How Do I Homeschool Without Losing My Mind?

Many parents are now 4 or 5 days into trying to make sure their children's education doesn't completely fall by the wayside during the current school closures. It was hard from the beginning, but it's getting harder, isn't it? Homeschooling - at any grade level, for any number of children, with any kind of background or training, and while trying to juggle any other responsibilities - is not for the faint of heart. But take courage! Here are some of the tips and tricks that got me through my earlier homeschooling years and that are continuing to help me survive now.

Set a Schedule
Having some kind of structure is a huge help in organizing your thoughts and your lesson plans. Here's the one I'm working from:

7-8:30am: Get up, get dressed, have breakfast, clear breakfast dishes, brush teeth and hair, free play.
8:30-9am: Penmanship.
9-10am: Morning walk or other exercise. Snack afterwards if needed.
10-11am: Math, English, social studies, and/or science.
11am-noon: Creative time - drawing, painting, building, cooking/baking, music.
noon-1pm: Lunch break, free play time (electronics allowed).
1-1:30pm: Quiet reading to self.
1:30-2:30pm: Art, music, science, drama.
2:30-4pm: Math, English, social studies, and/or science.
4-5pm: Play outside or indoor quiet indoor play (electronics allowed).
5-6pm: Help make dinner, set table, wash up, pour beverages.
6-6:30pm: Family dinner, clear dinner table.
6:30-8pm: Free time.
8-8:30pm: PJs on, brush teeth, reading time with Mom or Dad, lights out.

Depending on how you and your kids work, your schedule may look completely different. Maybe you'd all rather sleep till 10am and do some schoolwork in the evening; maybe you'd rather work on a single subject for an hour but only every other day; maybe 20 minutes per subject is all you can absorb. The important thing is to start with some kind of organization and then go from there.

Don't Get Too Attached to Your Schedule
Flexibility is as important as organization, so keep in mind that your schedule doesn't need to be hard and fast. If you find your kids are most attentive first thing in the morning, move the tougher subjects to an early slot. If they flag in the early afternoon, put your exercise break there - or add a short naptime! And schedule changes don't need to be permanent - you can make a change for just one day based on your situation and go back to your usual schedule later.

This flexibility is most important in the early stages as you figure out what works for your family. Why would you know that your kids can only handle 20 minutes of math at a time, or that they get hangry at 9:23am on the dot, or that they ALWAYS do music on TUESDAYS and drama on FRIDAYS?? Watch how your kids handle each segment of the day and adjust to what works for them - and you.

Don't Reinvent the Wheel
The beauty of the internet is that there are lots of not only fellow homeschoolers but educational professionals who post TONS of helpful lessons and curricula online. Don't feel like you have to figure out what you should be teaching your kid. Take advantage of what's out there. Most postings include grade level information. Lots of tutoring sites are opening free versions that include worksheets, quizzes, and explanatory videos. Use them!

Don't Be Afraid to Say You Don't Get It
Our generation learned what are kids are now learning with completely different techniques. Your kid would be as baffled by long division as you are by Common Core Math. Don't be afraid to tell them you don't know what you're doing! Teach them how to research the answer and learn how to do it together. Trust me, if your kid catches on before you do, they'll be pleased as punch and proud as a peacock. Let them teach you something. You'll both be better for it.

Enrichment is Important, Too
Education doesn't have to be strictly lectures and quizzes. Take advantage of the many online virtual tours, zoo and aquarium presentations, drawing and dance lessons, science experiments, and storytelling videos that are out there. If you are trying to work from home while also managing your kids' education, find some longer videos or some Facebook Live presentations that give you half an hour or more of letting the kids sit in front of a screen. The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy is offering a daily story program at 10am EST every day, with accompanying worksheets and projects; the Cincinnati Zoo features one of their animals each day at 3pm, with a keeper talking about the animals and answering questions; author and illustrator Mo Willems offers a daily 1pm "Lunch Doodle"; and several other authors, including Mac Barnett and Oliver Jeffers, will be posting daily readings of some of their own books.

This site has a great calendar of these and other similar online events. 

Ask For Help
Many of my teacher friends have posted their credentials and grade level and subject experience on social media and offered to help any parents who are struggling. Don't be afraid to contact your kids' teachers, or any other teachers you know, and ask them for help and advice! Teachers who work in the same school system as your kids are invaluable, since they are familiar with the exact curricula your kids are using and will know what resources coordinate with them. Even if your school system isn't doing formal online learning, many teachers are publicizing resources that align with what your kids have been working on in school. And if they haven't, contact them and ask for recommendations!

Don't Beat Yourself Up
The most important thing is not to let yourself feel like you're failing. Anything the kids learn is better than having them just sit around playing video games all day (which, let's admit, is what they would do if you let them). Even if you throw in the towel on "school" stuff, teach them whatever practical skills you know. Teach them to do laundry, change a tire, hang a picture, balance a checkbook, fix a leaking faucet, strip and make a bed, knit, rewire a light switch. Whatever you know how to do, teach them how to do it, too. After all, 30 years from now, when they're telling their kids about how they were home from school during the great pandemic of '20, they won't remember that you taught them their 8-times table, but I bet they'll remember that you washed your car together, or played 16 straight hours of Monopoly, or watched the 2004 World Series.

Oh - and every once in a while, take the day off. They need it nearly as much as you do!!