Adjusting to homeschool...

[kentuckymom]

So, as you might know if you've read my other threads or looked at my signature, after years of flirting with the idea of homeschooling, we're finally jumping in with our oldest in the fall. He'll be in 6th grade. My 5 year old will be going to public kindergarten, so he'll be the only one home with me during the school day.

 

I'm not looking for curriculum advice in this thread, but rather general lifestyle adjustment advice. If you've been there and done that, I'd love to hear what worked well for you and what didn't work.

 

He's super excited about homeschooling because his best friends (a brother and sister who live up the street) have always been homeschooled. I'm hoping that works in our favor. However, he is not great at listening to and respecting me all the time.  He's not horrible. He rarely purposely misbehaves, but he often forgets what I told him to do just five minutes ago or forgets about a rule we've had for a long time because he's caught up in the moment. When I supervise his homework, he often has to redo things because he tries to rush through them and  misses little details or give incomplete answers.

 

Since I'll also have one in school, I'm hoping to get all of our work done during her school hours. I think that outside pressure will be a good thing for us because neither of us is naturally organized, but I've learned to be organized when it's necessary. If I were homeschooling both of them we might never get started because we'd keep getting distracted :).

 

Please comment with any advice, and feel free to link other threads on this topic. Thanks!

[Slache]

Learn to say no. Everyone thinks that being a stay at home mom means that you have all the time in the world to volunteer, plan activities, cook or run errands. You don't. You have a job. Don't take on additional responsibilities until you know what your job entails and even then know it's okay to say no.

[PeterPan]

I suggest you make time to play a game every day.  What you're describing are executive function issues (organizing, working memory, etc.), and working memory especially will improve with games.  Anything where he needs to hold some strategy in his head will work.  Ticket to Ride, for instance, would be FABULOUS for him.  So if you bring game time into your day, you're helping that transition *and* you're building his working memory.

 

I would also do some reading on executive functions and put your effort into supporting them.  There might be some things you need to do (daily checklists, more accountability, etc.) that some people don't need but that really help you function better.  Inspiration software is terrific as well.  

 

PS.  Welcome to homeschooling!  :)

Edited March 14, 2016 by OhElizabeth

[Pen]

Let an answering machine or voice mail take your phone calls during school time. (We have an emergency signal system for just in case a call is *really* important to get.)

 

Let your son have input in what he will be doing and when, so that he is at least in part living up to his own ideas of what he should do, not just you having to be the boss.

 

If one of the neighbors is at similar stage, that can help for the whens and whats. Home school was easier for us when an across street neighbor was also doing it, and we could make the schedules fit and play times and so on. Some of the materials choices were not suited for us, but it still helped that if __ was doing ___, then my ds was also doing ___, though with a program that suited him better.

 

Timers are helpful.

 

At around 6th grade my son started to be able to correct some of his own work, which was good.

 

Some outsourcing can help. For example, my son has been using some KhanAcademy for math. The computer does not tolerate sloppiness. An answer is either right or not (well, usually, every to often the computer has a glitch, just as an answer key can have a glitch).

[kentuckymom]

Thanks for the advice so far. I LOVE OhElizabeth's idea of playing a strategy game every day. It could both help with executive function and be a fun thing for us to do together to build our relationship. He enjoys playing games like that, but we rarely have time right now, largely because his little sister is always around during his free time and she always wants my attention.

[Critterfixer]

I have found that having a set routine for each day has been useful. It seems to reduce friction when everybody knows what to expect and when to expect it. I usually post the day on the whiteboard. The boys have lately been enjoying a printed copy of their day that they can consult for themselves. 

 

[importswim]

Remember that almost EVERYONE feels like they're not doing enough their first year and that a lot of people find it hard! This is our 3rd year hs'ing and I have found the groove but that first year was tough! Stick it out.

 

Good luck, Mama!

[Garga]

Do not answer the door.

Do not answer the phone.

Have a strong routine.

 

We start at the same time each day, we eat lunch at the same time each day. We don't end at the same time--some days are longer than others.

 

I made up an amount of time that each subject should take and we stick to that time. If the student is goofing off during that time I tell him, "Any work not done by the time the timer beeps has to be done alone at the end of the day." That usually works to keep the student on track. The main reason for the timer, though, was that *I* was the one making the lessons drag on too long. I was fatiguing my students. They need to know when the subject will end and that when that timer beeps a break is guaranteed. It has made our school day much less whiny and I don't wear them out by going on and on and on about a math concept.

 

Schedule appointments for non-school hours. An appointment in the middle of a school day can mess up the entire school day. If possible, schedule routine stuff during summer/Christmas breaks. There's just something so irritating about appointments on school days.

 

Stay by your student as much as possible if they need it. Remember in school when the teacher left the room and everyone started talking and goofing off. Kids are kids whether they're alone in their own room or in a classroom. When the cat is away the mice will play. So, stay in the room with your student. For some subjects, I work very closely with my two students--reading out loud together, working through math problems together, etc. For a few subjects, they work on their own. There are more subjects where I'm hands on than hands off. This isn't true of everyone, but my students need this and it sounds like yours might, too--at least at first until you teach him independence (slowly.)

 

No electronics on Mon-Thurs. None on Friday until after school. They were looking forward to the electronics so much that they were rushing through their work. Plus, the electronics made them crabby. So I was stuck with crabby, rushing kids. And when I made them re-do their rushed work, they'd be extra crabby. Once I made the no electronic rule for school days, things got much better. TV doesn't count. I do let them watch a cartoon while they eat lunch and we all like to watch something together in the evening.

[HS Mom in NC]

I suggest having your weeks planned out and prepared beforehand.  I use the 36 week hanging file folder system and other people use workboxes. Some people use an accordion file with 5 sections for each day's worth of stuff and others use a 1 section file folder.  With it all planned and prepared  you and the child know exactly what needs to be done by Friday afternoon because it's right there all together in front of you. If one day gets derailed in your week you have the other days to catch up.  If you have to be in your vehicle a lot or you're sitting in a waiting room you can easily grab school and take it with you and no lose as much school time. If you miss a week of school because of illness or vacation, you just school one more week at the end of the year.  If you miss a few days you can make it up on the weekend.

[HomeAgain]

Schedule conferences.

 

I think that right there was the most important thing we did with an older homeschooler.  We scheduled conference time and just talked.  What was working?  What wasn't?  What do you want to change?  What do I want to change?  How can we tweak this?

It kept my kid's education in his own lap instead of throwing it all in mine and made him more conscious of his role in the master plan.