I was just wondering about how many hours everyone is doing school work? If you had to show how many hours you do what would you put down? Illinois requires 4 hours. Well we do not do 4 hours of book work. We do about 3 to 3.5 hours. Plus lots of other stuff that ps does not do. They would more then likely say is not school. My son also has independite work and reading he must to. So we are more then likely getting in our 4 hours it just doesn't seem like it. My hubby is home this year with us and he has said something about the amount of time we send on doing work. He thinks we need to do more. But what more I don't know. I really think him bringing it up is why it is bugging me. I have told him that this made me feel bad and I felt he thought I was not doing a good job. His come back was that he thought our son need to learn the things that he will use when he gets older. Which is the other stuff from above that I was talking about. My son loves Motors. He knows more then most grown men do about cars,trucks and motorcycles. This then really confussed me because if he wants him to learn about life learning things then whats up with the time we spend on book work?!?! I just dropped it. So if you don't mind sharing how many hours you do that would be great. And a big thanks a head of time.
I'm sorry this will not answer your question at all, but I was wondering how old your son is and how you have tried to extend your son's interest in motors. My son (6) also likes motors and I've tried to scavenge around to find motor-related stuff (electric motors anyway, I don't want him to go experimenting with a gas engine), so we have picked up old Lego dacta sets with motors and gears, and I also find old appliances that he can take apart with a screwdriver (after I cut off the plug so he can't try to plug it in). I try to integrate some math and reading into it (e.g. this is a resistor, how many are there on this circuitboard? Which is the heaviest screw? What letters can you find on the parts?) I am told that this is the kind of flexibility HS affords and I would think that you could go for 10 hours a day of work if the kids do not realize they are actually doing school work.
here is our "schedule" although we don't follow it to a T. 9:00-9:15 Bible 9:15-9:30 Spanish (M,T,F) Typing (W,TH) 9:30-10:00 Morning break 10:00-10:30 Science 10:30-11:00 Geography 11:00-11:30 Language Arts 11:30-12:30 Lunch break 12:30-1:00 Math Lessons 1:00-1:30 Music & Art Sometimes my kids get into the groove and get done early. If i had to submit a schedule that is what I would send in even though there are many days we get done by noon. THe state forgets I think that one on one learning doesn't take as long as a classroom enviroment does.
My son is 11. He has been taking things apart since he was 2. At first it was his toys and making something new with them. My son starting racing a dirt bike at 6 and was helping his dad maintain it at that age. Helping change oil, greesing things and tighting bolts and stuff. I would check out the model department sometimes they have engine models. Which he will need help with but my son loved them. You may find out he loves cars plan and simple my son did. And with help loves doing models. Other wise find an old lawn mow engine and take the blade off and let him check it out. You don't have to run it. Its just the idea of knowing what parts are what. Find a book that shows different parts. My son is now working on riding lawn mowers and got 2 rundown, not running ones this summer and then got them running and then blew them up. It was fun rebuilding and running them to death again. He was disapointed when they wouldn't run anymore and couldn't fix them either with out parts. But we are not made of money and with out parts there was not much more he could do but keep his eyes open for parts from another mower. Which he still hasn't found but he is now working on remote control cars. (my hubbies, they are the expensive ones from the hoppy shops) Well a few years ago he took one a part and today he finally got it back together. And it runs and he raced it up and down the street for a little while tonight. You could also go to the library. My son hates reading but a book about Simitrucks or construction trucks or just rebuilding a motor always made his day at the age of 6 and more then likey would still today. Good Luck to your son and his learn, I say let him tinker around. Our main rule was always with supervision and he was and still is not allowed to work on anything unless dad or I know he is doing it.
I would encourage you to find out what your husband thinks is lacking in the overall school program, so you can both be confortable with the homeschool. Even if he is not involved in the schooling process, his input is needed. Unless he is confortable with the home education you will not have a united front.
