HS Mom in NC Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 This is a spin off of Has Homeschooling Been Good For YOU? In the other thread some people were talking candidly about how homeschooling or part of homeschooling has not been good for them as an individual. Someone asked for a thread about how to avoid things I've listed in the Topic Title. Go! I think how long you've been homeschooling would be helpful in your post. UPDATED: Here's the original thread. Sorry, I thought I put the link in here but apparently I didn't. http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/541962-has-homeschooling-been-good-for-you/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Tick Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 My oldest are in 4th this year (she said, sidestepping the issue of where we start counting). For me, in many areas of life including homeschooling, minimizing the number of recurring decisions is key. So I have a written routine and as much as possible I have do-the-next-thing curriculum. In the darkest depths of February or illness we just do the things that I planned in happier, sunnier times. For similar reasons we have eggs for breakfast Monday, Wednesday and Friday. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8filltheheart Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 I didn't the original thread, so I am not sure what was being discussed. But here are some of the things I have learned to do over the yrs that make homeschooling a joy the majority of the time: 1-I have a routine, but not a fixed schedule. I have a laundry, cooking, daily flow routine. I never function by a clock, but I do like our days to have a certain rhythm. 2-I create our courses. This keeps things interesting for me. I enjoy digging deeper and searching out information. I can't stand textbooks. Recognizing that makes my teaching more pleasurable. 3-Our meals are simple. I cook double or triple one night (prep time is the same regardless) and then I use leftovers to create new meals. 4-I do not tolerate whining. Period. Homeschooling is a family affair. My duty is to their education. Their duty is to their school work. Whining has serious consequences. I have zero qualms about taking away all privileges if the whining is just laziness. 5-Keeping #4 in mind, I do make sure that whining is not due to lack of understanding or being overwhelmed by too much work. There is a distinct difference. I alter plans if the problem is with the material. It is pretty easy for me to be able to identify the difference. (Don't know if that is true for everyone. But I have been doing this long enough and know my children's personalities well enough to know which is which.) 6-I make time for myself and I keep a bottle of wine in the fridge. ;) (Started homeschooling in 94, have graduated 4, 4 to go.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotherGoose Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 I'm a relative newbie, (one in 3rd and one in K). I started out with TWTM and many mommy-intensive programs, but as I approached burn-out this year and realized I wanted to do other, important things besides constantly researching curriculum and lesson planning, I switched to some more do the next thing and independent programs (for 3rd grade). I also really thought about WHY I homeschool, and made decisions about curricula based on that. I'm doing CLE LA, Horizons Math, NL Science, Wordly Wise, history through a coop, and novels from Ambleside's year 3. I also started with a morning basket type thing so I could get the reading aloud done first thing and not feel guilty about it. One of the most important (to me) reasons I began homeschooling is to keep them from ever seeing the inside of a reading "textbook" like I grew up with, and having to do "social studies," both of which bored me terribly. I'm doing that. But I'm giving myself permission to implement more traditional curricula to cover other skills. Since their births, I've read aloud before naps, which worked fine when we had naps and were home every afternoon, but the schedule needed to change for that. I think changing with your kids is important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmseB Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 This is only my first year, so grain of salt and all that, but I absolutely know that what has made my year something I think positively about NOW is that I was forced to slow down before we even started. I was preggo-sick and knew we needed to get the basics in, but that was about all I could accomplish. So instead of starting out with overkill and grand ideas, I was forced to just start small and build up to what my kids and I could reasonably do. I am the queen of grand plans that go south, and this first year would have been the same thing if I had not been forced to do less at the start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eternalsummer Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 Does anyone here have experience (preferably extensive, hah) with homeschooling multiple kids while either working from home or running a small business or something like that? The balance has not always been easy to find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 Maybe this sounds odd because it's not a take care of yourself sort of tip exactly, but I think I would go a little crazy if I didn't do regular portfolio assessments with the kids where we sit down, reflect on what we've done, make a list of the books read and classes taken, pull out some example work and projects to keep. It sounds like it's just more