Part 3 of the Davidson Institute series, “A Closer Look at Homeschooling for PG and 2e Families”
- Part 1: Getting Started with Homeschooling
- Part 2: What Homeschooling Can Look Like for Your Child’s Future
- Part 3: What Homeschooling Looks Like Day to Day and How to Get Started
- Part 4: What Happens When Things Feel Hard and How to Move Forward
If we homeschool, will we need to focus on academics from 8:00am-3:00pm Monday through Friday for 180 days of the year?
No, homeschooling is typically much more efficient than that.
Let’s do the math. We’ll take a middle school schedule for argument’s sake. The average school day is around 7 hours or 420 minutes long. Let’s say they have 7 classes per day with 5 minutes of passing between classes with a 35-minute lunch. That’s 7 passing cycles (to include passing to lunch) x 5 minutes = 35 minutes. Add 35 minutes for lunch, and that’s 70 minutes for just eating and moving between classes. From the 420 minutes total, we have 350 minutes left, so 50 minutes of classroom time per class. As anyone who’s been in a classroom knows, the first 5 minutes (at minimum) is just taken up with announcements, people getting settled, students coming in late, etc. And the last 5 minutes are similar: Students getting antsy, final reminders, packing up, etc. So, on a day when there are no other distractions, no fire alarms, no interruptions from administration, no tech glitches, you get at maximum 40 minutes of instructional time per class. But, if we’re talking about a typical classroom, there’s going to be a lot of repetition, drilling, and answering questions from other students. Most PG students pick up concepts quickly and don’t need as much repetition. So, let’s say that if a teacher was working individually with a student at their pace and level of understanding, that would be at least twice as efficient. So, perhaps 20 minutes of real learning gets done in that one class. And, over 7 class periods, that adds up to 140 minutes or 2 hours and 20 minutes.
That adds up to what many families have shared with us, that they may spend 2-4 hours on academics per day. And, many of them don’t have the same schedule every day of the week. Some days—such as when taking online classes, classes through a community group, or classes at a local university—may be heavier than others. High school students, depending on how they arrange their homeschool environment, may spend additional time on homework for any structured classes. Homeschoolers of any age may choose to attend Saturday programs or academic summer camps and count that towards their education, taking breaks at different points of the week or year.
All this is to say: You get to choose when you homeschool!
Try This: Take stock of how much time your child’s current school takes. Print out a 24-hour weekly planner. Get three different colored highlighters, colored pencils, crayons, or other writing utensils. In one color, mark off the average time you spend each week with school-bound activities (time in school, packing lunches, commuting to school, meetings at school, homework, nagging about homework, emailing teachers, shopping for the food drive, etc.). In another color, mark off time you spend at other self-selected activities (activities that you’d still likely participate in if your child were homeschooling, like swim practice or violin lessons; also include family activities such as attending Sunday dinner at the grandparents). In the final color, mark off time you spend at the day-to-day basic tasks, like eating, sleeping, and doing laundry; things you have to do no matter what. How much time is school taking up?
If we homeschool, how will we determine where to start and which curriculums to use?
Start small.
One thing that we hear from homeschooling families once they are over the initial hump is that they wish they hadn’t bought a bunch of curriculum or classes all upfront at once before learning about really resonates with their child and works within their homeschooling framework.
When you find a curriculum or class that looks intriguing, ask if there are trials, demos, or sample materials available ahead of time. See if you can shadow a class or attend an open house. Check out free and local resources first. Sometimes homeschool groups have ways of lending or swapping curriculums; some local libraries have subscription services or access to book-based curriculums. Start with one or a couple of things and build from there.
In terms of figuring out where your child would fall within a particular curriculum, check to see if there are placement exams (for example, Art of Problem Solving has an “Are You Ready?” and “Do You Need This?” diagnostic tests for each of their courses, and their sister company for younger students, Beast Academy, has placement exams for each of their levels). For online and in-person classes or workshops, you may also be able to talk to an administrator about your child’s specific abilities and goals to gauge what might be best for your student at this time.
Start Here: You may already have a lot of information on where your child is. Gather together any report cards, progress reports, standardized testing data, and/or other evaluation or assessment information you have on your child. Also, select a few recent work samples, tests, papers, or projects, and make note of any previous work that stands out in your mind. You might also ask your student a few reflective questions on how they view their talents, interests, and strengths. Take some time to read through this information. What trends are you noticing? Where does your child seem to hit the ceiling? Where does your child seem to need support (in terms of content and skill; sometimes a lot of behavior and self-management feedback get squeezed into academics). What is this all telling you about what your child needs and wants?
If we homeschool, do I need to have everything figured out for Day 1?
No! In fact, as you dig into homeschooling, things may evolve quickly as you and your child learn more about what you need and want homeschooling to look like for you.
Additionally, many students—and parents!—benefit from a period of deschooling. This is the rest and recovery period after the strain that schooling may have put on relationships, emotional well-being, and health. It is also a time for, as Colleen Kessler says in The Homeschool Advantage,
hitting the reset button so our kiddos can regroup and learn to learn again… It gives us permission to let go of how we’ve always thought learning had to be and explore new, unexpected, and outside-the-box ways of learning. When all we’ve known of education has been a desk in a classroom and we find ourselves seated at the kitchen table with an expectant child, the temptation is great to try and re-create the school experience at home. (pg. 189-190)
When we take time to rethink how we want to approach our student’s education, we open ourselves up to lots of new, exciting ideas and opportunities.
Imagine This: Most schools have first day protocols. Much of that is basic housekeeping tasks, like teachers introducing themselves, distributing supplies, and making sure everyone is in the right place at the right time. These are designed to ready students (and staff) for the year ahead. But, your first day homeschooling doesn’t have to be that way. You and your child get to set the tone for homeschooling in whatever way you want. What do you want this time to be about? How can you celebrate that? Don’t be afraid to have fun!
It can seem tough, and that is okay. In part 4, we will discuss how to proceed when homeschooling feels hard.
Get started with the help of the Davidson Young Scholars Program
The toughest part about homeschooling is getting started. The Davidson Young Scholars Program offers families tools and support to guide you through options, building a plan, and adjusting along the way as your child’s needs evolve.
Permission Statement
This article is provided as a service of the Davidson Institute for Talent Development, a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to supporting profoundly gifted young people 18 and under. To learn more about the Davidson Institute’s programs, please visit www.DavidsonGifted.org.
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