Homeschool

[BrieAndChilli]

Which of these 2 scenarios do you most agree with?

Parent 1: kids must be up and ready to start school work by 9am and must work all day as if they were at school. So if 5 pieces set should work all day u til done and then carry on next day. Thinks cooking etc is a entertainment not educational.

Parent 2: kids can get up when they want and then do school work, doesn’t matter what time. They can also look at the work they have and make a schedule of when they will do it eg if 5 pieces do 1 piece a day. This parent also thinks cooking etc is productive.

There is an inbetween you know. Like let them do 3 and the cooking. It depends on what the merit of the tasks set is a bit.

If I had to pick one of those options it would be,
But unthinkable a happy medium between the two would be better. Perhaps up at 9 and doing the lessons until lunch and then more creative activities in the afternoon. I think it is important for children to maintain a routine as some of them will really struggle when they return to school if they have been following their own rules for months on end. However, we must also remember how difficult working independently is for some children and having to do this all day for five days a week could cause them significant stress. I also think it depends on the age, needs and disposition of the child!

Neither parent has the right idea.

Neither.

It sounds like two extremes. I would prefer more structure rather than parent 2 approach as it sounds like this could very easily lead to a lazy/bad routine if theres too much choice.

How old are the children?

If there are 5 pieces and you do 1 a day, does that mean you never get through it, as there will be 5 more pieces arriving the next day?

Agree with the majority here! They should definitely have to be up at a sensible time (it should be up to you as parents to decide what time that is but ready for 9 is not a bad idea).
Look at what work has been set and organise a schedule for the week which includes the school set work, extension work if you feel it is needed from another source (bitesize or similar) and art/craft/Baking type activities when you’ve finished the academic work. (Probably after lunch). If that is feasible in your household. If both parents are trying to work it may well not be!

Neither. And surely it depends on the ages of the children.

Of those 2 options -2.

But different things work for different children.

One of my children is doing 2; she struggles to get to sleep, I value sleep. this whole thing has been great for her sleep wise.

It depends on the age of the children and there should be a compromise position but it also depends on who is directing the child. If parent 1 is directing them and that style works for them then parent 2 should not interfere, likewise if parent 2 is doing all the leg work and parent 1 swoops in at lunchtime and declares that they must all work harder then that isn't great either.

If the children are in secondary then I would side more with parent 1, in primary with parent 2. Could you have a compromise and parent 1 take on the morning and parent 2 the afternoon?

Neither, although a lot closer to Parent 1. It depends on what the 'etc.' is in 'cooking etc.' Cooking, gardening, knitting, sewing can be educational if properly supervised, messing around in the garden or vaguely doing a bit of craft probably isn't, unless the children are very young. If the children are younger than 6 or 7, I'd lean towards more time for craft and such like, although they'd still need a definite time to be up and ready for the day and to be told what school tasks need to be completed.

Can you clear something up op - do the children get 5 things set every day? So, 25 across the week? Or 5? I think some people are answering based on different.

To clarify a couple of points. This week they have had 5 things set for the week. Might get another one or 2 things.
Option two kids are up and starting work about 10:30-11am.
Activities are cooking family meal from scratch, making brownies, olive bread, soup from scratch, scones, etc or makin a bug house from wood (measuring and sawing and nailing) board games including word one like countdown, nana grams etc, craft things have been decorate a clock for the bedroom, shrinkies, jewlewry making, Lego challenge,

Kids are 9, 11 and 13. 13 year old doesn’t do the activities really. He has ASD and prefers to research maps etc.

In the middle

Structure and routine is good so up showered and starting at 9 is not unreasonable
Bear in mind 5 hours of lessons in school will be far less than 5 hours in reality of time actually learning
Lots of breaks in between
Other activities to break up the day and add interest

After the update, parent 2 is definitely right. IMO!
Not all kids need structure. Mine absolutely don't. They have had structure rammed down their throat since they were 4, it's quite nice to not have it.

Definitely option 2 and as a long term homeschooler we did this for many years although now DC are teens, they have naturally moved closer to option 1. Still have many option 2 type days though!

Option 1 really doesn't work for the majority IMO. Far too dull and extremely stressful for all, which won't create happy, successful learners.

OK well you are parent 2!

I'm somewhere in the middle. Up to start work at a set time, other activities once done. Doing all your schoolwork for the week at once sounds like a recipe for mutiny and unlikely to get decent results!

Option 2 still way way more than we can manage whilst WFH & I couldn’t cope with Option 1 even if I wasn’t!

My ds (13,year 9) gets up about 10 and normally sits down to school work at 11. A routine has evolved in that he logs into google classroom and checks what work has been set. He makes a plan for the week on a Monday but checks each day in case extra work has been set and factors that work into the schedule based on due dates. He works through the work planned for that day sometimes it’s 2 hours but can be up to 5 or 6 depending on the tasks. He hasn’t missed a deadline yet so it seems to be working for him. Apart from 1 day last week when he worked til 5pm he is mostly finished for the day by 3pm. He has regular breaks between different subjects and has about 30-45 minute break at lunch. This has evolved naturally.

I'm closer to option one than two but it doesn't make sense to not to spread the load evenly across the week to afford some structure.

But sleeping in, playing games, making meals and general time-filling arsing about would fall well below my level of expectation for learning at home.

More towards option 2 although I don't let DS sleep in until whenever he wants. We are up and ready to do Joe Wicks at 9 then usually do school work interspersed with other stuff throughout the day.

DD13 is not a morning person. She probably starts work about 10:30. I have no problem with that as she just works until she's finished. She's given a list of tasks at the beginning of the week and she just works through them. I think she's learning organisational skills.

DD9 starts work at 10 even though she's been up since 7. She just prefers that routine.

They both prefer to work intensely for shorter periods of time and just get it done and be free.

There's no need for 'presentism'.

I'm more of a 2... But my children are younger. (Yr2&4).
They are usually up before 8, as that's when DH leaves for work. Dressed and breakfasted by 9. They then watch Bitesize Daily while I get the morning housework (dishwasher, laundry etc) sorted. Then a couple of hours maths, writing etc- and we are on to creative and practical stuff by lunchtime. But some days we may chose to bake first. Or go for a walk or bike ride.

The only 'rules' we have is that something must be written, something must be read and maths must be attempted daily. They only get a couple of hours of work from school each week, on a Sunday, so we have plenty of time to fill.

Parent 2 is the sensible one supporting children to learn time management, self care and balance. Also an hour cooking each day is more valuable then an hour doing dry worksheets.

I definitely think there needs to be an expectation that they will be up, dressed and ready to start the day at a specific time and 9am is not unreasonable. I think after that I would encourage each of them to make a timetable for their day to include some school work, some other productive activity (could be cooking, chores, reading, whatever), some non-screen fun things, and some screen time. Timetable to be checked by a parent, and then they can get on with it.

They're too young just to be allowed free rein. I'd expect most 9 and 11 year olds to struggle with that after a couple of days. But you don't need to be like an actual school either. It's fine to give them some freedom to plan their own time as they like.