When we started homeschooling in 1990, I had very few ideas of what to do. Wasn't homeschooling simply doing school at home? With that definition in mind, that is what we did, did school at home, in school-like fashion.
This was a recipe for disaster, only I didn't know that then. School is very restricted and set up to deal with multiple children in the same grade at one time. Much time is wasted on busy work, boring students who know the material at hand, and stressing those who don't get it.
What a shock it was when we could whiz through all the subjects and extras like music and art in a few hrs-like 3-4; not 6-7.
The bigger problem wasn't getting it done, it was getting it done and being happy afterwards. Force-fed learning doesn't work. That is what schools do.
In my naive brain I believed if I just told the children what to do, they would obey and do it. Was I ever wrong! They can't be trusted, even now, at 17, they need to be checked up on, so just imagine what they didn't do when they were 7!
When the traditional ways and means didn't work for us, I started to look for what did. My guinea pigs, ooo, I mean children, were in for trial runs of programs, methods, etc.
Gradually we found that %%%% was great for Math, but **** was better for english. For Science we managed unit studies nicely, but not as well for history.
Schedule was another flaw for us. Even though we are organized down to cans in a line with the labels all facing front in store-like fashion, for school, we are not that way at all. Trying to mimic those magazine families who by Noon are finished all the housework, yardwork, school, cooking and sewed a dozen dresses for good measure led us on a trip to discouragement. For us it was and still is unrealistic to be in school by 9am. We are just getting to breakfast most days.
This is what I mean by finding YOUR OWN way. If your family can follow a strict schedule or is more regimented in routines that is wonderful. I admire you and wish we could dothat. BUT the most IMPORTANT thing is for EACH family to find what works for them.
If your husband works nights, it might better to get the whole family on his schedule, and school at night.
My husband is a night-owl. He is almost never asleep before Midnight. Consequently our family is on a different cycle. Even the younger children don't hit the hay until 9:30pm or later. Usually we don't rise until at least 8-8:30am.
Instead of a schedule we have a routine. This works well, for us and we fall into a loose schedule that is flexible for us.
What works for one homeschool family may not work for you. Find what works for you and stick to it. You'll be more relaxed and happier.
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