Homeschool flunky returning to homeschool -- can I make it work this time? Help!

[Christy B]

Nutshell: I'm not very good at homeschooling. I lack discipline. And focus (ooh, look -- shiny!).

 

Older dd went to a local Christian school this year for 8th grade -- hated it.

Younger dd stayed home, "repeated" 4th grade and has only done "school lite" for the last three months due to serious illness.

 

Both girls want to be homeschooled next year; older dd is very motivated to do high school at home so she can take advantage of the dual enrollment offered at our local community college. Younger dd has never, ever wanted to go to school, and I doubt she ever will.

 

I am committed to homeschooling them. I am delighted that they both want to be at home. I love the *idea* of homeschooling.

 

What if that isn't enough? I feel like I've already failed at homeschooling, and I'm totally insane for planning to do it next year. Older dd went to school because I could NOT get her to do her schoolwork without fireworks and drama. She thrives on structure and interaction. Younger dd is a struggle, she would read books all day long, but to get her to sit still and do math or grammar is like pulling teeth (she is exactly like me). How are we ever going to make this work? I'm willing to try to change but I just don't know if it's going to happen.

 

How does a naturally unstructured, loosey-goosey kind of person do what it takes to do a good job of educating her children, without making herself and everyone else miserable in the process? Is this a teaching/learning style problem, or am I just plain lazy and in need of a good kick in the seat?

 

I have time now to do planning and research; I need to get that all out of my system before older dd comes home (I adore the planning and the research; I'd spend all my time doing that and not teaching, that's the problem.) Younger dd is set up on Time 4 Learning for the rest of this school year -- she is LOVING it and we're finding it a perfect fit to fill in the gaps and get caught up (if I can just get her to quit doing the history long enough to do the math and language).

 

I need some pep talks, first of all, to tell me that we can give this another try.

 

I also need some practical tips on how to discipline myself, not be so distracted, get OFF the computer already, etc.

 

A couple of things I know:

 

1. I LOVE change; I get easily bored. So, we're going to use a modified block schedule. Grammar and Composition, Geography one semester; Literature and Environmental Science another semester. I think this will keep something "fresh" to look forward to. Gives me an excuse to make pretty displays, too.

 

2. Since older dd thrives on structure and predictability, and younger dd likes variety and change -- any suggestions on setting up work areas for them? We will use our dining room as "school central" but I don't care where they do their work.

 

3. Any suggestions for a super-flexible BUT accountability-building planning system?

[Staci in MO]

I'm like you - I'd much rather plan next year's homeschool than finish this year's homeschool. :P

 

This year has been my best year, yet. I'm not where I need to be, but at least I'm not where I used to be.

 

First of all, I made a little rule (which I am breaking right now, but I've convinced myself I need to check frequently for great deals on used curricula :blush:), is that I can't get on the computer until my housework chores are done and the kids have finished school for the day. That made a huge difference. I will allow myself to check email at lunch, though.

 

That old standby of doing the hardest thing first has kind of become my mini-motto this year.

 

I also use Homeschool Tracker. This semester I put 9 weeks of assignments up. The idea of having to redo all that if I get behind has been a motivator to keep plugging away.

 

I tend to resist making lists, but writing all the assignments out for the quarter and giving them to my dc helps, too. I have ONE child who will say, "But Mom, it says I'm also supposed to do x,y,z, today." My other two would NEVER do that, but the middle child holds me accountable.

 

The idea of me giving someone advice on self-discipline is laughable, but these ideas have helped me.

[Mandamom]

Can you get something that is all together and includes some kind of schedule and then use your loosey-gooseniess (is that a word??) to supplement and make it fun? Maybe something like CLE or whatever you like. For a year, we used Switched on Schoolhouse which I supplemented with writing projects, and extra literature in order to make it more of what I wanted. It allowed me to make sure that there was a minimum that my dss completed each day. Now, you have the minimum that must be done before anything else is done.

 

That way you are assured that they get at least the basics done while you can add extra literature books, writing assignments, and/or a variety of projects that you can have fun with.

 

Good luck figuring something out.

[Night Elf]

How does a naturally unstructured, loosey-goosey kind of person do what it takes to do a good job of educating her children, without making herself and everyone else miserable in the process?

