New to HS with a Scheduling Question

[JuJuBee]

So, next year I will be homeschooling my 10 year old -- maybe for a year, maybe through middle school, maybe through high school, who knows. I'm taking it one year at a time.

As it stands now, I'll think we'll be doing...

Saxon Math 76, because he needs some work on the basics
R&S Grammar (or possibly Michael Clay Thompson's Language Arts)
Kingfisher History Encyclopedia with accompanying weekly topical studies
1 reading book assigned per week with narrative
Classical Writing
Wordly Wise
So You Really Want to Learn Science
Daily Bible, Catechism copywork, and MindBenders
learning cursive somehow or other, and
per his request, four 9-week music sections including opera, the ballet, great composers, and hymns

So, you might be wondering what my question is! Well, one piece of advice I have heard repeated is to "start small and build." Hearing it several times in several homeschooling places on the web makes me think it must contain some wisdom, but at the same time I'm thinking that if I may only have a year, I want it to be a good year and a productive year. If he does end up going back to school after this year (and I want that to be an option for us), I want us to really have done some good work that he wouldn't have an option to do in the regular classroom.

I know myself well enough to know that if I set low goals, they won't get done. If I set high goals, they will. It's just how I am.

Am I going to mess us up jumping in feet first?

~Marcia, Mom to Six Terrific Kids

[Jennefer@SSA]

plan your year for 40 weeks - or more if needed. Start the first week with one subject adding a subject each week until you have folded it all in. This way you can start slowly yet cover all you want with the slightly extended school year.

Others who are farther along in their journey may have better ideas but I know this is what I will do next year with my ds who will be in second grade.

HTH

[Sue G in PA]

Jumping in head first could lead to early burn-out and a feeling of "failure" if it doesn't all get done, KWIM? This was our first year as ind. hsers (prev. 2 yrs w/ a cyber). I have 6 kids (5 whom I teach regularly) and I found that I burn-out VERY easily and quickly trying to do "everything". Start w/ the basics (esp. those he needs review on like math I think you said). Add in some history, science, music, art one week at a time after the first month. I agree w/ previous poster about planning a 40 wk year. or more. You'll be surprised just how much further along he'll be simply b/c you are working w/ him one-on-one. Welcome to the hsing world!

[Karen in CO]

Welcome to homeschooling.

I agree with the advice to plan for 40 weeks and the advice to start slowly.

I recommend to start with math and "reading". Find a good book to read aloud and some good books for him to read. Give yourself a couple of weeks to get consistent about that and comfortable then add in grammar. After a week or two add in writing. Once you are good with that, you will be covering all of your basics. At this point evaluate if you have redundancy in your material. Can you skip the writing in your grammar? Do you have enough vocabulary already? Is your math on the right level? Once you are certain the basics are covered well, then add in the other subjects one at a time and evaluate how they are working before adding in more subjects.

Every warns to start out slowly because most of us are excited to get started and afraid of failing so we do too much too soon and don't take time to reflect. Before we know it, we are thinking that we failed at homeschooling.

Relax. You will be great. High goals are wonderful and attainable. Just plan to implement in a steady progression instead of all at once. That way you will succeed and you will be able to easily tell what is and isn't working. Focus on doing a good job at the basics first.

For handwriting, my ds was able to achieve legible handwriting using the Italic Handwriting series by Getty and Dubay. His was awful when he came home from ps.

[Vanna]

...other than ditto to all the posts here (all very good advice) -- and welcome:D!

[JuJuBee]

Thank you ladies for the patient explanations. That makes SO much more sense to me now!

What an adventure this is going to be. :)

[Cadam]

I also want to say to pay attention to your ds's personality. My ds gets really upset if things are added a little at a time. I have to hit him with the whole ton of bricks so he knows what to expect and what is expected of him. If I go slow and add things a little at a time he ends up crying at each new transition. It is better to get all of the transitioning over with. So while I generally recommend people "start slow" it doesn't work for my kid. He is like this with everything though, it's not just related to hs.

Do what is best for your ds and have a great year.

[GVA]

Handling the mother/teacher balance is frankly the toughest part of homeschooling for me. I am not just a teacher in the classroom that sends them home when the day is done. I live with these children!

Frankly I am a demanding homeschool parent and I do push my darlings in certain areas, but I also have a lot of fun with them and we have a very loving relationship. Achieving that has taken a lot of hard work. The tendency among homeschool moms is to go one way or the other -- too demanding to the point that homeschooling falls apart and so does their relationship with the kids or too relaxed to the point that the home is happy but the kids aren't learning much. If you can get a balance where you have high expectations and love, you'll do well. Every homeschool has bad days of course, but you have to maintain an overall direction in both your academics and mothering that is positive. I have several friends who are sending their 10-12 y.o. off to the classroom in the fall because they lost the balance. That's been sobering to me!

[Audrey]

I am just echoing the thought of some others here, I know. I would start the couple of weeks doing just the basics (the 3 R's, so to speak), then once you've got a bit of a rhythm going, I'd add in one new subject every couple of weeks. Give each new addition time to settle into your schedule.

I do this each year after our summer break and I've been hsing since pre-school with my ds. It takes time for us to get back into the routine. If we do it in chunks like that, we don't get overwhelmed and everybody's much happier. :)

[mcconnellboys]

I think it's a little different when you're pulling a child out in the middle of the year and maybe there have been problems at school. Then I do agree that you need to start slow. Also, if a child is way behind in their level of work or has various learning issues, then I agree you need to start slow.

But if there's no problem like that with the child, he's had the summer to relax, he knows you're getting ready to hs and knows what you plan on doing, etc., then I see no reason not to have a regular day as he would be accustomed to in regular school (not the same stuff, I just mean organized class periods with the basics being interspersed with reading, etc.). I did this with my older son and we had no difficulties.

Regena