Homeschooling

I am considering homeschooling my DS 6-yr-old next year (1st grade), mostly because I think formal schooling is not the best way to learn (OK, I'll admit it, I've been reading a lot of John Holt these days). Our PS is quite good (the main reason we moved to this town rather than others nearby), but I find his kindergarten teacher, as kind and energetic as she is, can't keep up with his individual demands (he's reading at the 4-5th grade level -- her only suggestion was to give him more work, which seems to me like a wonderful way to kill his motivation!). It's not the teacher's fault (IMHO) but the whole structure of school. We thought about sending him to the Catholic school, but academically it seems worse (a "cozier" atmosphere, perhaps, but worse as far as the individualization).

Anyway, my biggest reservation with hs'ing is maternal exhaustion! I also have a 2-1/2-yr-old who probably will be doing nursery school 2 mornings a week (she's been asking about this daily since her brother started kindergarten -- I wonder if she changes her mind if her brother is home all day!). Even now I find it difficult to work with him with her demands. For instance, although there are numerous wonderful things to do and see around here, we are sort of stuck with her afternoon nap (or afternoon crankiness if she skips the nap) as well as the fact that a lot of museums, etc. aren't appropriate for her age-level. On top of this I'm expecting baby #3 the last week in August. FINALLY, although I'm not working now, I will be looking for a job starting September 2006 (I have a PhD and I'm looking for a university position, but they're hard to come by). Even if I don't find a full-time academic position, I hope to be doing some part-time work, perhaps freelance writing. DH is 100% on board with this, but he is out of the house a good 11 hours a day (i.e. he sees the kids an hour in the a.m. and an hour in the p.m.) and it's unlikely he could change his schedule, so the bulk of the hs will fall on me.

So I'd like to know how you deal with exhaustion (BE HONEST!!!)? This really hit me today because, with the pregnancy, I have been SO TIRED even though I usually crash around 9pm (not to mention the nausea and constant headache)! How do those of you with more than one child manage the varying demands? For those where both parents work (pt or ft) how do you juggle it? I personally lean toward an unschooling approach, but would feel compelled to follow up on my kids' interests, which, obviously, takes a good amount of time. And finally, I can't help but think "I'm gonna need a BREAK!"

Any suggestions/advice?

thanks in advance,
Annie

Well this is what I do. I'm hs my DS 1st grade this year (and also a very advanced reader) and have a 2 1/2 yr old DD. On days when he is agreeable and does his work it takes two hours, actual work time is much less (he has to wait on me often). I get him stared on whatever assignment then I start a chore (clean up kitchen from breakfast, etc). He usually is waiting for me to get to a stoping point to move him on the the next thing. We also take a break after finishing two things. Breaks are usually 10-15 min and a great motivator.

DD like to "do school" with him. I'll give her a paper to color, sometimes from a workbook DS didn't use, sometimes a blank page. Puzzles are a Godssend! I can "help" her looking out the side of my eye when working with DS. When that doesn't work I flip on Sesame Street, Dora, or some other such pre-school show. Both DS and DD love to watch Magic School Bus - Science lesson!

There are days when 3:00 rolls around and we are just finishing, but that's not often lately (Nov - Jan were bad!) Sometimes I change the plan for the days to fit the mood we are all in. More the once baking has become a math lesson, or sorting clothes, picking up all the "something" sorting it and putting it away.

When DD was very small (less than a year) she lived in a sling when I was hs'ing DS pre-school. It actually was very easy. Last year we schooled K when she was asleep (30-45 min was all it took).

Another trick is to get a folder games book (e-bay, teacher bookstores, used curriculum sales, etc) and spend the summer making the games. Often they are game that one or two can play. We have them for math, grammer and science. DS will sit and do one or two of those while I'm doing something with DD. Read aloud works great for keeping both kids occupied. You may want to look for book and cassette at your library so you can get some down time. I used Living Books on the computer to keep DS occupied at 3 1/2 when I was preg with DD. I would nap on the couch while he played on the computer. Now the kids love to do them together. And yes, sometimes I still take down time on the couch!

Hope this get the creative juices going,
Jen

Hi, Annie and welcome to the board.  When I began hs'ing my oldest (2nd grade year), I had a 3.5yo and an almost-2yo.  It was an adjustment, but not as much as you might think.  For one thing, we were all finally able to be on our own schedule -- no more dragging three kids out before 8:00 a.m. to get one kid to school, then hoping that the pick-up time didn't interupt naptime for the younger two.  That, in and of itself, is enough to take care of a big part of the exhaustion issue.

For us, we turned our basement playroom into our playroom/schoolroom.  This way, the younger two could play without me worrying about them getting hurt/hurting something while I worked with my older dd.  We did things that didn't require my undivided attention until naptime.  We saved things that had a tendency to frustrate my older dd (like phonics!) until she could have my attention without interruption.

There is some juggling involved, but you adjust.  Also, if you're reading John Holt and leaning toward a more unschool approach, you aren't going to have the "seat work" time that a more school-at-home approach might require.  If your kids are living and learning alongside you, the juggling should be less of an issue.

HTH,

Hi Annie,

Boy, do I ever appreciate your concern. I'm a walking, talking example of exhaustion as we speak! :-)

I just had DD#3 (Camille) by c-section three weeks ago, and life is overwelming right now. At least, one thing you won't have to worry about is getting one child up, dressed, and to school by 8 am. That is wearing me out a lot! The best thing is...hs'ing is flexible for times like these. Yes, we've been off course for several weeks and I'm a bit concerned about my DD11's lack of "schooling" these past few weeks; but, this is an extenuating circumstance and she's learning other things I suppose. The main source of my stress has nothing to do with Hs'ing. It's just the normal exhaustion that comes with a newborn. My DH is back at work this week, and it's all on me. During the day, I have to choose whether to give Rachel assignments to do (which requires monitoring on my part) or take advantage of valuable napping opportunities. It's a tough decision to make, but I try to do a bit of both. Since Rachel is old enough to work independently (for the most part), I'm able to keep her occupied for a couple of hours at a time. With younger children, though, I'm not sure how you'll manage those first few weeks. Perhaps you can wait and start "school" in late Sept - when you're well recovered and the baby is sleeping better at night.

I wish you the very best. It definitely can be done. Just try to take advantage of the flexibility of hs'ing and do what's best for your family at the time.

~Kay~