term retention.

 

I mean, college is only 3 hours/day of instruction.

 

Instead we do minimal daily seatwork (done before noon) and a whole bunch of self-study and outside stuff (chosen by ds).  Religion and PE are outside classes.  Technology is something ds does on his own or with friends (he is teaching himself coding and basic programming and this year he will do some online courses).  The "miscellaneous" subjects are mainly through outside classes/trips, discussions, documentaries, performances, daily news programs, self-study, and as a by-product of his day.  And the field trips and homeschool group classes are so engaging, interesting, and fun, that he does 1 or 2 of them each week.  It all counts.  

[Mandy in TN]

The only subjects that I schedule (stagger?) throughout the week are Math, Lit, Science, History, and Geography (well, I will starting in the fall, but it's similar now).  And that's what takes us about 2-3 hours/day.  I can't see us at home for 6-8 hrs/day with formal curriculum.  Ds would turn off completely and have no long-term retention.

 

I mean, college is only 3 hours/day of instruction. This I do know about as I currently have two in college. There are no 3 hour days unless you are taking four- 3 hr classes and have them staggered with two on M-W and two on T-Th. This would barely give you the 12 hrs/ semester necessary to be full time. Even then, you will be expected to spend at least as must time on the homework as you do in class. Not to mention, math and science courses are typically 4hr courses even at the undergraduate level and that a student taking only 12hrs/ semester will not graduate in 4 years.

 

Instead we do minimal daily seatwork (done before noon) and a whole bunch of self-study and outside stuff (chosen by ds).  Religion and PE are outside classes.  Technology is something ds does on his own or with friends (he is teaching himself coding and basic programming and this year he will do some online courses).  The "miscellaneous" subjects are mainly through outside classes/trips, discussions, documentaries, performances, daily news programs, self-study, and as a by-product of his day.  And the field trips and homeschool group classes are so engaging, interesting, and fun, that he does 1 or 2 of them each week.  It all counts. So, the 2-3 hours is just his seat work, but he participates in academic pursuits for much more time on the average day.

 

Mandy

[regentrude]

I mean, college is only 3 hours/day of instruction.

First, that would put you are merely 15 credit hours, not enough to graduate in four years in many places. A more typical load is 18 class hours per week (and some labs will add time without adding credit hours).

 

This said, the more important aspect is that on average two hours of outside work are required for each hour in class. So the student with 15 class hours per week is expected to spend another 30 hours preparing for class, going over lecture notes after class, doing homework, studying, writing up lab reports...

 

Now, I do not believe that looking at the 50-60 hour workload fo a full time college student is a meaningful guide for deciding the work load of a middle schooler, but I had to comment on the above quote, because that might create a false impression for people not famliar with college education.

[AngelaNYC]

I did a 15 hour week in college and graduated on time (bachelor's).  I'm not counting homework, papers, and studying as part of the scheduled day.  I definitely didn't spend 2 hours for every class hour on anything school related, nor did anyone I knew - not even close.  Is that the norm nowadays?   Dd didn't do more than I did.  3 hours a day of class time is all I did in freshman and soph years of college.  I was a Psych major, dd was a business major.  Does that have relevance to the amount of class hours?  Hardly anyone I knew took 6 classes a week.

[Mandy in TN]

The state college closest to my home now requires that all students have a minor. If you choose a minor with some overlap to your major, maybe you could do 15 hours a semester if you knew your major and minor the first semester on campus and also did a couple of summer sessions.

 

My son's computer science program at his college requires 250 credit hours and he must include an active learning experience. He is also required to attend 7 convocations a semester and, since it is a work college, all students are required to work on campus at least 10hrs each week.

 

YMMV-

Mandy

 

ETA- and the only way you could do 15 hrs/ semester with 3hrs of classes/ day would be if you could find a 3hr class that you needed that met once a week on Friday or Saturday. What are the odds that you could do that all through college.

 

Further ETA- The computer science program assumes that the students will be able to start out in Discrete Math. If you can't pass the placement test, you will need to take other math courses first and Discretemath is a pre- rec for a lot of the computer science classes, so you can't start those classes yet further extending the time you need to stay in college.

[gracyomalley]

This is very timely, as I am in the process of setting up clear goals for my rising 7th grader who needs to take more ownership of his time management this year...a work in progress as I'm sure you all know!

 

In general, I see 7th and 8th grade as pre-high school, and expect the kids to be able to do dual enrollment in high school for science lab classes, higher math, music, etc....(well we aren't there yet but that's my expectation if we homeschool high school successfully, anyway.)

