What type of
homeschool schedule to keep is a very common question
for those who may be just starting out.
Unless you have
decided to Unschool, you will probably gravitate to a more
structured perhaps traditional homeschool schedule.
This is
perfectly fine, but I would almost assure you that your
schedule will evolve over time and you will settle on a more
pragmatic approach of what homeschool schedule works best
for me. Keeping in mind any State requirements that may come
into play as to what legally constitutes a school day. The
great advantage to having a homeschool schedule is the
flexibility that it provides for your day, your week, your
year.
Some homeschool schedules are morning schedules, some
in the evenings, some homeschool schedules actually vary the
number of days in the week or even the times of year they
homeschool. Most agree that it takes time and
experimentation to finally arrive at a homeschool school
that provides a good rhythm with the rest of your family
scheduling.
Having extolled the virtues of the tremendous flexibility
that the homeschool schedule provides, early on I discovered
that this was a bit of a problem with other friends and
family. Not that they had a problem with my schedule. It was
the perception to them that my days and evenings were so
flexible that they could just call
and/or drop by whenever because, after all, I was so
flexible! Truth be told. It was probably a bit of my own
doing by bringing up how much I enjoyed the flexibility of
homeschooling much too often.
A word of advice..... don't make
it sound too good! Seriously, be sure to set the
expectations of your friends and family that you are not
available during your working hours and all will go better.
Keep your homeschool schedule realistic, keep it fun,
but keep it consistent. Experiment early on with what works
best..... and what doesn't. Don't get worked up early on if
you struggle to settle in. You will overtime you will find
what works.
