So lets talk school.
Wait.
It’s almost June? School is over right?
No. It’s. Not.
Welcome to the world of YEAR-ROUND homeschooling! No don’t leave, hear me out! I actually LOVE it!
Ok love is a strong word. I really like it. That sounds somewhat believable. I will explain why I “like” it so well in the next few points, but first let me start out by giving you a window into the homeschool years of of 2019 and 2018…
It’s nearing the end of May. The kids are squirmy and just want to swim. I am trying to get them to focus and finish out workbooks, textbooks and tests.
Every other day I am doing a mental countdown of how many lesson in each subject we have left. I am facing the growing reality that we will not be done by the end of May. Actually, in math we will be going strong through June.
Now I am trying to explain to those kiddos that because of this trip or that sick day we had really ate into our summer break. Therefore we would not be done when everyone else was done.
Then I begin to think, “Hmmm this might not be so bad. They wont suffer that mental lapse that every school kid goes through when they head back to school in August because there won’t be as much time in-between.”
Another thought, “Maybe a little book work in the morning will be good for them. They will appreciate their afternoons and will squabble less! Structure will be good for them!”
However, I am bothered by the fact that my best-laid plans from the previous August were going up in smoke! I cannot handle the fact we won’t be done when I planned to be and the finish line keeps stretching out in front of us!
So those were rough times. But it got me thinking. Who says we have to be done in June? The school district that I am not a part of that’s who.
If you cannot be flexible in your homeschooling then you are missing out on one of its biggest advantages!
So I embraced it.
I started looking up other moms who did school year-round and within a blog or two I was SOLD.
What does my year-round homeschool plan look like? I plan on starting each new grade level in August and I give us until the August of the following year to finish it. The end. No one is falling behind in grade levels, school still happens almost every day. But here are some of the advantages this routine affords.
1. I approach each school day with zero deadline pressure.
This is no joke. I used to be so worked up counting how many lessons we had left, how many school days that amounted to and trying to approximate when we would finish. I just don’t do that anymore. We have time, all year, to finish. And we do! But without the pressure!
2. We can take the time we need when we need it.
We don’t worry about bringing our schoolwork along on trips or doubling up assignments. I am not the least bothered by emergency trips for family funerals or that awful week that EVERYONE is sick including me.
3. We take our breaks while everyone else is in school.
Have you ever been to the beach in October? Or camping in a quiet campground in September with a just handful of retired folk? Have you ever been to the ski resort on a Wednesday when you have the ski runs almost entirely to yourself? Yup. That can happen. Because they get their summer and their preplanned vacations with EVERYONE else. You on the other hand, can work through those times, and take your vacations when they go back to school. Need I say more?
4. You do not have to do EVERY subject EVERY day.
I used to go nuts cramming science, math, history, grammar, spelling, and Bible etc. into carefully timed block schedules. But I have learned instead to alternate the heavier subjects. We spent August through February going through a history textbook. When we finished, we picked up science. You still plan to do your core subjects daily and then you can alternate the more time consuming ones, making for a shorter school day over all. The same material gets covered its just spread out.
5. You have the option to have shorter school days.
We usually start around 10 a.m. and go for 2 hours, lunch at 12, resume around 1 and finish as early as 1:30 or 2. Got plans to run afternoon errands? Start at 9 and finish in time for lunch! Obviously a lot of this is based on grade level and subject matter.
6. Another option is the 4-day school week.
I usually pick a day week where there is no school, either because there’s an activity planned, or we all just need a slow day at home. It also helps if you want to take a weekend trip, you can give yourself a long weekend!
So those are the major reasons why I love year-round homeschooling. Less stress, less pressure, and a more relaxed pace have made for happier school days overall. We all feel like we can live life and breath a little easier! We’ve also had some great trips and experiences throughout the year.
Homeschooling is nothing if not flexible so if you are feeling boxed in perhaps it is time to reevaluate your plan and see if you can’t make it work better for you!