 

People, even on this forum, homeschool for so many different reasons, and the different answers reflect that.  We have always kept up a couple of hours a day during much of the summer, in order to not sit at desks for 8 hours a day...however, the kids know what college is like (hours of homework, etc) and know that if they are unprepared it will be much harder (luckily or unluckily they have family members who have gone many different paths in this area....)

 

It strikes me as being a very different conversation in the home where there are no social activities/extracurricular passions/friends for miles on end; versus those with friends down the street, kids with serious outside interests, etc.

 

Part of growing to be ready to make the choices in college to study instead of dink around is having learned to prioritize your own time - and the planners written to the kids, etc seems a good way to get there - as well as allowing them to make the choices and live with the consequences now - ideally not when its costing them 20k/year!

 

DS will be doing approximately 28 hours per week of violin next year; including lessons/orchestras/quartet and only 2 hours of practice a day.  This is what he plans on doing for the rest of his life - and he's at a level where he needs this time to keep progressing.  I know he may not be playing as an adult; but I also know that this is his talent/niche/area of confidence/dream right now....and that this is a BARE MINIMUM for an advanced musician....this is academic/social/and extracurricular.  This teaches him work ethic/responsibility - as concert master he needs to be a leader, prepared, etc...and also shows him that there are kids out there working harder/longer hours at violin - who are winning national contests - so he has to make choices of what he wants to sacrifice and learn to live with the consequences...

 

Of course, he also has to be progressing well academically - as he knows that he needs "plan B", and besides he loves learning - just not writing!!!  So that means at least 4-5 hours of book work a day plus work during the summer and extra reading/homework some evenings/weekends.  And as the oldest boy on a small farm, he has at least an hour a day of chores minimum.  Thats 9-10 hours a day right there....and he's 13 so he needs to sleep at least 8 hours a day to function/more like 10!  Leaves about 4  hours a day for meals/hygiene/family time/driving places/social and gymnastics....not really enough at his age I'd say.....

 

Can't back off on sleep, can't back off on chores (wouldn't send the right message), family time is required, so it comes to music or "schoolwork" (said with a derisive sneer by said 13 year old)....

 

I plan on a strict year long goal for each subject this year....and I expect to do weekly planner for him - with restrictions on social time/gym time/staring at the ceiling petting the cat time....I'm hoping he rises to the occaision...but I know that its likely to take most of adolescence to get there!  He is presently reading several grade levels ahead, and 1-2 ahead in math and science; but 1-2 behind in writing/mechanics/lit analysis.  He will NOT be a writer...but needs to be able to at least write an essay for music scholarship funds by next year...

 

What say you who have traveled the road before?  My lofty goal is kids who know what they want and how to work hard at it by the end of high school....so whatever they strive for they will persevere....and kids who can function at college....or a job...and in life!

[AngelaNYC]

The state college closest to my home now requires that all students have a minor. If you choose a minor with some overlap to your major, maybe you could do 15 hours a semester if you knew your major and minor the first semester on campus and also did a couple of summer sessions.

 

My son's computer science program at his college requires 250 credit hours and he must include an active learning experience. He is also required to attend 7 convocations a semester and, since it is a work college, all students are required to work on campus at least 10hrs each week.

 

YMMV-

Mandy

 

Wow.  My university required 126 credit hours total.  Ds is looking to be a computer science major.  Thanks for the info.  I will certainly be checking out the college requirements for ds and I'm pretty sure we will increase formal lesson time throughout high school.  If ds goes to the same college I went to, the requirements are still 126. No double major, no minor.  But it's interesting to see what other colleges are doing.

[Embassy]

Quark and 8,

 

What you've both said is interesting because part of the reason my 11yo's day is structured is to allow time for philosophy, discussion, debate, contemplation, conversation, time to read the books we want to read, etc.  It appears the two of you are saying those are reasons to have less structure. 

 

8,  you said you would have been more flexible with your 12th grader if he had been an only. In what way? If he is self-motivated and self-directed why couldn't you have done that anyway?  Would it have upset the other children?

 

I'm curious why that couldn't occur in your family because he wasn't an only? The large families I know in real life each have different approaches, so I'm curious what about yours wouldn't allow that to happen?

I'm not Quark or 8, but I would also have greater flexibility if my oldest child was an only. I would love to spend more time with discussion, debate, and conversations, but I can't clone myself. My other children need my time as well. My oldest is self-motivated and self-directed most of the time, but I need to be more involved in order to have those discussions, debates, and conversations about his work.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

I'm not Quark or 8, but I would also have greater flexibility if my oldest child was an only. I would love to spend more time with discussion, debate, and conversations, but I can't clone myself. My other children need my time as well. My oldest is self-motivated and self-directed most of the time, but I need to be more involved in order to have those discussions, debates, and conversations about his work.