work. And I don't think anyone should have to do it. However, having that moment where I'm forced to look at the work we've done is incredibly joyous and affirming for me. I think without it I would get stuck in the day to day feeling of going nowhere. Whenever we do that, I'm always forced to go, oh, wow, we did stuff. We're doing okay. This is worthwhile. I'm not failing my kids. This is our 6th year of homeschooling and we've always done that. Of course, I also think it's important to do the take care of yourself stuff too. Yoga, plenty of chocolate, good friends to talk to, making dh pull his fair share with the kids... those are good too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FO4UR Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 This is my 7th year. I prioritize my sleep, eating well, and doing work that is just mine daily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebbyribs Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 I'm not a veteran homeschooler, but I find it helpful to remember that I went through February / March burnout the entire time I was a student. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 7th year here I start the year with very thorough and specific plans for every subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my3daughters Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 Does anyone here have experience (preferably extensive, hah) with homeschooling multiple kids while either working from home or running a small business or something like that? The balance has not always been easy to find. Extensive experience…no, but I have been running a business out of my home (fully licensed in-home daycare) for 7 years and my oldest is in 3rd grade this year. Balance is certainly not easy but sticking to a schedule is huge as is finding the right curriculum matches. I run a full preschool program with the daycare (using FIAR) and try to combine all ages (at least through 1st grade) together as much as possible and as long as possible. Now that I have a few years of HSing under my belt I am finding I am better at prioritizing and letting some things go. In the beginning I tried to do too much and just added too much stress to our lives (thankfully my oldest is a great kid and took it all with grace). I am still working on finding the "just right" curriculum and the "just right" amount but we're getting there. At the end of the day and I weekends I need to find at least a little me time even if it is staring at the computer screen on forums or Facebook for an hour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lllll Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 8th year. One child. Homeschooled since preschool and then gradually outsourced (from 3rd grade) to completely outsourced for the last semester and a half (7th grade). What works: Deep breaths. Enough sleep, and exercise. Enough time with friends (but we both don't need a lot of it). Healthy snacks and full water bottle within reach. A delightful pet to cuddle and make pretend stories about. Good music playing in the background (and sometimes, something like putty or origami paper to keep his hands busy while he reads). Lots of good books to sink into and build imagination, character, resilience. Challenging materials and classes...and recognizing that it takes trial and error and time for us to reach the right level of challenge. Good study habits and attitude (a habit we started from young)... ...but also, scaffolding for time management and study habits, as much as needed. Allowing him to make mistakes and being open enough to let him see my own. The occasional movie or documentary treat. Close, trusting and open-minded parenting (as much as possible) but with clear rules. Limited video games, and unnecessary drama (and hoping we will find a way to keep communications friendly and open so that his teen years will remain this way too). LOTS and LOTS of laughing and being silly...this last factor is extremely important to him and I...much more so than grades and homework, etc. This is morbid (apologies)...but what I do when I forget sometimes is to remember all the children who end their lives too early and remind myself that NOTHING is worth losing my child's mental, physical and emotional health. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lllll Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strange_girl Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 ksva: love your posts! Makes me feel so much better about the messy, fun, intuitive way we homeschool here. And about changing up curriculum often, when I can tell we need to come at something from a different angle! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahamamama Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 I didn't the original thread, so I am not sure what was being discussed. But here are some of the things I have learned to do over the yrs that make homeschooling a joy the majority of the time: 1-I have a routine, but not a fixed schedule. I have a laundry, cooking, daily flow routine. I never function by a clock, but I do like our days to have a certain rhythm. 2-I create our courses. This keeps things interesting for me. I enjoy digging deeper and searching out information. I can't stand textbooks. Recognizing that makes my teaching more pleasurable. 3-Our meals are simple. I cook double or triple one night (prep time is the same regardless) and then I use leftovers to create new meals. 4-I do not tolerate whining. Period. Homeschooling is a family affair. My duty is to their education. Their duty is to their school work. Whining has serious consequences. I have zero qualms about taking away all privileges if the whining is just laziness. 