I really need to know.....

[LearnFromHome]

how in the world do public school children have 7 class periods, start at 8:00 and finish by 3:30...how do they get all this done????

 

I'm really feeling burnout and ready to send my kids to public school since things never get done here at our home. I'm always feeling overwhelmed! All I hear from my kids is that all we do is school, school and more school - they don't spend anytime doing other actitivities outside the home because they are always trying to finish up something.

 

I have a 12th grader that will be graduating this year but I still have an 8th grader and 11th grader to homeschool but I don't have the energy or motivation to continue. My 12th grader hated school these last two years and I'm afraid that my other two will feel the same.

 

Please tell me if I'm the only one feeling this way.:confused:

[hsmom]

Well first of all think about how much homework they send the kids home with everyday. They do not get all subjects done each day. It is more like they are just moving from room to room to get more homework.

 

Also take a deep breath! Then is there a way you can make it where you do only certain subjects each day. Like everyday math

mondays history and whatever

tuesdays science and LA

wed history and whatever

thursdays science and la

friday electives and such

 

this way you get everything covered in the week, but you are not trying to cram it in everyday. Also this might help take some pressure off of you and them.

 

(by the way you are almost my neighbor, okay well a couple hours away.LOL)

[Tenaj]

The ps student don't get done by 3:30. They have hours of homework after they get home. My high schoolers start school at about 8:30 and are usually done between 3 to 4:30 depending on how the day has gone. When I get complaints, I quickly point out to them that they are done - no homework like they would have in public school.

 

Every year about February/March I get very disinterested in homeschool. That seems to be the time of year that I hear the most complaints and I have the most complaints. I always try to go back and remind myself of why we chose this path and I do tend to communicate that with my kids on a regular basis. Also, I try to remind myself not to take it personally if my kids are not very excited about their school work, or yes, even say they hate school, school is not always fun and games, especially at the higher levels. I do try to point out to them what the purpose of those most hated subjects/assignments are so that they can see the higher goal.

 

My inspiration always seems to return when the new cataloges start arriving and it's time for the conference.

 

I hope you can find the inspiration and wisdom you need as you finish out this year!

[mktkcb]

Well, lets see...my kids are exactly the ages of yours; graduating senior, rising 11th and 7th graders. I think outside activities are *essential* for kids this age, however you think it may cut into school time. If mine had no outside creative/athletic outlets, they would be bonkers for sure. For one thing, it motivates them to get it done (fill in the "it"), and gives them opportunity to blow off school stress. If you possibly can, also, I would recommend a couple outsourced classes for the 11th grader. I do understand this isn't always feasible, but even an online course might provide a different sort of accountability. We are blessed to be in an ISP that has a high school coop that is well run, so my girls have taken a class or 2 every year. My oldest did 2 different classes at the cc this year. Very good experiences for her. Anyway, I have *no* idea where you live, or what your resources are (either locationally, or financially), but I would bend over backward to get your kids out of the house for some core or extra stuff. It sounds like they need a change of pace in spite of the perceived workload. JMO :).

Kayleen (whose children are behind in various subjects as well this year....sigh :) )

[SherryTX]

TWTM book had some great suggestions about scheduling. Maybe you need to give yourself - and your kids - a bit of a break? After all, isn't it about the education, and not having to deal with the same type of stress that kids in ps have to deal with?

 

I wouldn't be as concerned with them finishing "on time" as making sure they are having time to get an education as well as balance time for their interests.

 

This is my personal opinion, of course, but I think if we totally create a ps like environment at home, we miss the whole point of home schooling kids.

 

And please don't beat yourself up over this. It is hard to keep on track - I am only hs one at this point and sometimes I get a bit over whelmed. Maybe a break for a week or two from school for you and them is in order so you can recharge and figure out a better schedule that will work for all of you.

[LUV2EDU]

You can also have them do two to three subjects a week.

 

Example:

 

First week : Mon-Friday- Language Arts, Writing, Reading, (Spelling),

 

Second week: Mon-Friday-Science, Math, Social Studies/History/Geography (Spelling)

[Happy]

I second the idea of outsourced classes. My graduating senior has been a challenge for the last couple of years. I wish I'd had him do more outside classes...either in a co-op setting or at the community college or both. He and I are just plain tired of each other...in the nicest possible way, of course. :tongue_smilie:

[Jackie in NE]

My oldest dd (8th grade) took a couple of classes (Art and French) at the local Jr. High this semester. We did this for a couple of reasons, and overall we are pleased with the results. But I often think "Why do these simple little classes take so much time"!?! It seems to me that the depth in those classes just isn't there, like it is in our homeschool, or even in the online classes.

