Monday, August 18, 2008

Flexible School Scheduling

This morning I was out riding my bike around 6:00...the temperature was still cool, the air smelled wonderful, it was quiet, and "not a creature was stirring not even a mouse." Or so it seemed.

If you are not naturally a morning person - you are missing out! There is not a better time to be outside, than the early hours.

By 6:30 I saw kids waiting for the school bus. It made me start thinking about the start of the school year and when it should take place. Schools in our area have been in session for one or two weeks.

We will "officially" start back after Labor Day weekend. I say "officially" b/c even though we take a break from the bulk of our schoolwork during the summer months, we continue to do some schoolwork here and there. It might be reading for an hour about pyramids or working a chapter in math or it might be going for a swim. I sometimes think it would be better to keep the same school routine year round since kids always seem to do better when there is a schedule.

By getting in hours during the summer - it also helps us maintain a more flexible schedule year round. Even though our state does require a certain amount of hours in a few main subjects - we can choose when those hours take place. School only in the morning or school 4 days a week, a week off for visiting grandparents...whatever works best for your own family.

One of my biggest beefs with the public and private school system is that once your child is enrolled - your whole life revolves around the schedule the school/government dictates. You see your child for an hour or so in the morning and then not again til late afternoon. Then in most cases there is homework, so the school also dictates how your child/family spends their remaining few awake hours at home.

3 comments:

TheSaxonHus said...

Oh, you are so right concerning the morning! I also appreciate your comments on schooling, especially that last paragraph.

Jennifer said...

Another great reason to school your children at home. The flexibility is awesome. And lots of teachers penalize students for absences, even excused ones.

Heather said...

One of my favorite reasons to keep them home.