 

This is me. I've homeschooled since 2002 and my DH finally stepped in earlier this year and took over all the decision making for homeschool. The only thing that has really worked consistently is a structured program. It doesn't make me happy but it's the truth. I tried so many different materials and started each one with a bang and then petered out within a couple of months, ready to try something new. I'd spend lots of time researching and planning but failed in the implementation. I wasted time and money and frustrated the kids.

 

I'm not allowed to purchase curriculum anymore. DH is sticking to our current plan and our 2 younger children will follow our oldest child's path. My homeschooling now is just getting the kids through their daily lessons. We just do the next thing scheduled.

[Jenny in Florida]

How does a naturally unstructured, loosey-goosey kind of person do what it takes to do a good job of educating her children, without making herself and everyone else miserable in the process?

 

That old standby of doing the hardest thing first has kind of become my mini-motto this year.

 

I, too, am naturally a loose, take-it-as-it-comes, let's-see-where-this-goes kind of person. Basically, I have two modes: ultra relaxed and very organized. There is no middle zone. Before I started homeschooling, the only thing about which I was organized was my job. So, for me, the key was to understand that homeschooling IS my job. And it is, I'm convinced, the most important one I will ever do. So, I'd darned well better get it right.

 

The one thing I think that has helped me most is to make a plan. A good, long, detailed plan. Then print it out and put it where I see it every day. I really enjoy planning (probably because it's the most creative part of this job), and having goals right there in black and white makes it much, much easier to meet them. I get a lot of satisfaction out of checking things off the list. So, I make the list.

 

And, as Staci said, doing the hardest thing first is a huge help. Once that's out of the way every day, the rest seems like no big deal.

 

So, I guess for me it boils down to: developing an attitude of intention, having clear goals and developing good habits.

 

I'm not perfect. (Remind me sometime to tell you about the projects we didn't do last year or the Latin we dropped this year.) But I feel like we're in a pretty good place. I'm proud of the work I do

[Christy B]

Sigh. So, there's no magic pill? I have to work hard? :tongue_smilie:

 

Thanks for the excellent advice and encouragement. I'm thankful to have a few months to try to make a workable plan. And work on trying to get myself awake before 10 am.

 

Jenny, I hope your daughter loves MBC as much as I did. :001_wub: It's a special place.

[Jenny in Florida]

Jenny, I hope your daughter loves MBC as much as I did. :001_wub: It's a special place.

 

She's very happy there, most of the time. She's in their early entrance program, which is great but does come with one challenge: She's living in a dorm full of very bright girls under the age of 16. Imagine the drama, if you will. And, despite the fact that she's majoring in theatre, she is not a drama queen in real life. So, that part can be a little wearing.

 

On the whole, though, it's been a great experience for her.

 

I can't wait to tell her I met another Baldwin woman!

[Christy B]

She's very happy there, most of the time. She's in their early entrance program, which is great but does come with one challenge: She's living in a dorm full of very bright girls under the age of 16. Imagine the drama, if you will. And, despite the fact that she's majoring in theatre, she is not a drama queen in real life. So, that part can be a little wearing.

 

On the whole, though, it's been a great experience for her.

 

I can't wait to tell her I met another Baldwin woman!

 

Staunton is my home town; I foolishly turned down a scholarship to MBC out of high school, but went back as a freshman after my first child was born (the adult independent study program). I grew up literally within walking distance. It's one of the most beautiful campuses I believe I've ever seen.

 

My older daughter has a friend in band whose older sister attends MBC. It's such a small school, it's neat to connect with people who know of it.

 

I'm familiar with your daughter's program, I'm *sure* it is quite challenging!

[Night Elf]

And work on trying to get myself awake before 10 am.

 

We do school in afternoon here. None of us can handle academics before noon!! :eek:

[Bright_Future]

Nutshell: I'm not very good at homeschooling. I lack discipline. And focus (ooh, look -- shiny!).

:lol:

 

This is so me most days. Nothing more to add. :D

[JenniferB]

Christy B,

 

I think we are very much alike, and I relate to everyone else who posted, especially the poster who's husband makes the decisions, and the poster who has no middle ground and likes to check things off, and the one who said they have to consider homeschooling a job.

