I’ve gotten a lot of questions recently about my homeschool schedule, what it looks like each day, and how I manage “school time.” People have even asked me for a minute-by-minute rundown of my day, wanting to know when I take breaks, how long they are, and what in God’s name do I feed them for lunch day after day (spoiler alert: there’s a lot of instant waffles being eaten).
Though I do share with these friends my basic schedule, I make sure to emphasize that it is by no means prescriptive for their own family. Each family’s needs are unique, depending on how many kids you have, their temperament, learning styles, etc. You’ve gotta find what works for you. That being said, maybe a glimpse into my homeschool setup will help someone out there, so here goes:
Wakeup
When I was working as a teacher and my kids were in school, mornings were really stressful at our house, since I had to be out the door with the kids by 7:30 each morning. These days, I still relish the leisurely mornings we have. The kids make it out of bed between 7:30-8:30, eat breakfast, and then play until we start school around 9. I have a lot of anxiety about “being productive” and if the morning playtime stretches a little too long, I get antsy. I have to constantly remind myself not to take this out on the kids and it’s my own need for routine that’s rearing it’s anxiety-ridden head. Usually, a few deep breaths help, as well as starting school with one kid while the others are finishing up their playtime. (As any homeschool mom will tell you, kids can learn so much more from an hour of playing Lego than from a workbook.)
School
We usually start “school” by 9 am. If I I try really hard not to look at or answer my phone, I usually have a phenomenal morning, basically rotating through all of my kids, teaching a certain concept here or there, checking work, or explaining directions. I use a completely free online curriculum called Easy Peasy All in One Homeschool, created by a God-sent homeschool mom, Lee Giles. The curriculum is comprehensive, interesting, and challenging. You can do it entirely online or supplement with paper workbooks. I do a mix of both, and my kids have done phenomenally. I like to do a little more intensive reading with my first grader so I try to spend 30-45 dedicated minutes with her sometime during the day. I usually can’t manage that while the other kids are doing school since inevitably someone needs me, so we either do that at 7:30 before the other kids get up or after lunch when the other kids are playing.
We try to finish up formal “school” by lunch. People always ask me how I juggle 4 kids in 4 different grades. As a teacher, the answer is easy — it’s alot easier juggling 4 kids than juggling 22! In my classroom, no kids were ever on the exact same level. I was constantly trying to differentiate instruction to meet every student where they were at. Of course, one teacher can only do so much, and though I sometimes struggle at home to give each kid exactly what they need, it’s infinitely easier to meet 4 kids’ needs than an entire classroom full.
Also, in a classroom, with 20 kids, direct instruction takes much longer, when a teacher has to stop to explain something in different words, to answer a question, to deal with a discipline issue, or to take care of some administrative issue, like attendance or writing a note for the nurse. Explaining a new concept to one of my kids takes a lot shorter, and I’m only doing that once or twice a week. A lot of that time is concretizing a new concept or review. Also, knowing exactly where they are in understanding multi-digit multiplication, for example, allows me to come back to it even when we’re not doing formal school, at dinner or during playtime, when they might be more open to learning something new or coming at it with fresh eyes and a renewed understanding.
Lunch
We try to have lunch together, and if I’m feeling really motivated, then we listen to an audiobook during lunch or do a science or history lesson while they eat (watch a YouTube experiment online – I’m not a homemade-volcano kind of gal – or listen to a story about the Civil War, for example). After lunch is playtime, often outside. Because we live in Florida, they can pretty much get outside all year. I appreciate the occasional rainy day as an excuse to get cozy with a cup of tea and a family game of Monopoly or an episode of Lego Masters.
Everything Else
We don’t really have a set afternoon plan, but I have created a list for each child to complete throughout the day – things like practice piano, read for 30 minutes, straighten up room, etc. so that by bedtime, they should have completed everything. I must admit, it’s much easier to get them to complete their “list” with the promise of a movie day at the end of the week if everyone completes it, or a prize if they complete it for 20 days or something like that. I haven’t figured out the “secret sauce” yet to get them to do their stuff without the promise of a prize, but when I find out, I’ll gladly share!
Bedtime is anywhere between 7-8:30, with some quiet reading time in bed. When they were in school, I was much better about having a set bedtime. Now, it’s kind of a free for all, but I’m still working on that.
Of course, there are days when none of this works, there is no set schedule, and I’m just trying to make it through the day without losing it. Those happen quite a bit here too.
When people ask me for my opinion on managing school-at-home, I usually say something like this:
What you are doing – managing multiple kids through a schedule and curriculum that is set by your child’s teachers and school – that is much more difficult than traditional homeschooling. I know so many people have said it before me, but it bears repeating: Give yourself grace. This reality we face is unimaginable. Like, literally, we could not have imagined this two months ago. If your schedule doesn’t look perfect, or if it doesn’t even look good enough, that’s ok. Breathe. Give yourself room to just enjoy being with your kids, even if it’s just for 5 minutes before you put in the next load of laundry. Oh, and also delete Facebook from your phone. Comparison is never good, especially when social media is the only glimpse you get of the outside world these days. Unplug and know that we will come out on the other side of this…we are living through history….so instead of making it into a history lesson, just live it.