Setting Up a School Schedule – Part 2

Let’s just pick up where we left off in the last post on scheduling school…

We had six points to cover:
1.  Decide what subjects need to be studied by each child.

2.  Decide what subjects can be done corporately and which are independent.

3.  Figure how much time is needed for each subject.

4.  Decide an approximate start time and if you will start with corporate work or independent work.

5.  Decide if your child/children or you need tight structure or loose boundaries.

6.  Work the plan for at least a week before deciding if it works or not.

We covered the first three in the previous post, so let’s move on to the last three.

4.  Start time and corporate versus independent – First of all, you need to go back and decide if you are routine or scheduled.

If you are routine, you won’t set forth an exact school time. However, you will need to decide where school falls in your day.  Before chores?  After lunch?

If you are scheduled, you need a start time that works well with the rest of your household activities.  Early risers can start earlier and finish earlier.  Some may opt to start around 1pm so the baby and toddlers can be down for naps.  There is no rule that says school must start at 8am for every single homeschool family.  (Some families even school at night!)

Now, for corporate versus independent work being done first.  Here’s a good rule of thumb to decide which needs to be done first…

This will be different for every family.  For me, I still have things that need my attention before I can focus on school, so my children start with their independent work.  That gives just enough time for me to finish those chores, check on their work and set up for corporate school work.

5.  Tight structure or loose boundaries – Once again, totally dependent on your specific family dynamics.  Structured families will be more likely to keep a tight structure while routine families will thrive with loose boundaries.  Keep in mind; however, no boundaries will have you schooling all day ending with frustrated children and a frustrated mama. {Ask me how I know ;)}

6.  Give the plan time – Just because Day 1 works beautifully and Day 2 is a nightmare does not mean the plan is a failure.  Stick to it for at least a week before deciding it needs to be changed and then don’t necessarily change everything.  Consider where the day had hiccups and work on those areas rather than ditching the entire plan.

So, now it’s your turn!  Got a school schedule you’d like to share?  Or maybe some posts on how you fit school into your day?  Share them here!

Setting Up a School Schedule
Part 1
This is Part 2