The Key for Getting into the Groove of Homeschooling

Getting into the groove of home schooling after the summer break can be a challenge for parents who are homeschooling for the first time or for the 21st time. One of the key ingredients I have discovered when trying to find the schedule and routine that work for both myself and my child is organization. I'm not talking about getting only the school room organized, but the entire home. Disorganization leads to chaos and chaos leads to frustrated and unhappy children and parents. Research has shown that children who are frustrated or unhappy will usually end up giving up on learning mentally and emotionally at some point.

You know how frustrating it is to reach for something you really need only to find out that it isn't in that particular place anymore. This costs time, energy and emotional resources as you quit what you are doing in order to go look for the missing item. Even after you have found what you were looking for, the emotional distress can linger. Imagine what a child, who is responsible for learning an incredibly enormous amount of information during their childhood, must feel to constantly have that flow of learning disrupted in order to search for those missing items. This can put parent and child out of sorts with each other which definitely does not create an effective learning environment. Disorganization is one of the biggest stumbling blocks to successful home schooling that I have seen.

Children have an innate need for orderliness in their environment. Yes, this is true in spite of what their room might look like. Children need a calm, orderly environment in which to learn effectively. Children in an organized learning environment will thrive when they are given love and positive reinforcement. These children are able to focus better and complete their tasks in a timelier manner. This is especially important when you have a certain amount of time set aside for your school with a set number of assignments that need to be completed within that time frame.

Parents I have observed that seem to be able to quickly get into the groove of home schooling have several things in common. One thing they have in common is that they are very organized. They didn't necessarily start out that way, but they learned that it was vital to their success and they took the time and effort to make the change. These parents have all their school supplies where they can find them easily. Their classroom, whether it be a separate room set aside for learning, or the kitchen table, is organized and clean. They have their books, Project Boxes and other curriculum items laid out ready to go. They organize their school day ahead of time. They know what each child needs to be doing before they sit down to teach them because they went to the effort to organize their school schedule ahead of time. They don't wait until the last minute to attempt to get organized.

I can personally vouch that when you get organized you'll find your homeschool groove a lot faster and easier. Your home school experience will be so much more rewarding and fun. You'll have more patience and enthusiasm when teaching and you won't get tired as quickly. Your bond with your child will strengthen and you'll be amazed as you watch your children blossom and thrive under your leadership. Organization is, without a doubt, one of the key factors to a successful homeschool experience. If you need help finding your home school 'groove', give us a call at (620) 223-3434 and we'll be happy to give you suggestions and tips that have worked for us.

~ Connie Wollenhaupt, Academic Director © 2006