5-Keeping #4 in mind, I do make sure that whining is not due to lack of understanding or being overwhelmed by too much work. There is a distinct difference. I alter plans if the problem is with the material. It is pretty easy for me to be able to identify the difference. (Don't know if that is true for everyone. But I have been doing this long enough and know my children's personalities well enough to know which is which.) 6-I make time for myself and I keep a bottle of wine in the fridge. ;) (Started homeschooling in 94, have graduated 4, 4 to go.) Ah, a double standard. ;) No whine for them, but wine for you. Ahem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FriedClams Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 I have a 7th and 8th grader... I have been homeschooling for 9 years. Routines. Like everyone else has said. Nothing too complex - but every single day we do chores, then piano, then breakfast, then school. It's a rare, rare day that we do otherwise. It doesn't take forever when you're in the swing of things. Attitude and character training when the kids are little is HUGE. Whining isn't allowed in my house either. Discussion - sure. But sass, resistance, disrespect, etc. are not tolerated and will result in consequences. When I say it's school time, I expect compliance (though cheerfulness would be welcomed... LOL!) and a teachable attitude. Even in algebra 2. Even when you're tired. I will give 100% to be respectful and encouraging to my kids - I expect the same back. Chores. Kids need them and I need the help. We do them daily. Complaining isn't allowed. Ever. Stick with curriculum for at least a month of heavy use, and generally avoid all the "grass is greener" posts. I got sucked in a lot when my kids were younger but I've reformed a lot. The best curriculum is one you can teach and you use daily. The rest is nice and you might get 50% back at a book sale. ;-) And - a little done daily is so much better than a lot in spurts - especially when the kids are little. Know YOUR family and YOUR reasons for homeschooling - particularly as your kids get older. MANY of your friends will move on to PS or private school. You need to know your reasons and stick to your guns for your family. Conversely - that may mean you move on from homeschooling when others don't. Avoid the stress of peer pressure (real or perceived) and parent your own kids. If you're normally super consistent, then taking time off when you need it isn't a big deal. We travel a TON. But not all travel is educational - some is just fun. Since we're super regular with school when we're home, it's not a big deal to take a week to explore. Taking time off when you're not being consistent or serious about academics would be a huge issue for me. I always plan to drop a week in February and we always have something fun planned in Mar/April as a cheer for burnout. "Not my monkeys, Not my circus." Parent your kids, with your goals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momacacia Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 Uhhh, massages, facials and pedicures? ;) j/k sort of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 Homeschooling one eighth grade child since preschool... which brings the total to 9 or 10 years. To everything, there is a season.... Sometimes the focus will be mainly academics, sometimes social interactions, sometimes a health crises.... This too shall pass... Both the bad times and the good... Judge advice on its own merit, not the number of the advice giver's offspring or years of experience at a certain task. Life offers many transferable lessons... Some of the best ideas come from people most unlike ourselves, precisely because of the different perspective offered... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted February 13, 2015 Author Share Posted February 13, 2015 Updated with the link. Sorry about the confusion. http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/541962-has-homeschooling-been-good-for-you/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quark Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 tmi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted February 14, 2015 Author Share Posted February 14, 2015 Starting my 15th year of homeschooling. One starting her business as a doula, one in college, one being homeschooled. Prioritize. Prioritize. Prioritize.-Everything cannot have equal importance. There are essentials and there are extras. Being very clear in your mind about the differences between them makes things sooo much easier. Establishing your priorities in each aspect of your life gives you focus and direction. Spend time, money and energy on the things that have the biggest, most important effects on your homeschool (homeschool=running a household+academics+family dynamics) and pick one or two to improve on at a time. Be aware that many things have stages so you’re not overwhelmed by trying to do it all all at once. Routines in General-When it comes to household stuff, the flow of school and the pattern of our week, routines have been extremely helpful most of the time. Each family goes through stages as the kids get older: Pregnancy/adoption, infants, toddlers, preschoolers, early elementary, late elementary, middle school/Jr. High, high school, young adult living at home and needs to adjust accordingly along the way. This is not a failure on your part. No one routine is going to always work for one household as kids get older. No routine is going to work more than about 85% of the time at most in any given stage. Usually a routine working at about 80% of the time is a very good one for you. That number will be smaller with littles, adult dependents and special needs people in the house. Schedule when necessary.