High school hours???

[LynnH]

As far as college hours go my dd is in college now and did dual enrollment through the same college she is going to. They said for the dual enrollment classes to count on 2 hours of work a day for each 3 credit hour class. I would say she did at least that. Dual enrollment online classes are tough and require lots of work and interacting with other students. She took 16 credit hours her first semester of college and 17 1/2 this semester since she is a dual major. Her homework involves way more than just studying for tests or projects. She has massive amounts of reading, multiple papers in each class, and usually more than one project going on in each class. She spends 3-5 hours in class each day. The five hour day has a 2 hour lab on that day and she spends many hours a night and weekends doing homework. She actually has way more projects and papers etc than I ever had in college. So I do think it depends on the college. She says the thing she sees most in her fellow freshmen is they are shocked by the amount of work they have to do and the time each class requires. Many of them really struggle to handle it. She goes to a college with a fairly good mix of homeschoolers, public school and private school, and she said it is a pretty big shock to all of them unless they did the dual enrollment classes first.

[my3sons]

We did not find the transition from MTMM to WG to be difficult, though I did start the year with a discussion about high school being different in that it has time requirements for earning credits that must be met. This naturally (and necessarily) increases the length of the school day, but then I feel that is excellent preparation for becoming an adult. When do you have a 7 hour work day? I don't - ever! Being a homeschooling mom is a full-time job in itself, and then outside activities/jobs/responsibilities for children and for us add time to the work day too. But then, we were created for important work! The Lord has a purpose for us all, and He has given us enough time to accomplish it. I remind myself of this daily!

I often think back to my Dad's upbringing. At 13 yo, my Dad was running their farm. His Dad (my grandpa) had diabetes and had his leg amputated. My Dad's other brother left to join the military, and that left my Dad to run the farm. My Dad got up at 5 AM (or earlier) to milk cows, etc., before heading to country school until mid-afternoon, and then headed home to do chores until evening when he finished his homework. He was one of the hardest workers I have ever known, and he also was one of the happiest people I've ever met! He learned to take real JOY in work, and looked to all work as if working for the Lord. He taught Sunday School for 50 years - literally - as he began teaching when he was 16 years old.

I share all this because one of my highest priorities as a mom is to teach my dc to work for the Lord with all of their might and all of their heart - and it starts now. Wyatt gets up at 6 AM (of his own choice) and works on school until 7:30 AM. He then does outside chores. I often look out the window and see him happily humming and petting the cats and dogs, or smiling as he looks at the beautiful sunrise. He LOVES this time of the day! Then, he helps with breakfast, sometimes making breakfast himself for everyone (which he also loves to do - he has his own mini-donut maker and knows how to make vanilla oatmeal with chocolate chips). With praise music blaring, he sings along, and this too is a happy time of day - though he is still working on his chores.

From 9 AM to 11 AM, he works on his own doing his school, and then we meet from about 11 AM to 12 PM, and I float between Riley and Wyatt from 12 to 12:30 PM. As I make lunch, Wyatt usually finishes out some work, we eat lunch, he does one more hour of work OR he is done because he did some of his work for the day the night before (like homework). He then plays with his brothers, usually outdoors, does his computer time for 30 minutes, and heads off to work for a few hours at his part-time job. He basically has free time from 4 to 8:30 PM, though he always jumps in and helps my dh with work like sheetrocking the garage, mowing/snow removal, etc. He LOVES his life!

I just share all of this because schooling with HOD really has been a JOY for our high schooler! The ability to do a job well, to manage his own day, to learn difficult things and understand them well, to have the Lord be part of his whole day, to have his Mom be his teacher - sooooooo, many blessings! I just want to encourage all of you not yet at the high school level - we have found that high school IS a time to work, but not only on school - on the heart, on continuing to be a contributing member chore-wise to the family, and on continuing to invest free time in spending time with little brothers. We found time for all of that and then some thanks to the organization, balance, and ease of use of the HOD World Geography guide. There is time enough in the day - and seeing my son become a man? That is precious. HTH as you look ahead to high school!!!

In Christ,
Julie

[MomtoJGJE]

So Julie, are you saying that on average he only has about 5-5.5 hours of school?

[Nealewill]

I took full loads every semester. I took three classes MWF (50min), two classes T-Th (1:15), in the fall I had band which was a 1 credit class that met 3-4 days per week for an hour and in the spring I would have another class that was either a lab or other type of 1 day per week class that was 1.5 hours. The only homework I had was studying for tests and projects that were well laid out in the syllabus so only took massive amounts of time if/when I procrastinated. If I was on my game it took maybe an hour a week outside of class time. That's where I was getting my times from. That was generally ~16 hours per semester. Dh had generally less class time than I did, but more out of class project type stuff so it evened out. So yes... roughly 3 hours per day.