 

Do you know exactly what those ps kids are studying? I know our high school really seems to offer a lot of fluff. Lots of classes that seem to be "hobby-type" classes instead of a real education. ("International cooking" is an example that comes to mind).

 

So yes, those kids are moving from one classroom to another 7 times each day, but what is being accomplished?

 

Fwiw, I get these feelings every spring. My kids do also. We're tired of school. We're ready for a break. We're restless. My kids are complaining and bickering. But I've promised myself that I won't make any life-changing decisions (like sending them all to military boarding school..... is there such a thing?) until we're about 1 month into our summer vacation.

 

Hang in there. Comparing hours spent in ps to hours spent in homeschool, is like comparing apples to oranges.

[Rhondabee]

Here, our public schools have 4 classes each semester - for 2 hours a day. But, often two of those classes are "fluff" - chorus and PE, for example. There are really only 4 core classes - English, Social St., Math and Science. And then, you have to find a way to get in a foreign language if you want college prep. But, I think as homeschoolers we want so much more.

 

I think most public schools only have 6 classes, not 7. Is there any way you could just cut one of their classes without it affecting their ability to get into college? It may not be your ideal, but it might relieve some stress - both yours and theirs!

 

Best wishes!

[Chris in VA]

I'm someone who homeschooled one thru high school and has another who did ps. I encourage you to hang in there with your high schoolers, knowing you are really offering them something wonderful, but I will also say that it is crucial for you to take high school seriously.

 

So what do you think makes it hard to get things done? Figuring that out will help you feel less overwhelmed, because there really are a number of solutions you can try.

 

Some common problems would be: Kids don't respect your authority--refuse to do the work given in good time. Life intervenes too often--Mom has too flexible a schedule and flexes herself and her kids right out of time to work. Curriculum is mismatched to kids, so they feel overwhelmed, too. Expectations are out of whack. Mismatch between teacher's style and learner's style. There certainly are other things. I, for one, felt overwhelmed because of outside circumstances, and I also didn't feel competent to teach what I knew my son needed to know (particularly in the writing dept, as I said). I also wanted to do more of my own thing, because I was so stressed, so I wasn't as available as I should have been. YMMV, of course!

 

Some things that helped me, in a general sense--

 

Perhaps you can think about outsourcing at least one of your younger kids' classes--my choice would usually be math or science, or writing (I did Write@Home and found it to be a pretty good option--wish I had let ds do it all of high school). Pick whatever doesn't get done in your house, and either do it online, or take them to a co-op for it. Classical Conversations is another option--it will give you structure and keep you on task, but make your kids accountable to someone else with you. Then schedule your day around it.

 

Do you find you are easily distracted by "life?" Turn off the phone, set regular hours, refuse to see people, don't make appointments--pick a core time everyday that is school time--let nothing disturb it. Most people need about 5-6 hours to do the basics of high school, and some need another 2 for their kids to do their reading and studying, especially kids doing heavy, GB work, along with college prep-type classes. In my experience, the kids need you present, too--some work best with Mom hovering nearby (folding laundry, cooking dinner, doing paperwork, etc.) or even right there beside them for short check-ins, or to walk them thru a process which then becomes more independent. I found that having at least a 4 hour period in the morning in which I did nothing but school, helped us get the bulk of stuff done. The rest of the day could contain other things, as long as we made sure to set aside enough time.

 

As others have said, you can do a block schedule--I prefer taking a whole year and doing an "every other day" approach. For my son, it was important for him to do foreign language and math every day, but the other subjects could be done in bigger blocks less often. Be aware that there's a certain danger in this because some kids find it hard to absorb large quantities of factual matter at one time--some kids really need shorter, more frequent lessons. A compromise is to do each subject every day, but do a heavy day and a much lighter day in rotation. THe heavy day could be a true lesson or a lab, the lighter day could be one where you don't teach but they do some exercises in a book or just do reading.

 

Hang in there. I hope I didn't overwhelm you!

[Pam "SFSOM" in TN]

how in the world do public school children have 7 class periods, start at 8:00 and finish by 3:30...how do they get all this done????

 

I'm really feeling burnout and ready to send my kids to public school since things never get done here at our home. I'm always feeling overwhelmed! All I hear from my kids is that all we do is school, school and more school - they don't spend anytime doing other actitivities outside the home because they are always trying to finish up something.