- If you need to go there, go there. Don’t decide to keep doing what isn’t working well just because the alternative is contrary to your nature. Sometimes it can be a sanity saver for you and/or your family. Of course the opposite is true. If you like schedules but yours is not working for you, you may have to abandon it for a while for a more flexible routine for the sake of sanity. Organize as needed.-While too much organization can be a burden, too little can be too. Be very realistic about how much organization you need and then do it even if it doesn’t feel natural at first. Simpler organization strategies usually work better for most people. Managing Clutter- Learn to be ruthless about getting things you don’t need out of your house so you can get maximum usage out of the things you do need. Better yet, don’t let them in in the first place. Cluttered houses are impossible to clean well and keep straightened up. Chores- Your kids should be doing them very early on and regularly. Many hands really do make light work. Train kids to do more challenging chores as soon as humanly possible. Take yourself seriously- If you were running a boarding school, what would your customers expect of you? What would you expect of yourself? How would you develop yourself professionally? Be diligent and thorough and conscientious. If what you do is high quality, you usually don’t have to do as much. Be pro-active, not reactive when possible- This applies to so many different aspects of life. Few things come up that no one has ever dealt with before. Don’t just think in the short term. Think in the mid-term and long term on a regular basis. Stop needing approval. You’re not entitled to any.- No matter what you do, there will be people who disagree on every single choice you make because the world is full of different people with different philosophies on everything. You need to have thick skin to homeschool happily. Be prepared to hear people openly disagree with your choices, whether those are related to parenting, religion, politics, education, homeschooling approaches and yes, even curriculum. Stop apologizing- No matter how well you research, plan and develop skills there will be times things won’t go well. Educated guesses are better than uneducated ones, but even those won’t be 100%-Don’t apologize for it. No one’s plans come to fruition 100% of the time. Don’t apologize for it. No one can accurately predict the future 100% of the time. Stop apologizing for failing to do so. If you made an effort to make school interesting and your child doesn’t respond with enthusiasm, it’s not your failure. Don’t apologize that you were unable to delight him or her. Don’t go on a quest to find that One Thing that will make your kid internally motivated. Stop being a slave to your child’s emotions and preferences. Take them into account and incorporate them if they work out in your situation, if not, don’t. When you child enters college, trade school, the military, a works program, etc. I’m telling you now, no one will give a rip what his or her learning style or love language is. No one will care what color his parachute is or what his or her personality type is. Don’t apologize to your child for times you had to disregard them in homeschool either. If life hits you hard and you fall behind because you’re in the 15-20% of life that can’t be covered with a routine, stop apologizing. It happened. The usual stuff didn’t get done. So what? Set your priorities, work from the top down as best you can under the circumstances until life gets back to normal. If you had to abandon your educational philosophy for a time to get through a crisis, circumstances eliminated it as a possibility or because it was a bad fit for your child, don’t apologize. When things calm down you’ll get back to it, if not, it’s not the end of the world. Ya gotta do whatcha do and ya never gotta apologize for that. Might someone openly disagree? Yes, but I covered that in Stop needing approval. You're not entitled to any. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted February 14, 2015 Author Share Posted February 14, 2015 Maybe this sounds odd because it's not a take care of yourself sort of tip exactly, but I think I would go a little crazy if I didn't do regular portfolio assessments with the kids where we sit down, reflect on what we've done, make a list of the books read and classes taken, pull out some example work and projects to keep. It sounds like it's just more work. And I don't think anyone should have to do it. However, having that moment where I'm forced to look at the work we've done is incredibly joyous and affirming for me. I think without it I would get stuck in the day to day feeling of going nowhere. Whenever we do that, I'm always forced to go, oh, wow, we did stuff. We're doing okay. This is worthwhile. I'm not failing my kids. This is our 6th year of homeschooling and we've always done that. Of course, I also think it's important to do the take care of yourself stuff too. Yoga, plenty of chocolate, good friends to talk to, making dh pull his fair share with the kids... those are good too. We did lapbooking as a portfolio of completed work. We now do notebooking as a portfolio of completed work. I even include lists of read alouds and assigned reading. It really is good to have something to go back to and see just how much work