STRUGGLES IN HOMESCHOOLING

Okay, this is a big topic, so it may be a two-parter.

1. The first things we struggle with is the big decision TO homeschool. Maybe we always have planned on homeschooling our kids, maybe they are in public school right now. But when you really get serious about wanting to homeschool and actually committing to homeschool, that can seem overwhelming. Our society flows around having children, raising them until age 5, then sending them off to school. Not keeping them home for another 13 years! Many moms also look forward to having 8 hours to themselves with no kids around. Homeschooling is more than a full-time job, it's a way of life. Learning doesn't just take place in an eight-hour segment, it happens at any time, any where. You must learn to do all your things around your homeschooling schedule- Bible study, house cleaning, phone calls, appointments, and even working at a job, if your family needs the income. But, I will say, if you pray about each of these things, God will help you to adjust to this new way of life. To me, homeschooling is a better way of life, and is God's plan for many families.

2. Next struggle- WHAT CURRICULUM TO USE. This is another biggie. There are so many out there! You need to first think about what you want out of homeschooling and also how your children learn. There are activity based curriculums (Weaver); cheap, already put together curriculums that use a variety of publishers (Christian Liberty Press); literature-based curriculum that uses "Living Books" (Sonlight), workbook-based in which a complete curriculum is contained in a massive workbook, I would only use for younger years, (American Press Publishing), and curriculum that uses alot of free-downloadable books off the internet (www.amblesideonline.org). Just this year I have found the curriculum I love and that works for our family, which is the last one, Ambleside Online. I have tried all the others, and they are good, but I love to read good books, and there are alot of good books in this curriculum. It is reading-intensive, and alot of the books use old-english, so be forewarned. The best switch-over to this curriculum if you have already been homeschooling is to begin to integrate some of the books in to your current curriculum, then next year go all out.

3. Then comes your schedule. Many descisions to make there. Will you school all day or half days? Will you do a four day or five day schedule? In what order will you do the work? Your schedule will be unique to the schedule of other homeschoolers. You do need to make sure you are staying within the guidelines set out by your state. Each state varies, so you will need to your research. Some states require a teaching degree, some require the homeschooled children to do standardized tests each year, some only require you keep track of the time you spend homeschooling. VERY IMPORTANT TO CHECK OUT YOUR STATE'S REQUIREMENTS BEFORE YOU BEGIN HOMESCHOOLING. Here is our schedule: We school for four days a week year round, except taking off the months of December, and July, and other weeks as needed. We school at home four days, but every Tuesday for six months we go to our homeschool network, for classes with other homeschoolers all day. So when I make out my plans, I plan work at home for us four days. I know there's no way we could be gone all day Tuesday and come home to do more work. We do most of our work in the morning, with a few things left in the afternoon. This gives us time to do chores, clean, play games, or go to appointments/field trips in the afternoon. As your children get older, they can have more say in their own schedule, as long as they are getting the work done and not putting it off until the last minute. Your schedule is your own, so make it that way. If everyone needs to rest in the afternoon, schedule it in. If you work two days a week, schedule that in. Don't set yourself up for failure before you even begin. Make it realistic of what your family needs.

That's all for now, the kids are ready for breakfast, so I will talk more on this later!

Yours truly,
Joyful Jenn