Organizing Your Homeschool

Posted on November 04, 2010 by Jennifer Merkel, One of Thousands of Family Coaches on Noomii.

There are as many ways to homeschool as there are families homeschooling. Every family has their own flavor, their own style. There is an important constant, though, that just makes any homeschool run better and smoother, especially during the more challenging times.
That constant is Organization.
It is one of the most important keys to success in educating at home.

Why should a Homeschooling family be organized?

1. Better organization = Easier and better instruction.

2 Accountability- We want to be able to lay hands on our records and on the kids’ work when review time comes, or in the event of questions regarding your educational program. This also applies to the home itself. We may be observed by others, officially or personally.

3. Example- We are not just teaching our kids to be academically outstanding, we are giving them tools for life. If we allow ourselves and our homes to become disordered, we do not encourage them to take their studies seriously, and, in the case of some children, make it impossible to learn. The habits that we use to keep order are the same habits that we need to keep the school day on track and the children focused.

There are four main areas that we need to look at in becoming more organized as Homeschoolers.

Time, Space, Materials, and Records.

Time- Time management can prove to be a real challenge to new home schoolers, or people who do not have a habit of being structured.

No matter what your teaching style, there are several issues to consider as you plan and develop your homeschool year.

I can’t speak to the child-directed teaching styles, but the others all require a certain amount of structured time, from a fairly relaxed schedule to one that is highly structured.

From a packaged curriculum, which involves being accountable to a third party, to co-ops, in which several families decide on the schedule, to the homegrown curriculum, there is going to be a required amount of time that has to be set aside for schooling.

Some families are very unstructured and relaxed about when and how they school. If this is a proven method and the children are thriving educationally, then no changes are needed.
However, many families find that a lack of structured time spent schooling encourages poor study and work habits and allows the year to pass with a less than optimal result.
Remember:

• Homeschooling isn’t a hobby or pastime. Homeschooling is your job.
• Time in the classroom will be more productive if you stay on task with your kids.
• Boys and girls often need different schedules.
• You are not just teaching academic subjects, you are also teaching your children discipline and good habits.
• Others will take you more seriously.

A few proven methods for managing your day:

1. Start at the same time each day. Figure out how much time you need in the day to get the work done. Then figure out how long it takes for the family to get up, eat breakfast, and get the morning chores done. Get everyone up early enough to get started on time AND get them to bed early enough to allow for a good night’s sleep.

2. Lay out some kind of agenda for the day. Some people need to adhere to a schedule of subjects and provide their kids with a set amount of time for each one. Other people can just have the list of subjects laid out and let the kids go through them and finish within a reasonable amount of time. As long as you finish the assignments that you assigned that day, it’s going to be a personal decision as to how strict you are about the schedule. Some kids need more routine than others. Boys, I have found, need frequent breaks to blow off energy. My system is three subjects and a break, 15 minutes or so. (Math=three subjects.)

3. Be the teacher! You are pulled in a dozen different directions all day long, but do resist the urge to answer the phone, do housework, or schedule appointments during the school day. I have caller ID. I do make exceptions when it comes to the phone, as I have two grown daughters with young children and occasionally there is an “Emergency”.

I have had doctors say “Oh, we love Homeschoolers because they can come in in the morning.” Well, no. School is our job and we don’t just take whatever appointment is most convenient for the doctor. The rest of the world needs to see that you are a teacher, just like any teacher, and your job is your primary concern.

4. Use a planner and calendar. Use both! Teacher’s planners are not only vital for keeping school records and for scheduling, they can keep the day moving along by providing an objective measure of time that you can point to when you and your students are feeling less than ambitious. You can see that there are subjects that you have to finish and the kids realize that it’s not you driving them, it’s the tasks of the day.

5. Try to make the most of the morning hours. This is the most productive time of the day. The momentum is much greater. The tougher subjects like math, English, etc. need the most attention. I usually make sure that they are done before lunch. We have a very hard time getting back on track if we go anywhere and then try to come back and do school.

Space- Your home is your school. How much of your home you choose to devote to school space will depend on several things:

1. Do you plan to use one room for most of the school day? Consider what will be needed in this room. Is there computer access? Shelf space? You will need a table or desks with enough room for each child to spread out books and papers. Consider also the need to have access to drawing, writing and craft materials.

