The full meaning of year around schooling wasn’t clear to me. You would think the definition is self explanatory, but not so fast. Also, look on my page The Dynamics of How to Homeschool Easily and Smarter.
I couldn’t entertain the thought to school year around until I learned if it was a negative or a positive for me.
Does it mean giving up summer when we might think that is the time for summer fun?
Did it mean schooling ALL the time? That sounds EXHAUSTING! How were the kids going to react to this?
When was I going to clean and organize? Does it mean no rest for the weary?
I used to think so, but I don’t anymore.
What is Year Around Homeschooling
About 7 years ago, I started homeschooling year around.
At first, I made the mistake probably a lot of homeschoolers do and that is keep the same momentum in summer as I do during the regular school year.
I was faithfully keeping a 4 week “on” (meaning actually homeschooling) 1 week “off” (meaning doing little to nothing) schedule regardless of what was going on in my life.
Swimming lessons in the summer, what was that? How crazy is that to think I didn’t even have time for swim lessons for the kids?
Thinking about this later, I now see the advantage of keeping the routine of “4 on, 1 off” the same for that one year, my “beginning year”.
Until I got used to the year around schedule, the “stricter time period” helped me to see the “ebb and flow” of things going on in my life.
It was not wasted BUT a valuable learning experience so I could embrace year around schooling.
More importantly, I could pick and choose what works for my family and our circumstances.
Also, look at these books which will help you to understand what is homeschooling year round.
5 BEST How to Homeschool Books
I've rounded up some of the best books to help you get started homeschooling.
Homeschooling 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers is a real eye-opener on homeschooling. It will alleviate a lot of the anxieties about getting started homeschooling. Reading each chapter’s highlights will give you encouragement, knowledge, guidance, and peace of mind to homeschool with confidence. The best part is that you’ll be educating the person who loves your kids the most in this world--YOU! Armed with the knowledge to make better choices in curriculum will empower you to continue the path of home education. Unlike many books based on one family’s experience, Homeschooling 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers is also based on Tina’s many years of mentoring hundreds and hundreds of new homeschoolers at live workshops. When you don’t know where to begin Homeschooling 31 Day Boot Camp for New Homeschoolers equips you to successfully homeschool your children.
Homeschooling is a wonderful, worthwhile pursuit, but many homeschool parents struggle with feelings of burnout and frustration. If you have ever felt this way, you’re not alone! Most of us need to be reminded of the “why” of homeschooling from time to time—but "The Unhurried homeschooler" takes parents a step further and lifts the unnecessary burdens that many parents place on themselves.
Those who have made the decision to homeschool their children have done so out of great love for their children and a desire to provide them an excellent education in the context of a warm, enriching home.
Parents who are deeply invested in their children's education can be hard on themselves and their kids. When exhausted parents are living the day-to-day grind, it can seem impossible to muster enough energy to make learning fun or interesting. How do parents nurture a love of learning amid childhood chaos, parental self-doubt, the flu, and state academic standards?
Education has become synonymous with schooling, but it doesn’t have to be. As schooling becomes increasingly standardized and test driven, occupying more of childhood than ever before, parents and educators are questioning the role of schooling in society. Many are now exploring and creating alternatives.
More Homeschooling Year Around Tips
- What is Year Around Homeschooling? Part 1
- What is Year Around Homeschooling? Part 2
- Homeschooling Year Round – Chaos Or Calm?
- How a Homeschool Planning Calendar is Superior to a Regular Calendar
- 4 Benefits to Planning Early for the Next Homeschool Year
Here are some questions that I needed to answer before I could commit to year around schooling.
Maybe some of these same questions will help you to “hone in” on just what year around schooling is. I will “talk schedule” in the second part.
1. Vacation means, depending on which dictionary you use, “a period of time devoted to rest and pleasure”. Do I REALLY want or need to “vacation” for 3 months CONSECUTIVELY?
2. DO I want to spread my “rest” out during the year?
3. What summer activities here in Texas, besides the heat, were we missing out on?
If you live where the weather is milder, are the camping grounds more crowded during the summer or are the theme parks more crowded during summer?
Can I utilize part of the summer to be more relaxed but maintain some routine?
4. Did I WANT to take my “vacation” during the summer OR have choices during the fall or spring when we might want a longer break and when the weather is milder here in the south?
5. Does my husband (or spouse) work for the public school or university or other type of place where it benefits my family to keep to the Aug to May school schedule?
6. How about family reunions, special occasions and holidays with my extended family?
What is that “ebb and flow” during the year when I am expected to attend?
How much am I expected to partake in?
7. Do I allow my children to dictate our family rhythm? Caveat:
It is much easier to say “my way” when the kids are very young.
To take them out of public school when they are middle school or older and where the whole family is accustomed to a “summer vacation” is much harder to change.
The children have friends “vacationing” and see them having fun during summer.
The question then is “Do I want to get off the public school treadmill and now find MY family’s routine?Has this schedule been the best schedule for my family in the past?
