Just as I got the 4th child into school, we are told to home school! The benefits of homeschooling are, not having the stress of the school run, or juggling after-school clubs. Time is a little more flexible and I don’t need to worry about showing my great adventures on Facebook or glamming up for socializing with yummy mummy’s. On the other hand, homeschooling means HOMESCHOOLING! I’m running between all the children trying to make sure they have learnt something, eaten something, done some exercise and not killed each other before three o’clock. Phew! So let’s break it down and try to stay sane.
Remind yourself it’s not a full day of homeschooling. It should all be finished by 15:00 hours. Treat the home-school-day as close as, a real- school-day, as possible. It’s difficult at first, but children quickly become accustomed to the rules.
-No TV until school’s out.
-Snacks at 10:00 and 14:00.
-Outside play every day if possible.
This will nicely split up the day for you and them.
Children (and parents) are most motivated in the morning so try to get as much done before lunch as possible. Have a maximum of one-hour teaching time for little ones or it will become too intense. Most mums are not professional teachers, however, if you are spending one-to-one time on educating your child, you are probably going to give them quite intense learning. But as a non-professional, you will not know exactly how to teach things so keep close contact with school tutors. Educating your child can be incredibly rewarding and gives you a true insight into exactly what point they are at in their education. Passing on real advice about how you navigated your own school years is a special part of parenting.
Parents and kids must keep in contact with family and friends, a quick ‘how are you?’ can make you feel less isolated. Parents need other parents for advice, support and light relief, and children need other children. It’s also good to call or video call to catch up. It’s more difficult to express emotions (positive or negative) in a typed message.
Teenagers. Pick your arguments, you will be spending a lot of time in the same house. Ignore the mess in the bedroom, close the bedroom door it’s the only answer. A teenager does not have any other space now so leave them to their room, only asking twice a week for all the laundry, cutlery and crockery to be returned. 😊 This is absolutely not an argument you want to be having. During the ‘home-school-day’ always venture into the forbidden room with a drink and a snack. This gives them, not only a little nutrients, but also a little contact, a little love and an opportunity for you to check if they are working well. If your teenager is doing all their school work, remaining in contact with a few friends, having some sort of routine, and still speaking to you when this is all over, you are a winner!
There’s little point trying to tidy up continually throughout the day, so only do what is necessary and leave it until the afternoon just before ‘school’ is finished. Home educating children wasn’t your chosen career so if you have worked steadily and covered even a couple of worthwhile things and now it’s 14:30, start winding down and ‘everybody clean up, put your things away’. It’s time to cook dinner whilst they enjoy their beloved recreational screen time. Tomorrow is another day. Happy Home Schooling!
Article contributed by Sara T Henry.
Sara is British and has a Law Degree from there. She studied her MBA in the Netherlands and worked as a banker for five years. She made her ‘biggest career move’ when she became a mother and trailing spouse. Experiencing parenthood in various countries, circumstances and cultures including Prague for the last 2 years, Sara loves to analyze and learn how to make family life the best it can be.