 

I have a 12th grader that will be graduating this year but I still have an 8th grader and 11th grader to homeschool but I don't have the energy or motivation to continue. My 12th grader hated school these last two years and I'm afraid that my other two will feel the same.

 

Please tell me if I'm the only one feeling this way.:confused:

 

Well, if it helps, dd goes to boarding school with five academic periods (plus studio art every day) and every other week, they have classes on Saturday. And every night Sun-Fri, they have mandatory sit-your-butt-down study hall from 7:30ish? to 10 pm. It's a whole lot of work. School, school, and more school. It's a full-time job, one I hope she finds enjoyable.

 

And the truth is, she feels like she has less of a workload than she did in our home school. So, I'm not sure what you're describing is so unusual in obtaining a rigorous education.

 

I'm with you about the energy level needed to go the distance, though. I wish you well in finding a new reservoir of strength for the journey, if this is what you want to do.

[sandellie4]

Oh...reading your email reminded me soooo much of my early days of homeschooling, when I constantly compared what I was doing with what public school does. I'm going to tell you what everyone told me: IT'S OKAY. YOU'RE OKAY. You don't have to do everything the public school does, finish every textbook they finish, etc. Now I realize that textbooks aren't finished in public school, and the material that is covered, is covered at blinding speed. We cover our material much more in depth, and my children remember much more of the material when we start the subsequent course. In math, for example, three of my children can skip much of the review, whereas public school students spend half the year on just making sure they can use what they learned the previous year.

 

I feel your pain for high school, because things do change for the older ones. I have found that it works best if I discuss and negotiate the schedule somewhat with my older children, with compromises. One of my high schoolers hates math, and likes to get it over with, so I allow her to do it all in one day if she likes. Then she devotes much of the rest of her time to history, which she loves: free reading, research, writing, projects, discussions with her father and me. She feels like she's more in control of her life, and she's doing enough math to get by -- not as much as I might like, but enough to get by, and she can decide for herself at some point that, if she wants to get into a certain college, whatever, she's going to need to focus more on her weak points. You may not want to compromise on a subject like this; I just wanted to describe it as an example.

 

When I first started high school with my children, I was frantic that they wouldn't be prepared for college or life. I really piled on the work, trying to mirror the experience of the public school programs. It was miserable. Now, when my children are at church or wherever, they can discuss the world, what Obama is doing, how the countries might respond, how the Republicans might see things differently, how history is playing out. They're doing really well, especially when actually together with the public school kids. Many of the public schoolers hate school, hate learning, block all attempts from any adult leader to teach them something. Many of them have never been allowed to make their own decisions, with the school stuffing everything down their throats at a high rate of speed. Now that I've had a high schooler graduate and head off to college, I see that we've done just fine by her. She's learned how to learn -- and, boy, did she NAIL the college essays and interviews. It wasn't easy for her and we are so proud of her!

 

Take care and don't be too hard on yourself or your children. It won't always be fun, but it doesn't have to be miserable, either. :grouphug:

 

Sandy

Edited April 8, 2009 by sandellie4

[FO4UR]

Will it make you feel any better to know that I have things like Calc and Physics and Latin on my highschool transcript and yet I actually *know* next to nothing on those subjects???? (inspite of A's and B's:confused:)

 

I hold that nugget in my pocket for the day when my dc are hs-age and I am discouraged.:001_smile:

[Catherine]

My tenth grader was in school last year. He spent hours every evening doing homework, and still tried to cut corners by finishing things in class, choosing which things to skip that would least affect his grade, etc. At least in good, competitive high schools, those kids are working their a**** off. Plus summer assignments-he would have had to complete reading 3 books and a history project that involved compiling newspaper articles illustrating every principle of the Constitution, Bill of Rights and all amendments, with a short essay written on each. Please don't get the idea that kids in brick and mortar school are only working on academic stuff 7 hours a day.

 

I do understand where you are coming from though. Homeschooling a rigorous high school program is very challenging. It takes a lot of work and time. Here we try to take breaks, build in some fun stuff (do you do any historical movies?) and for my kids, exercise is one of their breaks. It is worthwhile but is a break from focused academic work.

 

FWIW, I am also trying to teach my kids how to work efficiently, so that they can get the most done in the least amount of time. Not easy, since I am so disorganized and inefficient myself-sometimes it's like the blind leading the blind around here.

 

I hope you find some encouragement-it's also spring which is such a hard time for ALL of us to stay focused.

[coralloyd]

When I was hsed my mom got frustrated at about this age, and sent me to school. After just one year back I got very frustrated. There was very little that was taught that I truly understood (we never "finished" anything) ,they just didn't take the time to explain properly. Keep in mind that I made straight A's and still did not understand. I had plenty of friends. I actually did not attend the school in my district; I was tranfered to the school all my friends attended. Despite this I still begged my mom to bring me back home, for my last two years of school.

 

When I returned home we restuctured things, so that I had more control over my studies. This meant that I did not start early in the morning (teens need to sleep ;)),and sometimes worked late at night. This also meant that I decide that I wanted to only work on one subject a day. I finishing a whole weeks worth of asignments in one day. This way I could completely focus, and put my best effort into my work. I had days that were lighter, and days that were heavier, depending on the subject. I loved literature and comprehension day. Math day, not so much, but at least there was more comprehension of it. My mom also got me a tutor for math, from the local college. I made a cozy area of cushions and pillows in my room were I worked, instead of a desk. These things gave me a lot more free time. I even had a job.

 

Try giving your kids more control, choosing what works best for them. You might also consider dropping one or two subjects. Picks ones that aren't all that important, in the over all scheme of things. I only completed math up to Algebra 2 in Saxon. My mom knew math was not my stong suit; and I would never get a job where I needed more than that. I know this is very hard to do, but let go of some of your expectations.

Edited April 8, 2009 by coralloyd

[MIch elle]

at his private high school and then about 1-2 hrs of homework/night and on weekends. They do a LOT more than we could EVER get done at home! :lol: That's just one reason he's in private high school and NOT at home. :tongue_smilie:

[PiCO]

how in the world do public school children have 7 class periods, start at 8:00 and finish by 3:30...how do they get all this done????

 

I can reply to this part, as both my kids are in school.

 

My younger dd goes to school from 8:15-3:30. She has a 3-hour literacy block every day- covers grammar, spelling, reading, etc. she has 40 min-1 hour of math each day (depends on the day.) She has a 1-hour science lab every week, plus two shorter science classes. The rest of the time is filled in with history, spanish, lunch, recess, etc. She spends an average of 20 minutes per day on homework.

 

Older dd has 8 classes per semester. They do 4 classes per day, and alternate days. Right now she has 5 year-long classes- World History, Literature, Geometry, Biology, and French. She has 3 "elective" classes- right now she's getting 2 PE classes out of the way, and she has a class slot helping out her counselor (running errands. Yes, she actually gets credit for that.) She has an average of 1 hour of homework per night.

 

When I was homeschooling my older dd in 4th grade, we were done in about 4 hours per day- a little over half the time my younger dd now spend on school stuff. I think the knowledge gained is comparable.

[Cedarmom]

It is hard. There is a lot of stuff to cover in high school. A few things that helped us

 

We worked on a schedule together. I gave him how long I thought things should take, and he wrote how long they took. Truth was, sometimes underestimated how long things took and over assigned. But, there was an awful lot of time wasted (staring out window planning computer games)

 

Some outside activities

 

Input from my son on what to study.

 

An outside class. This was very helpful. I think just getting out of the house helped break up the day for him.

[FlockOfSillies]

All I hear from my kids is that all we do is school, school and more school - they don't spend anytime doing other actitivities outside the home because they are always trying to finish up something.

 

...

 

My 12th grader hated school these last two years and I'm afraid that my other two will feel the same.

 

Yeah, cuz ps kids NEVER hate school. :tongue_smilie:

 

Having said that, are they right? Does what they say hold water?

 

I was a very busy girl in high school. I had my classes with hours and hours of homework, plus I was in student government, senior class cheer, California Scholarship Federation... in my younger years I videotaped the football games for the coach, ran cross-country and track, played on the softball team.

 

Based on their ages, now is a good time for your kids to start exploring their interests. If the cc's near you are anything like the ones here, you could look into short-term classes for the general public -- fun stuff like digital photography, flower arranging, interior decorating, creative writing. Maybe you could sign them up over the summer, and ask them about what kinds of things they'd like to do in the fall.

 

One more question... do your kids have more long-term assignments to do for you? Not as many things day to day, but gradually more things that are "due next week" or "due next month"? I'm wondering this mostly for myself, as I have a rising 6th grader, and I'm trying to figure out when to start implementing this in our own homeschool.

[Mandy in TN]

The public high school that dc are zoned to attend meets from 7:30 to 2:37 (not a typo). They have 8 periods and lunch.

 

Period 1 7:30-8:18

Period 2 8:28-9:20

Period 3 9:26-10:13

Period 4 10:19-11:58

Lunch 1 10:19-10:52

Lunch 2 10:52-11:25

Lunch 3 11:25-11:58

Period 6 12:04-12:51

Period 7 12:57-1:44

Period 8 1:50-2:37

 

 

There are 180 school days. 3 are scheduled half-days with the children letting out at 11:05 and 27 teacher days where the students do not come in to school until 8:15. They have Semester exam days (8), TCAPs (3/4), and Gateway exams (?). Seniors with good grades are exempt from semester exams. There are also pep rallies, lectures, etc, and up to 10 excused sick days. Without sick days I figure a regular student (not a senior) sees maybe 130 full days of classes at about 45 minutes per class including roll call and other administrative tasks. The other 50 days are very, very short classes or none at all.

 

Also, there is a big push for the teachers to assign minimal homework. The person who was head of the science dept. left and went to a private school. This family homeschools their children and the push for little to no homework was something that they found assounding.

 

By my calculations a high school student at the local public high school spends at best 120 hours, including classwork and homework, earning a credit.

 

Food for thought-

Mandy

Edited April 8, 2009 by Mandy in TN

[Mandy in TN]

how in the world do public school children have 7 class periods, start at 8:00 and finish by 3:30...how do they get all this done????

 

Oh, and they don't get it all done! They only cover portions of the texts- never, ever do they cover the whole thing.

Mandy

[LearnFromHome]

I have been sitting here reading all your replies with tears running down my face thanking each and everyone of you who took the time to respond to my outcry. Thank you for lifting this heavy burden off my shoulders.

It's comforting knowing that I'm not alone and many of you have traveled the same path. I know I’ll have many more discouraging days but I’ll come back and read your replies to remind myself why I should continue this path.

Again, thank you for the encouragement and support.

[bettyandbob]

I haven't read the replies.

 

My ds is in public high school. He has 7 classes, 4 periods a day, with classes alternating days. On "B" day he officially has 3 classes and a study period. Students are assigned a class to attend during study period (it'd the 3d period of B day for everyone). If a student is assigned a class he does not need extra help in he can get permission ahead of time to attend a different class. No one is wondering the halls during the study period. Besides PE, my ds is in all honors classes. It is quite demanding. There is no way he could keep up this level of work in all subjects from home. He would have to take some outside classes and time would be wasted transporting him across town. We live in a good district and I have found each of his teachers to be experts in the field they teach ( I know this is not true everywhere). He does have one teacher we do not like. My ds is doing school work most of his time out of school. My ds wanted to go to this school and we are dealing with the one teacher.

 

This school does get these subjects done too. They have a significant percentage of students scoring high on AP and IB exams to prove that they are not glossing over subjects. You can't do that skipping through parts of textbooks. I judged science fair this year and saw some great stuff. The downside is the level of stress these highschoolers have. This is suburban school in a highly educated district. Parents are reasonably attentive and demanding.

 

Homeschooling I could have my ds in one place all day to take out the drive time to outside classes. But I'm not an expert in History, English, French or Computer Sci. I could handle math possibly through calculus and Chemistry. I couldn't do advanced Physics or Biology. I could put together something to cover all subjects and it would take all my time--to the detriment of ds's sister. So really my ds going to public school and doing OK there is better for my family. Anyone who can put together a homeschool program that provides the depth that my ds is getting is amazing. I do know there are a few of you out there and my hat's off to you.

 

I attended the same high school 30 years ago. We had 6 periods a day everyday. The level of coursework was not nearly as demanding as my ds's. I think this is true everywhere--I think highschool has gotten a lot more demanding academically and colleges expect that in admissions. What got my into a first tier public universities years ago, would barely get one into college anywhere today--it seems. The university I attended is now looking at only unweighted GPAs of 3.9, including 5-6 AP/IB exams, 5 years of a language and calculus. In our school district this is what every parent seems to be pushing their child to do. I think there are some unique children who thrive in this environment, some who are oblivious and a large amount who are terribly stressed.

 

On the upside, my babysitter reported that his first 2 years of college were easy compared to high school. The university he attended has a reputation of being a pressure cooker itself (it's the one I went to), so that tells me a bit about what we've done to the public high school.

 

The school hours are the same 7:20 am - 2:10 pm