 

Yes, but that is my confusion. She said he is self-directed and self-motivated, so she would have been more flexible with him if he had been an only. I didn't get the impression he was looking for more conversation or needed lots of guidance. I am curious given that he is self-directed and self-motivated why couldn't she be flexbile with him just because she has other children.

 

Hmm...maybe I'm not being clear. I was trying to point out that quark and I seem to be looking for some of the same things, but one of us achieves that through structure and the other through lack thereof.

[8filltheheart]

 

 

8,  you said you would have been more flexible with your 12th grader if he had been an only. In what way? If he is self-motivated and self-directed why couldn't you have done that anyway?  Would it have upset the other children?

 

I'm curious why that couldn't occur in your family because he wasn't an only? The large families I know in real life each have different approaches, so I'm curious what about yours wouldn't allow that to happen?

 

B/c I don't have the ability to purchase/collect/gather materials at the spur of the moment and then be actively engaged with the materials.     If I need to be involved in anyway, I need to know ahead of time so I can factor in the time for reading/researching/learning myself/prepping, etc.    

 

We plan out a lot of his classes together during the summer.   For example, last summer we designed a philosophy of science and religion course together.   If we hadn't pre-designed it, he probably would have gone down a few different paths vs. the one that we had designed, but it was still a great course and he enjoyed it thoroughly.     But, he also did a study on dark matter and black holes.   That course he completely designed on his own and was an independent study.   (he is taking 300 level physics courses this yr, so he is so far beyond me that I would be useless in participating in any form in that sort of class.)    It is really if I am going to be involved that I have to be well-prepared very far in advance.    

 

The only subjects that I schedule (stagger?) throughout the week are Math, Lit, Science, History, and Geography (well, I will starting in the fall, but it's similar now).  And that's what takes us about 2-3 hours/day.  I can't see us at home for 6-8 hrs/day with formal curriculum.  Ds would turn off completely and have no long-term retention.

 

I mean, college is only 3 hours/day of instruction.

 

Instead we do minimal daily seatwork (done before noon) and a whole bunch of self-study and outside stuff (chosen by ds).  Religion and PE are outside classes.  Technology is something ds does on his own or with friends (he is teaching himself coding and basic programming and this year he will do some online courses).  The "miscellaneous" subjects are mainly through outside classes/trips, discussions, documentaries, performances, daily news programs, self-study, and as a by-product of his day.  And the field trips and homeschool group classes are so engaging, interesting, and fun, that he does 1 or 2 of them each week.  It all counts.  

 

I think that we have very different educational perspectives.   I have never seen any full-time college student only have 3 hrs of instruction/day.   For example, last yr when my ds was in 11th grade he took 9 hrs on  a college campus fall semester---4 hrs was multivariate calculus and 5 hrs was university physics.   Multivariate cal had 3 days of lectures + 1 day of recitation and physics had 4 days of lectures, 1 day of recitation + a 3 hr lab.   So 12 hrs was only classroom time, not homework, and if he had been a full-time student, he would have been taking an additional 8 hrs of classes.   But since he was dual enrolled, he was still taking lit/comp, American gov't/econ, Latin 3, philosophy of science and religion, and an independent study of dark matter/black holes at home.

 

My oldest ds is a chemical engineer.   He took a minimum of 17/18 hrs per semester and spent countless hours doing homework/labs/projects.     FWIW, the only students from the chemE dept that had job offers at graduation were those w/at least a 3.5 GPA and co-op work experience.  (students with a GPA lower than 3.5 couldn't even get interviews.   Dh's corporation is the same way.   They only recruit top students.)

 

Wow.  My university required 126 credit hours total.  Ds is looking to be a computer science major.  Thanks for the info.  I will certainly be checking out the college requirements for ds and I'm pretty sure we will increase formal lesson time throughout high school.  If ds goes to the same college I went to, the requirements are still 126. No double major, no minor.  But it's interesting to see what other colleges are doing.

 

I don't know anything about earning a CS degree from a liberal arts school, but most CS majors are very time consuming.   They are definitely not going to be the types of classes that only require 3 hrs/day.   Very unlikely.   Ds is at a summer academic camp right now and has had to pull all-nighters writing programs for his project.   I would expect that to be closer to the norm for almost any STEM (science, technology, engineering, math major).     I know my dh, an engineer, was always up until 2-3 am doing homework while I got to sleep.  ;)    I think CS majors are on par w/engineering. 

