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Part 3: The key to successful homeschooling

I believe the key to successful homeschooling is organization. If you aren’t organized in your home you probably won’t be in homeschooling and one mess will quickly ooze into the other until total chaos is reigning in the home and everyone is miserable. The successful homeschoolers that I know are all organized. Notice I said the successful ones are organized- the ones I know that aren’t organized are the ones I hear lamenting their lack of organization, how they can’t seem to get it all done, how they can’t homeschool and keep up on the house at the same time etc. [note- there are days when housekeeping slides here and at the homes of organized homeschoolers but it's not everyday- I'm talking Unorganized with a capital U - I know a family that can't eat or do school at their table because it's overflowing with STUFF- and their living room is overflowing with boxes and they wonder why there house feels so small and inefficent!] These lamenters invariably turn to me and say “I just wasn’t made to be organized like you are, Amy. I just can’t see how you do it.” This is where I usually just smile and nod- smile and nod. Because they really don’t want to hear how I do it- most of these homeschoolers aren’t willing to totally revamp how they do things- they don’t want their children in the same room with them most of the day- they don’t want to make cleaning routines and stick with them, they don’t want to schedule at least 4 weeks of homeschooling at one time. [Yes, this is a bit of a generalization but not an exaggeration- I’m only speaking of what I have, myself, encountered with others.]
If you need help getting started with homeschool organization- The Organized Home Schooler by Vicki Caruana is a great book (check library and library interloan- the link here is to Amazon and they list other great books too). Get hands-on help- if you admire another homeschooler and how she does things- ask her to show you how she does it! I have been blessed to have a homeschooling mentor- she invited me and my family into her home to show us how they homeschool- her husband also took the time to talk with Mr. Steady about homeschooling and the part he plays in their family school. This woman is ultra-organized. Her basement is their homeschooling base of operations- everything they need for homeschooling is on bookcases that surround the large table they use for school. Her house is neat and tidy and simple. She doesn’t have a lot of knickknacks or excess furniture- less to have to dust. Her couch is threadbare in spots but her hospitality is golden and so you don’t notice the couch. She has 5 children ages 2 to 13. They have a rotating cleaning schedule with each child holding a job (like dishes, dusting, laundry or bathroom) for 1 week before rotating to the next job. She writes out their homeschool schedule in 6 week blocks. She inspired me and helped me to start our homeschooling adventure off on the right foot. She is also a constant support system for me when I hit those inevitable frustrating road blocks.
If you are not an organized person- please don’t stop before you even start. Don’t sell yourself short- to share another cliché. Take baby steps (HT: Flylady). Start with organizing a bookcase with all your homeschooling needs and hopefully locate it right next to where you do school. Get a banker’s box like I have and toss school stuff in there- its better than being scattered all over the house. Don’t try to do too many things at once. Sit down and do school with your child. Don’t try to do dishes, laundry and prep supper at the same time. You’ll be amazed at how much faster school is finished if you stay with them and both stay focused. For cleaning- do it Flylady style- start with one cluttered spot and clean for 15 minutes then come back to it later or go on to the next spot when you have another 15 minutes to spare. Have your children stick to the 15 minutes timer too. A job is done with a better attitude when they know it has a specific end time instead of “do it until it’s done”.
Next: Part 4: Being Respected and Appreciated in your home and homeschool

Homeschooling

2:20 PM, 2007-Oct-17 .. Posted by Isabella

I really like the homeschool section. I need to learn to smile and nod more at people. We have a "similar" system in our house. I wrote out the lesson plans for the school year this summer. I wrote it out for 1-180 days. (Makes life easier for me) Our State wanted a written lesson plan so I have a "flexible" one. I can add and change things with library trips, field trips, etc. I am at my creative best with a clean house. Thanks for the scriptures. I will look over them and talk to the family about them. I