One of the best parts of homeschooling is the ability to flex the daily routine as well as the overall yearly schedule so that it accommodates the family’s unique situation, but it is good to have a planned time frame for boundaries and completion goals.
Organization is important to maintain an established routine for students but that doesn’t mean it has to look the same for every child or every family.For this reason, the day-to-day schedule may look different depending on what works for each student. Some kids may work better earlier in the day, while others should sleep in to give their body (and brain) more rest before getting started on their studies. Teens often favor studying later in the evening and using the early part of the day for practicing sports or working a job while still balancing their academic responsibilities.
This same logic can be applied to the school year because the accredited homeschooling online program can start at any time per the family’s enrollment request. The traditional format is based on starting in the fall and working about 36 weeks, with holidays accounted for, so summer is the time off for students. The calendar is divided into quarters and semesters for grading purposes but can be shifted slightly as needed when parents communicate with the administration. Lesson plans for print curriculum are developed based on this when this option is utilized, the same for online lessons so students can see how much work they need to get done to finish in a timely manner.
The benefit of following this calendar is that it puts homeschool students off at the same time as their peers so they can take part in summer activities, hang out with their friends and have a significant break from school where they can relax and refresh. It also makes it easier to follow the planners although parents can make adjustments as needed throughout the year due to family events, health situations or unexpected life events. If a major deviation is needed that will extend the year past the original scheduled time then the parent should contact the accredited homeschooling online administration to let them know and have it recorded on the student’s file. This may require a change to the online portal or simply annotating it on the print lesson planner which is provided for younger students.
Another school year calendar option is to go year-round which was once considered by some states as a new standard because they wanted to reduce the amount of time in between grades so students would retain more information. This did not take off as a popular option because it was too much of a schedule shift for families but works very well for homeschoolers who have more flexibility as a unit.In this type of schedule, the homeschooler can start any time during the year and then works year-round with scheduled time off at specific points. One of the key features of this schedule is to have extended breaks of time where the student can completely step away from their studies and give their brain a break. This can be scheduled around holidays, family vacations and part of the summer or whatever works best for the family unit. It can change year after year as kids get older, through job schedules and based on events that are not expected so long as the student finishes within the time frame agreed upon with the school.
High school students have another schedule option which follows the traditional calendar but allows them to balance their course load by loading heavier in one semester than the other. This is ideal for teens who play sports that only last part of the year and they want to have an easier schedule to allow for practices and devotion to the sport. The accredited homeschooling online program will have the options listed on their site or parents can work with an admissions specialist to find out other custom options that may be available. The benefit is that families can plan out the school year in advance based on what they know is coming up and minimize the impact on the kids’ education and studies.
Creating a stable routine is a good practice for homeschoolers just as it is for traditional students so goals, time frames and expectations are clearly identified and communicated at the beginning. Think about putting a 12-month calendar in the school room or in a central location so everyone in the family can see when the breaks are along with the final date of school or the grade year (if on a year-round schedule). Another consideration is when families have to switch from public or private classrooms to homeschooling in the middle of the year for academic or personal reasons. This needs to be worked out with the admissions staff so they can get the appropriate records, understand where the student is at in their studies and provide a curriculum and schedule that will help them finish the grade/year successfully.