I think it depends on where you go, what you study, if you are the type of person who finds school easy, if there minimal group projects and many other factors. I know that when I was in college, I did spend at least 1 hour outside of class for every hour I was in class. I usually took 18-21 credit hours, so I was spending about 20-30 hours outside of class. My university at the time was one of the top 100 in the country for their business program and is nationally recognized. I also worked about 30 hours per week for work. I had no life other than school and work LOL. However, I did complete a 5 year program in 3.5 years so it was worth the hard work. But it was a LOT of hard work. We had lots of projects, we had to interview other businesses and write up reports of analysis & business strategies, I went on an international trip I was required to attend for a week long international business class. If your program only consisted of a few tests which you crammed for or a few papers and again, that you were able to cram for, then maybe you wouldn't spend much time outside of class. But this is probably not the norm for most other people. In addition, I teach accounting classes at another University and my students definitely spend at least 5-10 hours a week on my class (it is an accelerated class and only worth 3 credit hours). My graduate student spend at least 7-10 hours outside of class each week.

For high school, I went to an honors level high school. Life was busy and stressful. I got up at 5:30 every day, on the bus by 6:30 and then school started at 7:30. I came home at 3:30 during the times I was not playing sports and 5:30 if it was season where I was playing on an athletic team (I played soccer and basketball), I had at least 15-20 hours of homework every week. My classes were very hard and we had lots of tests and assignments. If you flunked more than 2 classes per year, they would kick you out of the school. So we had to bust our butts to keep up. I have vowed that it was overload and ridiculousness and I don't even remember much of what I learned then. I did though learn the value of hard work and to be very proud of my accomplishments. I also learned that sometimes you will fail. You then just get back up, assess the situation, and go at it strong again.

For me, while 7 hours a day does seem like a lot, you can definitely spread it over 5 days instead of 4. That would make your day only last 5 1/2 hours. I would also check your states requirements for graduation. Technically for a class to count for high school credit, there is a certain amount of tangible time they are expected to be working on that class for the year (I think it is 120 hours per year per credit but I can't remember). Also, if you don't want your child to spend so much time doing school - the living library is optional. I would cut that out if you are worried about time. And once you determine how many credits your child needs to graduate, you could then determine if you need everything that is offered per year. Some states don't require a foreign language. Some states only require 3 sciences. Some states only require students to learn up through Algebra 2. I would take this approach when looking at the classes for the future. But I would be very careful about trying to meet the hours requirement though for each class you give your child credit for. Another option you might consider is school all year long. We don't necessarily add stuff in but we operate best as a family when we have a consistent schedule. So we just take more breaks through out the year but have school mostly all year. And if you don't like the thought of that, you might just consider spreading school out based on 4 hours a day 5 days a week until you finish the guide.

I will say, while it may look intimidating when viewing the volume of work required for the high school guides, to does do a great job of teach responsibility, time management, and they get to learn their subjects so much more interesting and creative than how I learned them. I do think the High School guides give the students enough of what they need to get their credits for high school but it does also make it very enjoyable. Your child may surprise you at how well he or she tackles this new level.

[mamanlait]

Julie,
Thank you for that sweet, heartfelt post about work-ethic and what the day looks like for your high schooler! It really encouraged me. I want my kids to be both hard workers and joyful and I think the two just might go hand in hand.

[alhempel]

I think the hours depend on the child. My current student who uses World Geography has days that take 7 hours but those are the days he is not on his game. He is very easily distracted but when he is focused, he can get done in 4 to 4 1/2 hours. It really depends on the student. My second son will start it next year and I don't anticipate it taking him more than 4 hours because he is very diligent in getting his work done so he can have the rest of the day to pursue his own interests. He is a super fast reader, has no trouble with English and Grammar, and does very well with school. I really think it depends on the student for how long it will take.

[Carrie]

Ladies,

I just want to encourage you that each student is different and the amount of time it will take your student to complete the World Geography Guide (or any of our high school guides) will vary depending on your student's work habits, ability to read and follow written directions, correct placement as far as skill levels go, reading level and speed as a reader, and how easily he/she is able to do written work. These factors will make a huge difference in how long the guide will take your student each day. Students who come up through HOD and are well-placed within their guide skill-wise will complete their day much more quickly than students who are new to HOD. Also, as with all HOD guides, once students get into the rhythm of a guide, they will cut time off their schedule as they go through their year.

One wild card that can add or subtract a huge amount of time in your student's day, especially at the high school level, will be the math program you select (and how long it takes your student to complete it). Math can take anywhere from 45 min. to 2 1/2 hours a day, depending on the program (and on your student's aptitude to complete that program). Another huge wild card at the high school level can be science. If you select a different science program than the one that we schedule, it can add an hour a day (or even more) to your student's schedule. So, make sure that you spend some time looking especially at your math and science options, and choose realistically with the rest of your student's day in mind to keep some balance.

