Q&A: Scheduling Question

I’ve been cleaning out my inbox lately and responding to reader’s inquiries. This week I’m answering a question about homeschool scheduling.

Question: What does your homeschool schedule look like?

Dear Jennifer,

I am interested in how your daily schedule works. I have a 2 year old and an almost 5 year old whom I might be home schooling in the fall. My husband…is gone alot and so it is a bit overwhelming for me to think about [home schooling or adding to our family], although he is always eager to help when he is home. Thank You for your time and may God continue to richly bless you and your beautiful family.

Busy Mom

Answer: We make a plan… but keep things flexible!

Dear Mom,

The children and I have found that we all get so much more accomplished when we stick to a routine. Even though few days ever go exactly according to our schedule, having an ideal helps keep us all on the same page. Here’s a peek at what it looked like last year:

I found Terri Maxwell’s book, Managers of Their Homes to be an invaluable resource when first attempting to bring some sanity to our family’s schedule. You may want to check out the Maxwell’s website, www.titus2.com for information on how to order a copy.

My schedule helps me deal with unexpected turns of events more efficiently. I can simply make any necessary adjustments and keep on truckin’. But you must remember that what works one year will probably not work the next, so you will need to tweak your schedule every so often to accommodate changing interests, ages, commitments and/or responsibilities.

I know how difficult it can be when children are young and Daddy must work long hours away from home. We had many years of that when my husband was in medical school (we married before he finished his undergraduate degree and had our first child 9 1/2 months later. Doug worked three jobs and went to school part time in order to get through and keep a roof over our heads!)

Let me encourage you, though, that the children are definitely worth the effort. What a blessing each one of ours has been to us! My oldest daughter was telling me earlier this week that she would want a large family regardless of the work and expense, just because she sees how good it is for kids’ character development to have to learn to get along and share with so many siblings — plus they really are each others’ best friends.