Sometimes the dh's (and others) don't realize that homeschoolers can accomplish much more in much less time because of the lower student-teacher ratio, and one--on-one attention. So what you do is set the time by what the ps or Christian school average time for that class is. If they take 40 minutes for a class in ps, then you get the 40 minutes credit, even if it takes you guys 20 minutes. Sometimes a class in ps doesn't take the whole time, but that's still the time alloted them for that day. See what I'm saying?
we dont have a real schedual that we follow. there is one drawn up somewhere collecting dust but we havnt seen it in ages! our day starts at 9am, simply because ds4 has in home OT/PT/ST 4 days a week at 9 am so its a good start time. we work thru the morning, unless there is somthing else going on like an event or field trip (which still counts i think) we break for about 45 minutes for lunch and then the little kids go down for a nap, that sometimes includes ds 5 and sometimes does not. the older kids and i work on things that are better done while the little guys are sleepings untill they wake up...usually around 2 if were lucky. from there somedays we are right in the middle of somthing and want to keep going, or the kids are working on individual projects and want to finish...somedays we are ready to hit the door and just hang out in the yard for the rest of the day. id say we get in 3-4 hours of "traditional school work" a day most days but i never feel like its not enough time. if you were to take ds public school schedual when he went to ps they were there pretty much form 8-2 so 6 hours, minus an hour for lunch recess, minus 10 minutes each hour for a bathroom trip, 15 minutes each hour for handing out papers, waiting for instructions, and 'getting started' another 10 minutes every hour lined up to go somewhere, or come back from somewhere...thats almost 4 hours of wasted time right there, out of a six hour day and i know ds class started getting ready to go home about 20 minuets before the end of school... i wouldnt let ps standards make you feel like your not doing enough! as for your husband, since he is close by during the day maybe you could find a way to get he and ds involved in working on moters together, or maybe even some math too...let him see how much he is learning away from the workbooks
My husband isn't home during the day, but he asks us often about when we started and when we finished. I just have the kids show him all their work when he asks because they get alot done in a day, but usually it doesn't take more than a couple of hours. So we let the work speak for itself and he never questions further. He is proud of all they accomplished that day! Today, We were done with our work early and my dd and I went to run errands. Well, he called home and when we didn't answer he assumed we were too busy with our work. When I told him we were out, he said, "shouldn't you have been teaching at that time?" So I explained how we had gotten done early that day and it was ok...the kids aren't lacking in any area! Then we showed him their writing papers they worked on today and their math tests that they both took and got 100% on.....he was satisfied with that and I didn't even have to show him their language arts and spelling they did! I don't think I'd do well if he were home with us!! :roll:
I never really worried about it when he was working. I liked it better when he was working. My son and I do things our way and sometimes it may look like we are not doing work but I believe everything in life is work/learning. My son has come a long way since we pulled him from public school and it shows. Not just in his work but his additude. I think my hubby is just use to the ps way of doing things and he never saw what we did and how we did it. I think in time he will adjust or just go back to work either way works for me.lol While I'm at work they work on the bikes and play the drums and guitar. (And my son does homework.) Which I see as learning too. I just think he needs to look at the big picture and see what we are doing and not the time it takes us to do it in. He just made me feel like I wasn't doing all I could and I let him know it and we both agreed that hs is what he needs. I hate to say this but I don't think he could make it in public school at the 6th grade level. My hubby also knows this. We know he would be one of those childern that falls between the cracks and just gets passed on, it has already happened.(one reason we removed him from ps) My hubby fell between the cracks and did many things I don't want my child to ever do. I want better for our child and I think he does too. (I know he does) I just don't think he understood the difference and with time I know he will get it and stand by me. It just proves that he also worries if we are doing the right thing. Which is a normal feeling when it comes to parenting and homeschooling. Thanks all!!
I'm thankful I don't have to write down hours. I do it by books. 1 lesson per book, howerever long it takes. I've had Sami take a long time do do something she didn't like (Making the day drag on forever) and I've had school done in 2 hours with alot of work to show for it. Alot depends on mood and enthusasim (sp. Sorry).
