Parents home educate because they want to assume responsibility for training their children to be wise, morally upright, and capable of pursuing a purposeful life based on integrity.
That objective is not necessarily easy to attain. Numerous factors beyond parental control invade the home, disrupting “the best laid plans of mice and man.” Every day has its own set of challenges, disruptions, and circumstances. Daily routines can become easily “side-tracked.” A sequence of “side-tracks” can lead to meltdown of efficiency, thus thwarting the best of intentions to provide an effective home school program.
That is why parents need a “game plan” – a strategy that puts life back in order after disruptions invade good intentions. Here are some tips to implement to get back on track:
- Keep all curriculum organized by course materials in a designated place so it is readily accessible daily.
- Write out and display specific annual, weekly, and daily academic goals for each student so he/she can assume as much responsibility as possible when incidents distract or occupy parents (use of individualized curriculum helps);
- Designate for each student a specific place to study within parental view (or readily accessible to parents);
- Set a specific time (three to four hours minimum) during which students work on academic goals daily;
- Train older siblings to assist younger children (graciously and patiently ) when parents are not available for assistance or to direct instruction. Note: make sure older siblings are praised and rewarded for helping their family operate as a team.
- Adjust academic goals and/or the student’s work schedule to accommodate “serious” disruptions that set back original time schedules for completing courses by the original target date.
Disruptions will happen. That is life. Efficient families operate a defined home-strategy that enables families to accommodate disruptions.