"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD
require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to
walk humbly with thy God?"
~Micah 6:8~
Monday, January 7, 2008 - Tidbits About Scheduling and Planning
Scheduling and planning can be very stressful. It seems the minute you get a prospective plan together you begin to doubt yourself or worry that you weren't realistic. Or perhaps something happens that makes it obvious you will have to make alterations: an upcoming baby, a move, or illness. Or more common, you over scheduled, planning more than is feasible in a day.
There are some things I have learned in my many years of homeschooling that may help you as they have me.
First of all, and probably most obvious, is to pray. Pray over each child asking the Lord to give you wisdom regarding that particular son or daughter, ask the Lord to reveal areas that need addressing and how you can best reach him or her. Pray OFTEN with your spouse, if possible, for direction and unity. Additionally, pray with your child. It will soften their hearts to know that you approach the throne of God on their behalf.
Don't just focus on academics when filling in your chart; also consider character, area of weakness and also home or life skills. I strongly feel we need to focus on daily Bible study, prayer, character studies and personal quiet time. These are the foundation not only of Christian living, but the building blocks of creating a student after God's own heart.
Additionally, I often have this feeling of expediency in teaching kids the Word of God. We could easily have our homeschool rights revoked. Our country is BIG on socialist education and they want not only to require public education for every student, but they also want children to start public school as young as 3 years old.
Furthermore, will your child be tempted to sin at some point? Of course, we are all, but God's Word hiding in their hearts helps them fight against temptation.
I wonder too, do we really have freedom of religion in our country? Our freedoms are diminishing more and more each year. Could there come a time when a Bible is scarce or Christianity is outlawed? Maybe we will face persecution, God's Word will strengthen us at such times.
Well, time to get off my soapbox and back to the topic. :-) Sorry!!!!
I also like to consult my student: Are there areas you would like to work on? Is there a subject you are struggling with that we can give extra attention to? Do you have an interest or hobby that we can incorporate into our studies?
Our very best planning session was when my husband and I went away for an overnight. In addition to having a wonderful, relaxing time away we were able to share our vision for our family and make a unified decision on curriculum choices, scheduling, outside commitments, extra-curricular activities and personalized plans for each child.
I would limit your detailed daily or weekly plans to three-six weeks worth at a time. Then you can evaluate what is working, what needs tweaking and what needs to be added and you won't be throwing out a year's worth of plans or trying to make something fit that is actually causing more stress instead of alleviating it.
Also plan out blocks of time so you know how the day might flow. This can be as precise as 7:00 a.m. wake up, 9:00 family devotions, 11:00 nap (my personal favorite), 12:00 lunch, etc. Or can be more ambiguous like: Morning: Bible study, prayer, math. Afternoon: read aloud, chores, language arts. Evening: computer time, family reading. Bedtime - character story.
For your first couple of weeks keep track of how long an activity took, use your timer. This will help you in your future schedule planning to be more realistic in planning. I have often thought something would take 20 minutes and it took an hour. Make ongoing notes on your schedule, ex. "this works better in the afternoon," "need to fit in spelling tests," "naptime needs to be longer", "add teatime", etc. Don't get discouraged, just keep hammering it out and praying. I think you will find that even partially following a schedule makes the day flow better than having none at all.
There are times when I look around and wonder what to do next and I seriously don't have a clue. OR my mind fills with TOO many things and I get overwhelmed. When I get overwhelmed I do not function well and tend to shut down. Well, a lot of good that does!?! Looking back to when our homeschool adventure went more smooth, were the weeks I had planned out, even if it was only a to-do list. Another thing that helps you to feel better about your day is to make a list of all the things you DID get done, you were probably more productive then you thought. Or maybe you had a cuddle and jammies day, that is great too! We are after all, HOME schoolers.
Remember what works for others doesn't always work for you, but God never fails, He will order the steps of the righteous and guide our path with the light of His Word.
So now you are seeking the Lord, conferring with your spouse and consulting your children, making for a more realistic and hopefully peaceful day.
Please leave a comment and tell me what works for you!
A homeschooling mom of 6 delightful blessings looking for her place in this immense world wide web to share, to fit in and to place random thoughts.
Trying to persevere in homeschooling and will use this blog to seek encouragement and wisdom to then pass on to you.
Psalm 37:23-24 (New King James Version)
23 The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD,
And He delights in his way.
24 Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down;
For the LORD upholds him with His hand
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