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MarilynW
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| Posted: Jan 16 2010 at 7:26am | IP Logged
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Can you tell it's January? I do not spend time on blogs or comparing myself to anyone online - but I am certainly starting to feel a little overwhelmed.
So my question is "can we provide our high schoolers with an GOOD education on our own" - when we have several other grades to school, preschoolers to teach to read, toddlers who need meaningful activity and infants who need cuddling?
Just seeking some advice from those who have forged the way ahead...
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Marilyn
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Martha
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| Posted: Jan 16 2010 at 8:32am | IP Logged
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Yes we can!
And it is a full time job.
This is a LOT of work. It's not busy work, but it's a lot to grade, to explain, to schedule, to discuss, to decide.
We talk a LOT about what he is learning bc he is very auditory and bc this is an age when so many social and faith issues need to be delved into deeper.
I'd love to hear from the BTDT crowd on this too!
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Martha
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MarilynW
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| Posted: Jan 16 2010 at 9:48am | IP Logged
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Just to say - I don't mind that homeschooling is a full time job. I just worry that schooling only one is a fulltime job - how to make sure I find time for everyone.
In my house I actually spend most time with the littles - once they can read and write and work independently (which generally happens early in our house) - then I do not spend such concentrated time with them.
At the moment I spend time with the olders on one focused subject - for my Grade 9 dd it is on Religion and Apologetics, for my Grade 5 twin ds it is IEW writing. For my Grade 1 ds it is on reading, writing and Math. And for my toddler/preschooler I spend time first thing each morning reading and playing with him - and I have a series of independent activities set up on his shelf.
I am a planner like Nancy - but right now I need a 3 week block of time by herself (in a nice hotel would be nice!) where I could just focus and map out the next few years. 
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Marilyn
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Martha
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| Posted: Jan 16 2010 at 12:17pm | IP Logged
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Oh my! I didn't think you did mind, just that .. well it IS a lot more work with the olders than I expected too.
There's this huge theory that all we have to do is tech them to be life-long learners and then we're done and they can go off on their own..
Well my kids are very independent learners, but it doesn't work that way for me.
You are schooling very much like me it sounds. I work with my next two on writing and science, I would with the next two behind them on literature and math, I work with the youngest two on beginning reading, math, and writing skills.
I spend many an evening and early morning and saturday with my 9th grader. He is taking a spanish quiz right now even. Why? because I do have several others who need my attention, and then there's activities and personal interests that everyone has and needs to develop too.
So far it's really hard on the schedule. I'm modifing things to do a somewhat blocked schedule to reduce that daily stress.
And I try to remember that I should buy worry. I can't begin to picture that in 3 years I will have 3 - 4 kids all in high school at the same time. *gulp*
How do others schedule subjects?
What's a typical week look like for YOU home schooling your teen?
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Martha
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ALmom
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| Posted: Jan 16 2010 at 3:16pm | IP Logged
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It is full time - and different mom's are most stressed by different parts. I didn't mind the digging, planning and researching. I hate making the final decision. My dh has helped in that regard - and we discuss the ideas with our highschoolers. There are times when I just don't feel things are planned enough but we have to jump in just to get going - and do the best we can. Usually when I am stressed, there is something that is not working - either dh and I need to chat, we need a balance restored to our life, or I am emotionally drained by stresses of a particular child and need a good cry with someone or some way for me to ventilate before getting back to the task at hand. I just am not effective when I am exhausted and emotionally drained. In those situations, a day or two called Teacher's work day, work wonders. Make sure you have some time with God and dh during this- and often a good cry helps (even better if the good cry occurs before the Blessed Sacrament.
One thing I found with multi # of children is that we all function better if I have it written down - doesn't have to be the neatest, doesn't matter if it gets all scratched to pieces. Posty notes also help - as does one neat place for folks to put their requests to me - in writing. I'm just juggling too many things to remember that x needs math graded ASAP, y needs me to discuss a thorny lit question he just cannot get, z needs us to pick up some supplies for an experiment or science project, a needs major assistance in some other area. I am human and have to realistically face my limits. I have to work within the constraints of my own household too - budget, etc.
We use one master calendar - everyone must record their activities on this one calendar. This way we can coordinate car use, who is supervising children, who is driving where ..... and also know when we have to just put our foot down and say enough is enough. The children must take their responsibility to ask for help when needed seriously. We would get major derailed if I had to second guess who needed what. My children are not as good orally - and I'm too scatterbrained. I used to give oral instructions only to get frustrated that child didn't follow through - obviously heard different instructions from the ones I gave. I still give oral instructions (I'm auditory and just have to talk) but I have learned to write it all down so it gets done. The children would get annoyed that they told me that they needed math help or whatever and I never came - well they were telling me in the middle of concentrated work with someone else and I either 1) heard and had so much coming at me at once that something distracted me (usually some disaster in the middle followed by some other right away demands on my attention) that by the time I had a moment, I didn't even remember the request OR 2) I have this uncanny ability to focus so intensely that I react like I hear, but I haven't heard a thing - so I never even heard the request though I must have mumbled ok or nodded my head or something and the child thought I'd heard. Those post it notes in one location really have saved us!
I also like to borrow plans and modify - saves me time creating everything from scratch. I finally realized that I love plans, I love the details, I love having everything set out step by step. It keeps me focused and on track. I operate with goals and logical steps to get there. Without those, I turn into the biggest airhead on the face of the planet. My children need to know what is expected and have some accountability or they are off pursuing one single focus to the exclusion of all else - or getting forever sidetracked by the myriad of interests - but never really getting anywhere on anything because there is too much fun stuff out there. The love plans to check off, they love the independence of setting their own pace but knowing the goal, and the landmarks along the way (and mostly they have helped figure out the goals, etc) and they absolutely love that they are not waiting around for me to finish with the baby/toddler before finding out what is next.
I've learned to save time and do only what is necessary to keep the children on track - highlighting those parts of the plan we are doing, writing out other things we are putting together. When they are self directing in an area of passion, then the plans may be no more than general guidelines and a reminder to them to document in some way (ie a place for them to write in what they did in a subject - with a general note as to general goals and expectations we discussed and agreed on).
It is all a great juggling act - and sometimes we are better organized than others. Holding mine accountable is the biggest key - and we do farm out some things after weighing both cost, our budget, and how well we've managed on our own in an area in the past - along with the child's particular goals and how critical this particular thing would be to their future goals. I have had to learn the art of delegation - even if all we delegate in some years are chores and having one of the talented children work with some of the other children in an area of my weakness (science fan generally works with younger siblings on science).
Janet
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Martha
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| Posted: Jan 16 2010 at 3:27pm | IP Logged
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Thanks Janet! 
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Martha
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amarytbc
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| Posted: Jan 16 2010 at 4:48pm | IP Logged
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Remember how overwhelming it was schooling your oldest dd those first few years? Everything was new, but you learned what worked for your family and now it's not a struggle to teach the littles. It's the same way with high school. You're setting up a system and with each child it would get easier. We've schooled three through to college and they've all done very well. Your dd will too! You'll settle into a set of materials that you like and all will be well  For some subjects we use lesson plans written by others (OLV, Apologia at donnayoung.org, etc.), English is always Seton in high school (outstanding and not to be missed in our family) and history is the Teaching Company CDs or DVDs along with a Catholic textbook. I grade and have discussions, but otherwise the high schoolers are independent.
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4Real Forums : High School Years and Beyond
Topic: High school with a large family?