2. Do you have a place that will be totally devoted to school or will you use a room that is needed for something else? If you are using the Dining room, you will need to consider just how far you want to take the “academic” look. White boards, visual aids, shelves full of school books, projects, etc, are all very helpful, but how often will you need to move things around to entertain? Do you want these things in the room you have chosen? There may be another room that would work better. Maybe you have space to free up a bedroom or room in a finished basement.

3. The best place to school younger children is a place that is set apart from the rest of the house and has fewer distractions. Natural light is great but as the light comes in so do the distractions. Some children have a hard time with background noise, others with visual stimulation. Once you know your child’s learning style, you will have a better idea of how spartan a learning environment he/she needs.

4. How well do organize your home? If you have organizational issues, it will be more important to school in one location. If you are going to homeschool and you are not naturally organized it is a good idea to try to organize coherently at least the space where you will be working. Children need to become independent learners, so they need to know where to find books, materials, supplies and to have a reasonably clutter free place to work.
Some children do fine in a cluttered environment, but many kids have a hard time with distractions and focusing is even more difficult with a lot of stuff sitting around. Also, it is much harder for the teacher to move smoothly through the day when looking for an answer key takes 15 minutes and the library books that you got yesterday have migrated to every room in the house. (that can get expensive too!)

Materials-

Newer homeschoolers have the advantage here.
Those of us who have been homeschooling for years, have also had years to collect shelves full of “Treasures”.
Here are a few things to think about as you go into the school year.

1. Look at what you have, think about what you need- Take Stock, Be sure you look at EVERYTHING! Pull out even the things that you have stored away for “someday”.

Spend some time thinking about books and materials and how they are working for your students. Is that Science program going to work as well for Tommy as it did for Jack?

Don’t keep what you don’t need!- Shelves and shelves of books and other materials that you think might come in handy for someday can be very hard to bring yourself to purge. Just remember, there are lots of new materials coming out every year. Yes, we all have some tried and true and very beloved curriculum. There are things that we just use over and over, and there are things that we have tried, didn’t like for Tommy, our visual learner, that we are certain will work with Jerry, the hands-on child. That’s great! But the workbook that you got at the curriculum fair two years ago because it was only a dollar and your best friend’s child used that program, and you hoped that it would fit into your plan some year… Gift it!

2. Where do I keep everything?

If you must store books in a storage space, be sure that they are placed in tubs or heavy duty boxes. The space should be climate controlled if possible and you should try to organize the boxes so that you can reach each one without too much trouble. Try to box them by subject, if possible.
If you are unable to put away most of your unused materials, try to purge as much as you can and keep the rest on a shelf system in your school area. This is ideal if you are only schooling a few children. For those with large families, more shelves!

Tubs for art supplies, a shelf for each child’s daily materials- This goes a long way in encouraging independence. If they know where to find their books, papers and other materials, they (and you) won’t spend precious time searching for them.

Shelves for reference materials- Keep most of the materials for general use available and try to shelf them in order by subject. This includes texts that aren’t in regular use. This is really great for the kids when they need to find books for a project, and it helps you to determine what you have, so you don’t overbuy.

This goes for you and dad too!

Records-

1. The need to keep good records. Why?
a. For accountability – It is so important to be able to show progress to those that we are accountable to. Not only to be able to defend our program in the event of a challenge, but also to share the good work that we are doing as families that educate their children and do an excellent job!
b. For keeping track of progress- This doesn’t mean as much when Johnny is in Kindergarten, but as he grows up, you are going to want to be able to track his progress for his
GPA and transcripts.

2. Ways to keep track.
a. Teacher planners- A traditional plan book still works just fine. It can be quite detailed and it can also be interactive if you choose to share it with your kids and let them enter notes and scores themselves.
b. Tracking programs- Home School Tracker, Home School Inc.-Online. These are electronic means and provide a very detailed picture of your school year. They are very nice because they save all your information from year to year and allow for copying your assignments from month to month.

3. Considerations for older kids/High school.
a. Transcripts- Many of the Umbrella reporting programs
provide this service. They can track the time and also give you a list of the required courses and hours.
b. diplomas- A diploma can also be arranged through an umbrella or correspondence school.

4. How long to keep records. Hard copies of work?
Hard copies should be kept for at least three years. It is a good idea to keep the things that are meaningful, like drawings and writings. Also keep whatever planner/tracker you used until you stop homeschooling. You will be able to see what you taught and how.

Homeschooling is one of the most rewarding ways to be a family. Being organized just makes it so much easier and enjoyable. You CAN bring your homeschool to a place that fosters the peace and learning environment that you desire.