To be flexible adaptable, bendable, versatile, and yeilding. In homeschooling, flexibility is being able to loosen yourself from the confines of what is traditionally school and doing things to your own lifestyle and schedule.
So often, new homeschoolers find themselves confined to doing things in the same way that they would have if they were in a school. In addition, most homeschoolers, old and new alike still hold a schedule that exactly mirrors that of a public school. In doing it they impose a certain rigidity upon their schedule and often suck the fun out of their own lives.
It is lack of flexibility that keeps working parents from homeschooking their kids. It is this same lack of flexibility that keeps single parents from homeschooling. Considering that there are 24 hours in a day and 365 days in a year, and most states require homeschoolers 4 1/2 hours of coursework 180 days a year, there is no reason a parent can’t work around their own schedule in homeschooling their child. This leaves their only challenge to be finding childcare for their homeschooled kids while they are working.
A flexible homeschooler doesn’t just look at time of day when planning out a homeschool schedule. If for instance, a child is heavily involved in one sport that dominates their lives three to six months a year, maybe these months need to be looked at as “summer”, and the other months be dedicated to homeschooling.
Basically, a homeschooler needs to be able to see hours as hours. There really is not difference between morning hours, evening hours, or even weekend hours. You really can choose to spend morning hours relaxing and evening hours working, if you so choose. You can homeschool 22 hours during the week if you choose, and you can also choose to do those 22 hours to homeschool over the weekend. It is completely up to you.
A truly flexible homeschooling family will plan out work and play schedules, (sports, clubs, “socialization”)and then schedule hours for learning. This doesn’t mean education is set aside. This means that living is allowed and homeschooling is planned around it.
For more homeschool words of the day see: syncretism, autodidact, extreme and mediocrity and more.
~If you liked this you should also read my blogs at the home blog, the parents blog, and the frugal blog. You can read my recent posts here.
Also read:
* Have you seen the homeschooling curriculum glossary?
*Have a question about homeschooling? Just ask.