[Mandy in TN]

Without a minor, here is the breakdown of the courses. At this college, almost all courses are four hours:

Concentration in Computer Science

In addition to completing the requirements for the Computer and Information Science major, the optional concentration in Computer Science requires three (3) additional CSC courses and one (1) additional collateral course. Thus, students opting to complete this major with a concentration in Computer Science must complete fifteen (15) courses—thirteen (13) in the major and two (2) collateral course credits, as follows:

15 x 4= 60

 

• 1- GSTR 110: Writing Seminar I: Critical Thinking in the Liberal Arts

credit for this course cannot be transferred in; however, transfer students who took College Composition while attending a regionally-accredited college or university as a degree-seeking student—and who earned a grade of B or higher in the course—can waive this requirement and take GSTR 210 in their first term of attendance.

• 2- GSTR 210: Writing Seminar II: Identity and Diversity in the United States (credit cannot be transferred in or waived)
• 3- GSTR 310: Understandings of Christianity (credit cannot be transferred in or waived)
• 4- GSTR 332: Scientific Knowledge and Inquiry (credit for GSTR 332 cannot be transferred in or waived) OR the optional alternative of two approved Natural Science courses in two different disciplines, at least one of which must be approved as a Natural Science Laboratory course. To date, the following courses have been approved to meet this alternative (all of them approved to meet a Natural Science Laboratory course)—ANR 110, 130, BIO 100, 101, 110, CHM 101, CHM 113, 131, 134, PHY 111, 217, and 315.
• 5- GSTR 410: Seminar in Contemporary Global Issues (credit cannot be transferred in or waived)
• 6, 7 Practical Reasoning Requirement (two approved courses, at least one of which must be firmly grounded in mathematics or statistics)
• 8-14- Six Perspectives Areas—Arts; Social Science; Western History; Religion; African Americans', Appalachians', Women's; and International (Language or World Culture option, 2 classes)

14 x 4= 56

• Lifetime Health and Fitness: PEH 100 and Physical Activity Requirement

4hrs Total

• Twenty (20) courses taken outside the major

20 x 4= 80

 

That's 200 hours not including:

• Convocation Requirement 7/ semester- The Convocation Series is a vital component of the General Education Program. Through the Convocation Series, notable speakers, scholars, performers, and programs present on a variety of subjects to enlarge the intellectual, aesthetic, and religious dimensions of campus life. In addition, student performing ensembles provide convocations addressing similar issues through music, dance, and theater. Providing rich experiences for students, faculty, and staff alike, convocations help build and sustain a sense of curiosity and intellectual challenge so basic in an academic community. They make available information and insights on important topics likely to be considered in academic courses.
• 10 hours/ wk required work study
• All students must participate in an Active Learning Experience (ALE)

Some classes can take care of two requirements (one of the  practical reasoning requirements can be completed through the math in the computer science major) and your 20 courses outside of your major can be swallowed by your minor, but you would have to be really on the ball and be fortunate enough to have exactly the class you need offered when you need it. Even with all this I don't see any way possible to graduate in 8 semesters taking 15 hours/ semester. Also, all of my son's classes have required a ton of out of class hours. The GSTR classes alone require lengthy papers- not little 2-5 page papers. He had more out of class assignments for his computer science courses than there were weeks in the semester and he also had papers and tests.

 

Mandy

 

ETA- Just to clarify the college my son attends does not require a minor. Many students have one especially if they have a particular interest and can fulfill many of their classes that are not in their major with classes in their minor.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

B/c I don't have the ability to purchase/collect/gather materials at the spur of the moment and then be actively engaged with the materials.     If I need to be involved in anyway, I need to know ahead of time so I can factor in the time for reading/researching/learning myself/prepping, etc.    

 

 

 

Oh! I think I misunderstood self-motivated and self-directed!

ETA: And structure! ;)

[8filltheheart]

Oh! I think I misunderstood self-motivated and self-directed!

ETA: And structure! ;)

 

Yes.   I don't see self-motivated/self-directed as meaning independent learning.   He can study lots of things independently (and does......computer programming and so many physics topics that I am clueless.)   But philosophy and theology both really need active engagement with another person to discuss POV.  ;)

[regentrude]

.  I was a Psych major, dd was a business major.  Does that have relevance to the amount of class hours?  Hardly anyone I knew took 6 classes a week.