You know, I have no clue! My daughter is doing kindergarten work though, so naturally it would be less amount of time since in public schools K goes half day. (If you're trying to keep things even for the amount of work they do in school.) I never time anything really. We start our day with a prayer, pledge (I want her to learn the pledge, I think that's important), put the day up on the calendar, do Bible study, then do one other subject. At this point, she gets a play break and I go clean something. Then, we do a couple more subjects, or read a book together. Take another play/clean break. And continue this way until everything is done. Typically we are done by or before lunchtime. So, I'm GUESSING 2-3 hours maybe for K once you combine all the broken up time into one continuous time. Luckily, DH doesn't ask about how much time we spend doing school. He likes to know what we did, and Rachel usually shows him her work anyway without him asking because she's excited, but he has never cared/thought to ask us how many hours, etc.
OK, roughly we finish breakfast and start our academic day at 7:15. We school until around 11:00, then break until about 12:30, then go until 2:30 or 3:00. So I would say about 3-4 hours in the AM, and another 1 or 2 in the PM. Phillip, because of his age, has more "free time" during that, and Rachael is finding that she has more and more to do in the evenings now. Her bedtime has been extended this year for a half-hour, and often she's working on science during that time. She'll be starting an English class in another week or two, and that will be an additonal demand on her time.
Leslie, when I first started, Carl wanted a schedule, knowing what time I was doing math, reading, etc. I told him that I could never keep a schedule when I was in the classroom and there was NO WAY I was going to keep to a schedule with this! He's since figured out that I really am on top of things, and has backed WAY OFF. But just yesterday, my girls were at a 10:30 piano lesson. Phillip and I go shopping during that time, and ran into a neighbor, who asked why he wasn't doing school..... I told her that we WERE doing school. The girls were at music, and Phillip was busy helping me with money skills, etc.
I love it, Jackie. It is taking me a while, but I am learning that everything we do is in some way an educational learning experience. I love that! I am hoping my dh will "relax" some, too, as we prove more and more how much the kids are learning. He actually has come a long way already. Did I tell you guys that at the end of the school year last year (our first year hs) I suggested that maybe the kids should go back to ps (one of my feeling inadequate moments) and he was the one that said no...they need to be home, this is what is best for all of us. YEAH!!!
Amy, I am with Deena, sometimes my hubby has the idea that because we are done earlier than he thinks that they are not getting enough school work and that I should add to it. We do school roughly from 8am to 2:30. I try to keep them busy with school related educational stuff during that time zone. I have tried up to this year to have an hour for main subjects like Math and Language ARts, and half to forty five mins for History/goeography and Science, Half hour for Bible, and recess and an hour lunch break to fill in some time! Somedays this year it has been only two hours and my dd is done! I check her work and she has done required work and then some! So I send her to read or give her writing assignment... ds fluxuates depending on his attention span. Sometimes he loves what he is learning and run through it. IF he does not like it, o rit LOOKs like too much work, then he fusses and moans and groans and well you get the picture. Our state says something about us having to have 3 hours of schooling so thats all I am required to keep them busy for, after that I check to see if they did thier work when they say they are done and if so then I let them do educational play stuff.
We go from about 8:30/9:00 to about 2:30/3:00. Sometimes we need to finish something later, because We lose at least an hour driving to and during her classes.
I never did understand the school system expecting things to take a certain amount of time. How do they determine how much time a thing should take?
The husbands that are questioning the amount of schoolwork being done- are they contributing to the education in a tangible way or are they being armchair teachers?? Don't we have enough to worry about ourselves as it is without being questioned about what we are doing? JMHO...
I hear ya, Becky!!! My dh will help when asked, but does not take an active roll in teaching them. Of course, I knew going into this that it would be that way. He has 10 restaraunts to over see and is very busy during the day with that. So it doesnt bother me other than when he questions whether we are doing enough (which honestly isn't very often any more...just from time to time).