you've actually done. It always surprises me. Another option is keeping a list of what you did every day. When my olders were younger I used a teacher's planner from Staples not to plan what we were going to do, but to keep track of what we actually did each day in each subject for each kid. I was more of a "do the next thing" homeschooler then and it worked well for my situation then. Now I do the 36 week file folder system which is better for various reasons now, so that's helpful too in a different way. I take summers off and plan a whole year by week and have it all prepped by the first day of school. It's great to not have to do any school planning at all during the year. I have lists of library books and assignments and supplies needed for each week at the ready by school day #1 so I don't plan school in the evenings or on weekends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 Lots of good advice on this thread, I don't know that I have anything new. This is year 6 for me. I'm far from a veteran but I feel we are starting to find our groove and each year it gets easier. I'm more able to see our goals and figure out how to reach them. I know more what works for us and what doesn't. I'm more flexible, sometimes things that worked fabulously stop working. I'm more familiar with what I'm teaching from experience, which makes the whole process easier. What I think helps *me* in no particular order- 1) Making learning interesting for me and them-if it is boring to me it is surely boring to them. It is much more enjoyable to me if I school in a way to bring in my interest, it keeps us all more engaged in the process and it develops me as a person. I changed my frame of mind, for our content especially, we now have family studies, generally the bulk is done during the day but we pull in dh as we can, he is very knowledgeable and loves learning as well. Next up is geology topped off with a family road trip out south and more in-depth nature studies. We love talking about our history studies with dh as well and watching documentaries together. 2) Schedules/Routines- Keeping things running in a particular order makes everything run more smoothly and gives me one less thing to think about. 3)Chores- Everyone pitches in and helps 4)Easing up- not everything has to be teacher intensive and fabulous. I did intensive everything with ds, well dd has come along and she is annoyed by such things, that is ok. I see a lot of burn-out by those who try to do everything under the sun 5)Trying to keep a balance, schooling is only part of what we do, that balance shifts from time to time but we have time outside, time to play, time with friends, time for work, time to relax, time for the spiritual etc. I think sometimes we can become some driven about wanting our kids to excel that we forget to nourish their whole person and our whole person. Homeschooling is a gift of time and part of using it wisely for me is realizing that I want to be able to have time for those other things. 6) Supportive husband- He thinks I'm fabulous and likes to tell the kids how lucky they are to have me schooling them. He lets me spend whatever and trusts that I am doing a good job. Although, not the best for hs'ing discussions I know he is behind me 100%. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 Maybe this sounds odd because it's not a take care of yourself sort of tip exactly, but I think I would go a little crazy if I didn't do regular portfolio assessments with the kids where we sit down, reflect on what we've done, make a list of the books read and classes taken, pull out some example work and projects to keep. It sounds like it's just more work. And I don't think anyone should have to do it. However, having that moment where I'm forced to look at the work we've done is incredibly joyous and affirming for me. I think without it I would get stuck in the day to day feeling of going nowhere. Whenever we do that, I'm always forced to go, oh, wow, we did stuff. We're doing okay. This is worthwhile. I'm not failing my kids. This is our 6th year of homeschooling and we've always done that. Of course, I also think it's important to do the take care of yourself stuff too. Yoga, plenty of chocolate, good friends to talk to, making dh pull his fair share with the kids... those are good too. This does not sound the least bit odd to me. I think it's a great idea. I do live in a state that requires a portfolio and I used to hate it (we moved here when my kids were in 3rd and 4th grades) but now I see the value of looking at what we produced. We have not always been big producers though now in the high school years there is more. But even looking at the lists of books we've read (individually and together) is helpful. Not sure where I read this, it was a long time ago, and my details may be fuzzy, but it was a discussion about motherhood and how it unsatisfying it can be because so many tasks are neverending. (We may get the laundry caught up, but there will be more the next day, if not the next hour.) Someone said that she spent a little time sewing every day, and hung the in-process project up so every morning she would see it and the progress she had made the day before. I think the example may have been a child's dress. Maybe she would just get a sleeve on - but she would see the dress with the sleeve on in the morning, and know that she was moving forward. Eventually, of course, the dress would be finished, and she would start something new. It was seeing real progress on something that would be completed that helped her keep going. It might not seem related to the portfolio review, but it reminded me of it. The port review does show that we have made progress! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted February 14, 2015 Author Share Posted February 14, 2015 I am assuming you will teach your kid, so you should be very prepared and consult often with the education specialist. What? Why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 Maybe this sounds odd because it's not a take care of yourself sort of tip exactly, but I think I would go a little crazy if I didn't do regular portfolio assessments with the kids where we sit down, reflect on what we've done, make a list of the books read and classes taken, pull out some example work and projects to keep. It sounds like it's just more work. And I don't think anyone should have to do it. However, having that moment where I'm forced to look at the work we've done is incredibly joyous and affirming for me. I think without it I would get stuck in the day to day feeling of going nowhere. Whenever we do that, I'm always forced to go, oh, wow, we did stuff. We're doing okay. This is worthwhile. I'm not failing my kids. This is our 6th year of homeschooling and we've always done that. I recently did a Parent-Teacher conference with each kid and dh. It was actually wonderful and affirming because, though I was originally motivated to do the conference by a hard day, what I realized is that we are all doing pretty darn good. I think it was particularly positive regarding my 14 year old, for both of us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 Does anyone here have experience (preferably extensive, hah) with homeschooling multiple kids while either working from home or running a small business or something like that? The balance has not always been easy to find. I do. I have worked both part-time and full-time, outside the home and from home while homeschooling. Full-time burned us out. Part-time out of the home was still too much. My dh runs a small business from home, as well, but besides being a sounding board, I have no responsibilities for his business. When I was doing all of the above, I had to be extremely organized and disciplined. There was really no wiggle room. It was not a good long-term situation for us, but I made it work for several years. It was easier when the kids were younger, actually, because they had less schoolwork which took less time and needed less help from me. I was able to assign other people duties, and I did hire a young adult college student two days a week to do the school which was reading aloud or open and go (history, literature, FLL 3/4). I spent at least an hour every Sunday evening typing up a schedule for what the four, yes four different adults would be doing that week with the kids. At that point, the kids were with my dad two days a week, at home with the college student two days a week and then taken by a friend on Fridays to a half day co op and then with dh the rest of that day. Dh, my dad, the college student, and I all had school responsibilities with the kids. During the time I worked full-time, I kept all of the math for the kids. I would leave the house at 6:20 am, get home at 3:30 pm, do math with the three kids and then make dinner. It was a tiring time in my life, but we made it. The kids were always cared for, educated and supervised. I then worked out of the home two days a week but was gone 11 hours a day. I just loaded all of the teacher-needed subjects on the other days, which made for long days, but it worked for about a year and a half. Then I worked at home 20-30 hours a week (computer-based job) and was able to schedule my work at any time. I tended to work every day Mon-Thurs in the afternoon/early evening. I could get up and do laundry or start dinner while working. Then I worked on Fridays for three hours while sitting in the mom's room at co op. I often did more work on Friday afternoons. That was unfun, but I also found the work boring and unfulfilling. So I quit. Now I do some consulting and supervising in my field, which takes a few hours a week and is fulfilling. I don't know how helpful that is, but it is my experience. I've been balancing some amount of work and homeschooling for about five years. Before the full-time gig, I taught one college class per semester, did contract therapy 5-6 hours one afternoon/evening and worked on call as a lay doula for a live-in dorm for birth mothers making an adoption plan. I was happiest when I was teaching one class and doing the contract therapy. That was about 10 hours a week of work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted February 14, 2015 Author Share Posted February 14, 2015 Thanks, Texasmama. Your post reminds me that homeschoolers can have very different situations and it's really valuable for all of us to see how different people have found ways to make things work. I think an outsourcing thread would be helpful because it can be a sanity saver and it's important to avoid and "all or nothing" mindest when we talk about homeschooling, so I started one: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/542293-so-of-a-so-what-have-you-outsourced/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wildiris Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 Me: 20 years homeschooling through a charter school that allows me to choose curriculum and follow my own path. The only requirement is a monthly meeting to hand in work which demonstrates progress is being made in four core subjects: Math, LA, Science, and Social Studies. I am given a lot of freedom. These monthly meetings keep me on track. Without this requirement, I would