I feel like i'm not doing a good job

[Super Pickle]

Hi. I have been homeschooling my fourth grader since Thanksgiving. I feel like I am not doing a good job, because we have so much down time during the day before his brother gets home from school. I guess I am not very organized and I don't have much of a plan. Originally, I was going to use the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas to come up with a game plan, but then we had parent-teacher conferences and I realized it was imperative to get him out ASAP.

How do I know if he is learning as much as he should be?   He will have to take the standardized tests in the spring, and I am sure he will do well, because he is excelling in reading, language, and math, but the standardized tests don't really show the whole picture.  I always fantasized that HS'ing would be full of adventure, creative projects, and kitchen science, but usually, when math and language arts and writing are done, I ask him to go read a book so I can clean, take care of his sister, etc.  How can I evaluate how we're doing?

[mom2ponygirl]

First of all - take a deep breath - and relax.  You are still very new to homeschooling and things will get easier, trust me!  When you look at things from the perspective of time, you will discover that he has learned bunches even during these times when things don't seem to be moving along like you'd like.  Also February, is universal doubt yourself as a homeschooler month.  :-) I don't know if it is a SAD thing, or just we're not getting as much done this school year as we thought, cabin fever or what, but loads of people get down around this time of year.  In April, you'll be loving it again. :-)

Start small and begin making a few changes that look more like what you want homeschooling to be like.  Take a little time next week to find a nice kitchen science project to do together.  Let him read and write about it and let that be his school work for the day.  Take a few minutes each week to look at other homeschooler's blogs and become inspired.  Ask here and other lists for specific resources for your son's interests.   If things aren't how you would like them, don't worry you don't have to fix it in one day.  Take your time, take one little step at a time, and you will get there.  Ask your son what he suggests.  You will be amazed at the great ideas your kids can come up with!

Hang in there, the first year is the roughest.  The worries lessen with each passing year.  We're on our 7th year of homeschooling and I don't worry about school stuff at all - general parenting through the teen years, preparing our dd for going away to college and life - yep, still worry about that from time to time, but that's being a parent.  

[Super Pickle]

Thank you, mom2ponygirl. Your encouragement was really appreciated! I laughed when you said that February is the official month for doubting yourself.  It's like, I thought we would be out doing awesome stuff, but I don't even wanna leave the house in this cold!

Today we made bread and looked up the "why's" of yeast and kneading, so that was a little more on the right track, I felt. I also signed him up for a four-week class on weather at a nearby science education center--weather is one of the topics we're supposed to cover in 4th grade, but I wan't really sure what I was going to do.

So, thank you so much. I'm looking forward to feeling more confident! 

[onlyzombiecat]

You asked how you know he is learning as much as he should be. I think that question depends on your expectations and your state requirements. Some people want their children to follow what schools are teaching more or less. Other people want something completely different. Some kids need to pass a test and others do not.

Since you just started a couple of months ago you might want to take your time to find your groove. That's normal. I think many people find a period of de-schooling helpful when they switch from school to homeschooling.

http://homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/weblinks/deschooling.htm

For me-

We homeschool year round. We spend about 2-3 hours per day together on homeschooling. This includes- history/geography, vocabulary, language arts, writing, math, and science. We don't do art or science projects or field trips every day. The rest of the time dd does stuff on her own. She may or may not be learning something in her free time.

We don't test. My state doesn't require it so we don't do it. I do notice that dd has made progress as we work together so I know she is learning. I do have some goals for the year. For some things we have a schedule and for others we don't.

[LemonPie]

Oh thank you for that mom2ponygirl!  I so needed a reminder of that after the last couple of weeks! 

Super Pickle--I remember your earlier post and I'm glad you went ahead and pulled him out sooner.  I'm a new HSer this year too, and I know what you mean about all the downtime.  We have way too much screen time here and we're working on cutting that down. 
 

Originally Posted by mom2ponygirl   Also February, is universal doubt yourself as a homeschooler month.  :-) I don't know if it is a SAD thing, or just we're not getting as much done this school year as we thought, cabin fever or what, but loads of people get down around this time of year.  In April, you'll be loving it again. :-)

[catholic74]

This is my second year homeschooling and it's been tougher than the first because we've moved to a new place and we don't know anybody and there isn't a thriving homeschooling group here as there was at our last home. On top of that, we're in the dreaded winter months which can give homeschoolers that cabin fever thing so it's been really rough.  One of the biggest things my kids are suffering from is not having friends.  They just don't have a network of friends the way they did. I enrolled them both in dance classes, but that's only once a week.  It's tough, but I'm hanging in there.  I too, feel that I've lost my creativity and drive to make things interesting.  I take them to the library once a week where I check out classics (such as Little Women and Anne of Green Gables). I also rent the movies from netflix after they've read the books and my daughters love it. So, at least they are getting a good immersion in the classics during this time.  My daughter even made paper dolls to go with the 4 sisters in the Little Women book. She plays with them while I read to her from the book.  I noticed too that there are days where we only do art and math and then we get lazy or sidetracked. Other days, my house is a mess, I'm in a robe all day,  I yell at my daughter to finish her english, then fall asleep on the couch and that concludes my day.  On one of those days,  I laughed at myself (instead of crying) as I imagined someone peeking into my home and observing my homeschool!!! Yikes!  Not on my bad day!