It does. I teach at an engineering school. Our undergraduates have very time consuming classes, many of which most definitely take 2 hours outside of class. Mine for example (calculus based physics). Most of our degree programs require 128 credits, so unless the student does summers, 15 hours is too little; almost everybody takes 18 hours. These are not 6 classes, since many of the math and science coursse are 4 or 5 hour classes. ( This does not include undergraduate research or internships, something strong students add to make themselves competetive for the job market or grad school; those will require the student to add more hours to graduate on time.)

[Mandy in TN]

I don't know anything about earning a CS degree from a liberal arts school, but most CS majors are very time consuming.   They are definitely not going to be the types of classes that only require 3 hrs/day.   Very unlikely.   Ds is at a summer academic camp right now and has had to pull all-nighters writing programs for his project.   I would expect that to be closer to the norm for almost any STEM (science, technology, engineering, math major).     I know my dh, an engineer, was always up until 2-3 am doing homework while I got to sleep.  ;)    I think CS majors are on par w/engineering. 

 

My son took the intro to the major course last fall. It is taught by the head of the dept and the amount of out of class work was staggering. He then took another course that was a pre-req for many upper level courses in the spring again with the head of the dept and again the amount of out of classwork was staggering. He pulled more than a couple of all-nighters to finish projects... and fwiw this is at a liberal arts college.

 

Mandy

 

 

[Woodland Mist Academy]

Yes.   I don't see self-motivated/self-directed as meaning independent learning.   He can study lots of things independently (and does......computer programming and so many physics topics that I am clueless.)   But philosophy and theology both really need active engagement with another person to discuss POV.  ;)

 

Absolutely! Which is why even with an only we have structure in spades!! 

 

I am still confused about how you would have been more flexible? Do you mean you would have more discussions, dropped other subjects, ??? I'm trying to see the connection to flexibility.

 

Sorry to be dense, but I am still confused even after reading what you've written.

 

Are you talking about planning?

[Woodland Mist Academy]

OK, I read it again. It seems you are mainly referring to planning. Is that correct? In the sense that right now you can't change directions frequently because you don't have time to do the planning involved?

 

So you would still be structured then, correct? Just able to restructure more frequently?  Planning and structure sort of go together, don't they?

[8filltheheart]

Absolutely! Which is why even with an only we have structure in spades!! 

 

I am still confused about how you would have been more flexible? Do you mean you would have more discussions, dropped other subjects, ??? I'm trying to see the connection to flexibility.

 

Sorry to be dense, but I am still confused even after reading what you've written.

 

Are you talking about planning?

 

We wouldn't have pre-selected which philosophers we were going to study and have spent more time on some vs. others.   For example, we barely touched Voltaire, but he could have been a semester long study himself.   Ds loved Pascal and would have wanted to spend more time on him, etc.

 

Instead, we had a schedule of sequenced philosophers based on chronology, essays, books, and lectures and went through the yr based on our schedule.

 

With my younger kids or even some history or lit subjects, we are a rabbit trail family.   But for topics like philosophy where I know absolutely nothing, I can't be b/c I have to keep up with the work in my time frame. 

 

ETA: to answer your last question, if I had an only, I could read more and keep up with what he was interested in on the fly.   Instead, I read ahead during the summer or late at night and squeeze things in here and there.   Massive amts of reading just isn't going to happen.

[Woodland Mist Academy]

We wouldn't have pre-selected which philosophers we were going to study and have spent more time on some vs. others.   For example, we barely touched Voltaire, but he could have been a semester long study himself.   Ds loved Pascal and would have wanted to spend more time on him, etc.

 

Instead, we had a break schedule of sequenced philosophers, essays, books, and lectures and went through the yr based on our schedule.

 

With my younger kids or even some history or lit subjects, we are a rabbit trail family.   But for topics like philosophy where I know absolutely nothing, I can't be b/c I have to keep up with the work in my time frame. 

 

That helps.  I thought you were saying you wouldn't school for as many hours each day. I think I completely misunderstood from the beginning.

 

Thanks!

[8filltheheart]

That helps.  I thought you were saying you wouldn't school for as many hours each day. I think I completely misunderstood from the beginning.

 

Thanks!

 

I see.  No, Quark mentioned losing the flexibility to study the documentaries, topics, etc that came up spontaneously which they do during the afternoons.....I sensed that as being the rabbit trail approach.   Still doing things but unplanned and more free-flowing.  

[Woodland Mist Academy]

I see.  No, Quark mentioned losing the flexibility to study the documentaries, topics, etc that came up spontaneously which they do during the afternoons.....I sensed that as being the rabbit trail approach.   Still doing things but unplanned and more free-flowing.  

 

So you think you would still do about the same hours?