probably let too much slide. Homeschool teacher was my main occupation for over a decade and a half. Now with only the youngest of four still at home and working part-time and trying to keep physically fit, I've simplified my homeschool routine. My homeschool routine is very fluid to account for missed days and half days, but my expectations are consistent on quality of work. I expect independent work to be done. My expectations are simple: Do a job you're going to be proud to share. Juggling work and school is a challenge. I also pay attention to what works and what doesn't, what needs more time, etc. When choosing what to use for math or any subject, I do a lot of research on a curricula to determine if it will work with my kid's learning style. I try not to curriculum jump and stay away from fad "curriculum-of- the-month" stuff. I don't have time or money for my choices not to work, but I don't bang my head on the wall either if one of my choices is a clear fail, so I'm always scanning the board for other options. I try to work above grade level in all subjects, and I am creative in how I use my LA curriculum. I like to teach writing and reading. Planning...I still haven't figured this one out. I just make a general outline of direction and try to keep within the 36 week schedule, but life happens and I roll with it and modify on the fly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted February 14, 2015 Share Posted February 14, 2015 Retired homeschooler here and I only homeschooled for 6 years (9-12 with oldest, 7-12 with middle, 5-8 with youngest). I know I need my escapes from routine, so I planned them. I worked outside the home subbing high school math/science (mostly) and could break a home routine that way AND we unofficially had a "family day" pretty much every Tuesday when we went out hiking/geocaching or something else similar that we wanted to do. We also tossed in longer trips when I needed them. Hubby and my kids loved those times as much as I did. For around home and actual "school," mine taught themselves from their books/internet, etc. Then we had discussions on things - plenty of discussions. Of course, if they had any questions about how to do things or about anything hubby or I were there for those too. We did the discussions when they were in ps too, so not much changed with that. With homeschooling we could cover far more than ps did and we could go at their pace. We never had a school schedule. My guys decided what they wanted to work on and when. That all ended up being great training for college. They learned how to learn and how to manage their time. My older two loved it and have no regrets (I've asked). My youngest opted to return to ps for high school. He preferred the routine, less work, and greater socialization. All three are quite academically talented. The older two did better on their college entrance tests and found the adjustment to college classes easier. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Critterfixer Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 Only six years under my belt, here. Most of what has been posted I'd say fits with my general philosophy of having enough order to back chaos in a corner, and enough flexibility to whack it with a hammer when it escapes. I would recommend cultivating the ability to both laugh at yourself and forgive yourself for all the goof-ups and mistakes you are bound to make. And don't take anything too personally, be it praise or criticism. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaLisa Posted February 15, 2015 Share Posted February 15, 2015 I didn't the original thread, so I am not sure what was being discussed. But here are some of the things I have learned to do over the yrs that make homeschooling a joy the majority of the time: 1-I have a routine, but not a fixed schedule. I have a laundry, cooking, daily flow routine. I never function by a clock, but I do like our days to have a certain rhythm. 2-I create our courses. This keeps things interesting for me. I enjoy digging deeper and searching out information. I can't stand textbooks. Recognizing that makes my teaching more pleasurable. 3-Our meals are simple. I cook double or triple one night (prep time is the same regardless) and then I use leftovers to create new meals. 4-I do not tolerate whining. Period. Homeschooling is a family affair. My duty is to their education. Their duty is to their school work. Whining has serious consequences. I have zero qualms about taking away all privileges if the whining is just laziness. 5-Keeping #4 in mind, I do make sure that whining is not due to lack of understanding or being overwhelmed by too much work. There is a distinct difference. I alter plans if the problem is with the material. It is pretty easy for me to be able to identify the difference. (Don't know if that is true for everyone. But I have been doing this long enough and know my children's personalities well enough to know which is which.) 6-I make time for myself and I keep a bottle of wine in the fridge. ;) (Started homeschooling in 94, have graduated 4, 4 to go.) Smh in agreement to most of this! With the following: Chocolate rather than wine. Mix it up with random mornings out for a sausage muffin or school at the park or BOGO lattes. And (this is key), every few months, I'll go out to lunch with one of my kids at a time at a spot of their choice. I LOVE the lunch out and the time with each of my dc. And when my nerves need a real break, calling a teacher planning day is golden. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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