 

This year I could see that if I kept up with my faulty ways of homeschooling I would be in a world of hurt in 4 more years. My oldest is in 4th grade, and my next oldest is K-1 ish (almost 6 yo).

 

I have found my "magic pill", for now, but it does take hard work. I've signed up with my local Virtual Academy (Washington Virtual Academy), and they/we use the K12 curriculum. It is SUPER structured, and I'm accountable to a school teacher. I've recognized within myself that if there is even a teeny tiny bit of room to meaneauver (change up) a curriculum, I end up going hog wild and changing the whole thing. So, SUPER structured is the key for our homeschool right now, and it's working so far. We are getting a TON of work done 5 days a week. We've only been in it for about a month and it seems like we are making HUGE leaps forward compared to what we were getting done before, especially in my almost 6yo boy. With my 10yo 4th grader, we are doing some catch up, because I started her back at the beginning of 4th grade, but in Science, she is leaping forward, because we've never done formal Science before.

 

I really hope you find your "magic pill", whatever that might look like in your home school.

 

I commend you for picking up homeschooling again. You are doing what you feel is best for your children - now consider it your "job"! :D

[Catwoman]

Nutshell: I'm not very good at homeschooling. I lack discipline. And focus (ooh, look -- shiny!).

 

I love the *idea* of homeschooling.

 

I adore the planning and the research; I'd spend all my time doing that and not teaching, that's the problem.

 

I also need some practical tips on how to discipline myself, not be so distracted, get OFF the computer already, etc.

 

OMG!!! You're ME!!!

 

Needless to say, I will be following this thread with great interest!

 

Cat

[joannqn]

*chuckling*

 

 

Are you my twin? I named my first blog "Shiny Distractions" and my current blog is "Homeschool Distractions". My email is fortheloveofshiny. Can you guess why? Oh, is there something shiny over there. Ok, I'm back. Wait! What's that?

 

Anyway, YES, you can homeschool successfully!

 

There are three things that I found (just this year) that has helped me.

 

1. Look at learning styles and learning level. My daughter hates school and would rather read, write stories, and play on the computer all day. She used to cry every day throughout the school day. When I finally realized that she didn't need and hated repetition, I looked for curriculum with as little of that as possible. That means spiral approach is out. I switched math programs. She still dislikes math but will tolerate it. I also realized that she was way ahead of her LA curriculum; she hated learning things she already knew (even if I hadn't taught it to her yet). So, I switched LA programs.

 

2. Figure out a flexible daily schedule that works for you and your kids. Neither my daughter nor I are morning people. We just can't start early. My son is both a morning person and likes routine. To accommodate everyone, our schedule has free time in the morning and school in the afternoon and early evenings. DD and I don't have to think too early. My son has a predictable schedule. I schedule in blocks...LA and math in one block, break, history, break science, etc.

 

3. Find a system where you can preplan your year and have things ready ahead of time. The less work you have to do on a daily, or even weekly, basis the easier it will be. Getting distracted won't be as big of an issue because because a good chunk of your work is already done for you. For me, this means I pull consumable books apart and file all the pages for the year by week. Each weekend (or Monday), I pull each child's folder and put the work into their binders. The non-consumables are kept in the back of the filing box so they are easy to find. Each child knows they must finish everything in their binder by the end of the week or spend Saturday doing it without breaks. I'm available for questions and occasional lessons as needed.

[Christy B]

Y'all are too funny. :lol: I'm glad to know that I'm not alone; and that others like me do manage to homeschool! That's a good start.

 

It does sound like I need to be more structured. :glare:

 

I LOVE the idea of just starting schoolwork later (I have no problem doing housework in the morning -- I just can't seem to focus on schoolwork that early). However, I know the girls do better with working on their books earlier. Somehow, I'm going to have to figure out a system that provides them the structure and means to make a good start, even if I am still putzing around tidying up the house, starting laundry, walking on the treadmill, etc.

 

We need a support group.

 

Hello, my name is Christy and I have trouble concentrating long enough to . . . LOOK! A new homeschooling catalog! :tongue_smilie: