Things get SO hecktic around here sometimes.. Doctors appointments, biblestudies, sick kids etc.. The last two weeks have been extremely hard.. We have had several morning appointments where my daughter can't bring along her work and I can't reschedule for a later time.. It's very hard to get my daughter to focus once the day has gone on.. We have to do our homeschooling in the mornings. We have gotten it done, but not before I loose my patience a bit.. I know that if we don't do the work that day, it's going to become a habit because I'm just lazy like that How in the world do you do your homeschooling with constant interruptions? How do you keep your kids focused? How do YOU stay motivated to do it when you really don't want to after a day full of "life".. If this was only a once in a while thing, I would leave it for the next day, but it's a weekly thing that equals in 3 days of appointments.. It SHOULD start slowing down in November but until then.. ((sigh)) it gets really annoying. I'm gung ho to get this going because my daughter is so excited over it and is progressing so much already this year.. Even with all the interruptions, but we are pushing through instead of giving in like we want to on those busy days..
I don't know if this is going to be helpful or not. FWIW, we (well, me, not the kids) are facing similar time issues. First thing: a HUGE help. We switched to very independent learning a couple years ago. I can't stress enough how helpful it is. The children know - there's no discussion - they are to do their work on their own. And it's called work for a reason - it's not entertainment. Entertainment comes when the work is completed. If they need help, they can ask, but they better NEED it. DH & I have learned our lesson. If they don't actually need help, i.e., if they are just being more challenged than they feel like dealing with, well, welcome to life, partner. We *do* help them, we just make sure it's needed. One of ours is just finishing up first grade, so, naturally, far more of his work is parent-intensive than the others. One busy days, we re-arrange work so that work that must be done at home is completed first. For example, most days, math comes first. But, if we will be gone the second half of the day, the children will practice piano first. Frankly, in the long run, skipping a day of piano is no biggie in my book. BUT, we've learned it's a matter of discipline. It's as if our boys think, Well, it was okay to skip SOME schoolwork, so it must be okay to skip OTHER school work. That is probably a matter of maturity. But for now, we do what we must. Another thing we do - plan a week's worth into four days. I actually break five lessons when necessary into four days. The advantage? The day things really break down...it's not such a crisis, because we have an "unused" day in the week. And, as I mentioned in another thread, if the work isn't completed by Fri...then we do school on Saturday. But the big thing is, really...school comes first. Before appointments (I realize medical issues will trump this), before extracurricular, not before church service, but before church fun activities. Before park day. Before MY WORK. It's had to be a matter of discipline for both myself and the children. Like many, we are struggling financially and I am working more hours than ever before. But the children's schoolwork comes first. Not instead of necessarily, but before. Again, I don't really know how helpful this is, but it's what we've been doing that has kept schoolwork on track.
Nodding head in agreement with Sandra. Working them toward independent learning and being their "guide" vs. their teacher. My kids have a schedule, and work on their own for the most part. If we need to go out in the morning and are going to be gone long enough for them to actually do work while we're out, they know what subjects can be easily grabbed and worked on, and they pack it up and do it while we're out, either in the car or waiting rooms, or places where someone else is having a class or a lesson. I think this year has been the hardest adjustment since my oldest is in High School now. And she has a couple outside classes. If my husband's not working from home on those days, everyone has to go. My oldest is also learning that school happens when it needs to happen - even if that's after dinner or on a Saturday, etc. She has a schedule, she knows what needs to be done, and she does it. She also manages and handles all her homework for her outside classes on her own. I monitor, and make sure she's doing it, but SHE takes ownership of it. I'm working my 7th Grader towards that same kind of independence as well. He's independent, but I'm working on him taking ownership of the homework he has for other classes (i.e. our co-op). Even my 3rd Grader has a schedule and she works through her work independently. I help when needed (i.e. when a new math concept is coming up), etc. But she works through her schedule and does it. (((HUGS))) It's hard. We've ALL been there.
Mommi, is there any way to get your appts scheduled for as late in the day as possible? After lunch so you can do school first?
We use McRuffy for Language Arts and spelling and it's very little parent instruction.. I go over everything with her first, give her a few problems to try on her own while I'm sitting there, then the rest is hers to do while I clean house.. It really doesn't take a lot of teaching for her.. Then Math is MUS and she can watch the DVD on her own but I usually go over the lesson quickly with her and she does a few problems while I'm watching then it goes into the pile of work to completed for the day.. Science(apologia Anatomy)doesn't happen at all on our "busy" days.. History(homeschooling in the woods) will begin next month.. Both of those are parent intensive and very hands on.. on the busy days we end up just doing math, spelling, and Language arts. As far as rescheduling appointments goes, the main one is my bible study.. It's not absolutely necessary, but then again it is.. BUT it's over the end of this month..We have it on Tues and Wed We doubled up to finish before the holidays start. Can't reschedule, but I could drop out..BUT I DON'T WANT TO.. The other appointment was my sons speech therapy that we don't feel he needs.. So we canceled it all together.. He didn't want to do the exercises because he doesn't need them, and it's a 3 hour drive to get there so no speech therapy.. Looks like I may have it all worked out now.. thanks!!
Everyone is different so you have to find what works for you, but as for me, a strict schedule works best. I have each subject scheduled, all breaks scheduled, and lunchtime scheduled. I work from home, so I have scheduled time away from work during the subjects I have to teach, and time at work during the kids' independent study time. I treat our schedule as if it were public school, and it is not optional (unless someone is sick of course). When I'm making appointments, I don't offer the fact that I homeschool and am flexible to anyone. I say, "they get out of school at 3:30, do you have anything later than that?" When I first started working from home and homeschooling, all my SAHM friends thought I could be just as flexible and they'd ask me to babysit, or run them to pick up their car, or invite me to do the social stuff that SAHMs do and I'd just always say, "the kids don't get done with school until 3:30" or "I don't get off work until 5:30." It didn't take long for them to figure out that I was a working mom and my kids went to school....we just happen to do it all holed up inside our house. Good luck! I hope you find something that works!
I work full time graveyard, have a toddler, and homeschooling two teens. The boys don't require too much help from me, but we do science and history together, and I help them when needed. School comes first at our house. If we have a dr appt or something, then they take some of their work with them, and are then required to work a longer school day to get the rest of their work completed. If their work is not completed by Friday, then they finish on Saturday. That's an incentive for them to get finished by Friday. Although, there are some days that we take off school during the week, and plan to make it up on Saturday. Since the boys are homeschooled and since I work full time, actual weekends are not of importance to us. I work most weekends, so sometimes, we take a day off during the school week when I am off work to do something fun or to get caught up on chores or dr appts or whatever. At the beginning of each week, I give the boys a list of their assignments. We normally do school from 9am to 2pm, but if we have to stop in the middle for an appt or something, we have often done school til like 4pm that day, or finished on Saturday
I schedule ALL appointments, etc in the afternoon. I basically "schedule" school time even though it isn't REALLY scheduled if that makes sense. Today we got done at 11, so I went to the gym(kids in kid's club). SOme days we are done earlier, some later, but I keep the morning hours as "school". Anything not completed is just done in the afternoon or evening. We also do some things o nthe weekends as well. Science videos, experiments, etc are done on weekends.
That is a good point, I do something similar. I learned a long time ago I get more done if I block out a specific time to do it -- when I'm blocking out time for work, I also (literally) on my calendar block out hours for school. I don't think the children realize this (although they probably would if they saw my calendar).
This week is the last week of scheduled craziness.. WOO HOO!! All appointments will be scheduled after school from now on.. I just found out that our dr is opened in the evenings on Tuesdays So all the kids can go without missing school even though we have to drive around 3 hours round trip to go.. YAY!! So my two bible studies a week are over next tuesday.. THIS week is crazy though.. Mondays are always hard for me because I can't seem to get going. Tomorrow and Wednesday are bible study, Thursday we will be going to meet my new Sister in law from the philippines.. They will only be here that day.. Then Friday we are traveling to New Mexico for the boys' band to play at a benefit.. CRAZY! WEEK! SCHOOL WILL BE DONE THOUGH!!! Next week we start our history curriculum. YAY! I've got it all ready to go.. Just been waiting until after my 2 a week bible studies are over.. We got this!!
