Tip TWO ... Find YOUR Rhythm

Welcome to day two of Tips for Homeschool Parents which is being hosted by the Schoolhouse Review Crew.  Yesterday's topic was Become Equipped Know What You Think and Why. Today I would like to encourage you to find your own personal rhythm and stick to it.

One of the challenges that face us as homeschool parents is to leave school at school. Most home educating families today were not home educated themselves and the only model of education they have in their minds is that of the school they personally attended. Part of the problem with this is that school is six to seven hours a day five days of week plus homework time and this model does not work at home.

When you home educate keep in mind you are not schooling you are tutoring and one of the majour differences is the amount of time required to accomplish the same amount of educating. 

At school you have a 1:30 ratio which means the teacher needs more time to teach and help the students in her care.  At home you have a one to one ratio which means you will know when your student grasps a concept.  The same principle applies to the quantity of written work you require for each subject.  The majority of written work issued at school is 'busy work'. The aim of this written work is to keep students busy and allow the teacher time to help the students who need assistance.

Finding the balance as to the amount of time you need each day to complete your daily requirements is the first step to successfully home educating. Time is a limited resource and one that needs to be managed.  Part of this management is finding your rhythm and sticking to it.

"Every lesson must have its own time, and no other time in this world is there for it. The sense of the preciousness of time, of the irreparable loss when a ten minutes' lesson is thrown away must be brought home." - Charlotte Mason Companion page 93 

The most important part of finding your rhythm is that you do not play the comparison game.  Stop comparing what you are doing with the next home school family in your group of friends or blog are doing.  Your family is unique.  It has it's own set of needs.  IF you are constantly changing up how you do things or adding to what you are doing because of what other families are doing you are going to wear yourself and your children out. 

Here are a few blog posts which cover some of the areas of time in  homeschool, each of these posts address a different aspect of homeschooling which directly impacts your homeschool schedule/rhythm:

• Dear Mom Who is Feeling Overwhelmed
• IF you are a new home educator and have just brought your students home then I encourage you to read: From School to Homeschool
• House Cleaning and Home School ? Just how do you balance the two??  
• Homeschool Daily Schedules Sally Clarkson says: "There are many varieties of personalities and possibilities of home organization, Each of us simply has to find the combination of routines that suits our lifestyle and desires." -  The Mission of Motherhood.
• Our Rhythm - Year Round Schooling 
• How Important is Alone Time and Home Schooling ?  
• A little Word on Homeschool Record Keeping  
• Homeschool Burnout 

I'm looking forward to sharing more tips with you later this week.  This post is part of the Schoolhouse Review Crew 5 Days of Tips for Homeschool Parents Blog Hop.  Blog posts from these bloggers will be going live between 8 am EST and Midday.

I invite you to grab a cup of tea and head on over to these bloggers to see their word of encouragement to you today.

• Melissa @ Grace Christian School
• Michele @ Family, Faith and Fridays
• Missica @ Through the Open Window
• Monique @ Mountain of Grace Homeschooling
• Rebekah @ There Will Be A $5 Charge For Whining
• Renita @ Krazy Kuehner Days
• Sarah @ Renaissance Mama
• Sasha @ Such a Time as This
• Tawnee @ Adventures in Homeschooling
• Tiffany @ The Crafty Home
• Tina @ Desperate Homeschoolers

Blessings
Chareen

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