Another thing to remember is that we are only schooling 4 days a week with the HOD high school guides. The 5th day is left completely free. This is a factor that has to be considered. How many of us had a 3 day weekend every week when we went to school? How much family time can be gained there? Also remember that the 6-7 hour a day estimate, 4 days a week, means that there is no homework outside of that work time. This was probably something that was not true for many of use when we went to school, as nights and weekends were often required as a part of completing school work outside of school. As I share these things you can start to see the differences that a homeschool education through high school has to offer!

The last thing to consider is the number of credits the student is earning each year. When a student is earning between 6.5 and 7 credits each year, you can expect that will take some time! Be encouraged that as we are close to completing our school year with the World Geography guide here, our son has gotten very good at the pattern of the guide and his time has fallen off as he knows what to do when. This allows a student to end strong skill-wise, with less time involved than it took initially. With our oldest son graduating this year, I will also share that his senior year has been easier than his previous years, as we make sure at HOD to start strong with our high school subjects and earning credits to allow some wiggle room later in your student's schedule to pursue his/her individual interests and God-given talents.

One last thing I'll share to encourage you is that our boys both work in our warehouse regularly as a part of their days and still have had time to pursue their own interests. So, be hopeful that high school will not be the shock you think it will be. At HOD, we gradually prepare students for the level of work expected in high school by incrementally training them from guide to guide. As each guide rises in time and skill-level students become more ready for what will be expected. This keeps the shock factor out of the equation as students enter high school.

Blessings,
Carrie

[my3sons]

So Julie, are you saying that on average he only has about 5-5.5 hours of school?

6 to 7:30 AM
9 to 1 PM
Night or afternoon: varies 30 min. to an hour
So... Let's see... 6 to 6 1/2 hours
Time dropped off the last part of the year, as Wyatt and I got in a great rhythm. Some days probably were 5 1/2 toward the end. Dictation dropped out as he finished Level 8. Math dropped out several weeks early. Very manageable! Plus he had 4 day a week plans. Great year!!!

[Gwenny]

That 4 days a week thing is important to remember. I had forgotten about that when pondering all of this.

[MomtoJGJE]

Awesome! Thanks everyone for helping out my little finishing up CTC/5th grade brain

[my3sons]

That 4 days a week thing is important to remember. I had forgotten about that when pondering all of this.

Yeah - I forget it sometimes too! But I sure am glad for it! I was just doing a little math...

6.5 hours x 4 days = 26 hours a week
26 hours divided over 5 days = 5 hours and 15 minutes each day

So, if the 4 days seem long - spreading out over 5 days is SUPER manageable!

Also, I don't add. I just do exactly what's in the guide. Talking to other moms on the HOD Board, at conventions, and on the phone, I'm happy to say 90% of them had an awesome year when doing the guide as written with proper placement! I have just had the most wonderful time seeing moms hug Carrie thanking her for the best year ever, stop by the booth and happily tell me of their awesome year with HOD, have their kiddos bring their lovely completed notebook pages to show us, and squeal with joy when looking at the guides they get to do next! All of their lovely faces are imprinted in my mind, and I call them to memory as we move ahead with the writing and editing of HOD guides. The other 10% of the time, from talking to moms, I have realized a lot of times what makes the day long is not actually HOD. It's the add-ons, the math/LA/science substitutions that take longer, the extra-curricular activities, or dc not being accurately placed and therefore mom needing to step in to do things dc were meant to do (i.e. reading aloud middle school history and science books - which takes much more time than middle school/high school students reading these independently silently; or even moms doing all the writing for dc). Just thought I'd mention this, as it's good to consider if a person is actually doing HOD as written when that person is critiquing the length of day.

On the flip side, HOD is going to feel short if a person only does small portions of it. If a person looks at it as only a reading program with just a bunch of great books to just read aloud to the kiddos, and that person skips all of the follow-ups, does only a small portion of what's written, skips the writing or does all of the writing for dc, skips the hands-on, skips the experiments, skips the hands-on math, skips the oral narrations, skips the history projects, skips the teaching portions and discussions, skips DITHOR, skips Storytime follow-ups, well... the day will be very short, the assessments will have been skipped, important skills and growth will be missed, and all of that awesome learning that could have taken place will have gone by the wayside. Thankfully that is quite rare with HOD users! HOD moms are simply the best. They love their kiddos and want the best for them, and they are very willing to invest their time in teaching HOD to its fullest. Ok, I may be biased, but I really do think HOD moms are some of the most joyful, Christ-filled, inspiring ladies homeschooling! God truly is blessing HOD with His delight!!! HTH!

In Christ,
Julie

[my3sons]

Julie,
Thank you for that sweet, heartfelt post about work-ethic and what the day looks like for your high schooler! It really encouraged me. I want my kids to be both hard workers and joyful and I think the two just might go hand in hand.

Thank you mamanlait! I am so glad that my Dad can continue to be an inspiration to my sons even though he is now with our Father in heaven. I agree - hard work and joy do go hand in hand! Thank you for your kind words here.

Love in Christ,
Julie