No, I'm not ready to take on the state welfare and foster care systems, although both do need a considerable amount of help. What I do need to do is get my own life back in order. Tomorrow will be the last day of our fourth week of homeschooling this year. I've been tweaking our daily routine almost every day and it's burning me out quickly. On any given Monday, Wednesday or Friday, Philip's assignments include Spelling/Phonics, History and Math. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we cover Spelling/Phonics, Science and Math. Three subjects each day shouldn't last five hours for a kindergarten student, but that's the way things are going these days. It's not that I strap him to a chair for five straight hours but it's that I've tried random variations of busting through the work with Braewyn at a loss of entertaining herself; intermingling school and chores, school and errands, and school and free play time; and threatening Philip with timers, loss of toys, calling Principal Dad, and corporal punishment for active disobedience. With that said, adopting Chloe was a choice I fully participated in but she has thrown a huge wrench in the system with having to go outside to potty every few hours and whining/barking when we try to have school without her or outside with her.
Ok, no one wants to hear me whine (or bark for that matter), so moving on... I've prayed about how our day should run and I'm returning to my original thinking. I'm not a free-spirited time person. I've struggled for years with getting my housework under control and will not let our disorderly school schedule span that long. Therefore this is me putting my new schedule down in writing.
6:00am -- shower (a big one I've struggled with but if I want to feel alive I've got to begin showering every morning)
6:30am -- quiet time with the Lord (ESSENTIAL to the rest of the day going smoothly)
7:00am -- breakfast with Matthew and the kids (they wake up at 7:00am on their own)
7:30am -- get everyone dressed if finished with breakfast
8:00am -- free play (but clearly understood will end at 8:30am)
8:30am -- prayer, song and calendar time (again prayer is a necessity to get us all in the right frame of mind)
9:00am -- Spelling worksheet (it's Philip's most hated item of school so we may as well tackle it first thing); I'm allotting 25 minutes for it because any longer begins driving us both crazy
9:25am -- jump around time (we did the hokey pokey a few times last week when we reached the breaking point)
9:35am -- Phonics worksheet (he balks through it most days but wanted to tell his Wednesday night missions group it was his favorite part of school, just couldn't remember what it was called)
10:00am -- snack break (these days I'm famished by this time of day so even if the kids don't need it, the baby and I do!)
10:15am -- History or Science depending on the day (getting done in 45 minutes will require me to be fully prepared with all needed supplies)
11:00am -- Math (Philip loves it and takes him on average 10 minutes to cover 6 workbook pages)
11:30am -- We're done with school!!!!
This looks like a tight run ship which I usually don't tolerate for long. However, I am grateful for the chance to teach Philip at home and must do my best at making it work. All things of substance are rarely thrown together with little thought. If school is done before lunch, I can begin gaining my strength and determination back to keep the house in order during the afternoon and spend time just playing with my kids.
A few years ago, I was hooked on this TV show about women with life issues who went to live in an LA house, meet with life coaches, and work their problems out through activities and assignments. There have been times in my life at which I thought having a life coach sounded good. That's when I remember I do have one. His name is Jesus, and He has told me,
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)
These days, an easy yoke sounds good.
2 comments:
kim, i think this schedule looks great. i've never homeschooled but as a former teacher and a lover of learning there are some aspects of it i really love. doing the hardest thing first is something we call eating the frog. not only will it help your day but i think it's an important life lesson! i love that you have little breaks scheduled in. i'm sure that as an active boy, he needs some time to jump around and be silly!
i so hope this goes well!
You can do it! When I feel my life is getting too hectic, I sit down and make a schedule for myself, too.
The only advice I have to offer is from Jayce's kindergarten teacher. Some kids need a "sensory break" every 15 minutes. So, if you find Philip getting antsy and frustrated, maybe 15 minutes is all he can handle sitting at a time?
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