Maybe a silly question? I need to relax!

[psreit]

I finally got things figured out as far as keeping a log, and that has helped tremendously. But, I am thinking now about how long our school year would go if we do a complete guide. We started Beyond in August and my original plans were to get the guide completed by May. However, as usual, I find that we aren't working through as fast as I thought we would. Some days we don't get everything done for different reasons, so I do catchup the next and even try to do another day. This week we only got two days completed because of a funeral, co-op one day, etc. I know for elementary, our district only wants to see 180 days of school and not necessarily the amount of work in a certain subject. If I did math and reading, I could count it as a day. But, I have been reluctant to do that. I guess I feel I need to do everything in the guide to count as a day. I know there are many who do half speed. I don't feel we need to do that, but because of other educational opportunities and field trips, I know we will be hard pressed to get through the guide by May. I guess I just need to be reassured that it's okay if we don't get it complete and then pick up with it again in August. Maybe we would do a little here and there through the summer, just to keep things fresh. If we don't work in the guide on a certain day because of appts. or something, I could still do math and have her read. Then we wouldn't necessarily be 'skipping school', but I just find it odd to count that as a day of school. But, another lady in our district said that's okay. I just don't want it to be overwhelming to get through the guide by a certain time, and yet give dd an adequate education for the year.

[mamas4bugs]

There are many of us who don't complete guides in an Aug-May school year. There are folks who only do the guides on a 4 day schedule, so that the first 3-4 guides all take longer over a regular year each. There are those of us who school year round, so that we aren't on any sort of a regular schedule at all.

Now in our 10th year of homeschooling, I have decided that unless the state specifically says I must complete certain subjects every day, I as the teacher get to decide what constitutes a school day.

You're dd is still young. As long as you are moving steadily forward, I wouldn't stress over the guide not getting done by May. Just pic it back up after the break and continue on.

[Heidi in AK]

I agree with the PP. I don't live in a state that requires accountability, but if I did, I would consider that even in the best schools perfect learning does not happen every day. I would count it as a day of school if we were engaged in learning of any type, from chores to behavior while out, to nature walks, etc.

[pjdobro]

I agree with the pps that any day that learning takes place can be considered a school day. Field trips are school days. They do that in ps. I have even heard of movie days at ps. So I think you can easily count days when you just do reading and math as school days. As far as finishing the guide by May, I don't think you need to worry about that. Just pick it back up again when you start school again. I know Julie has said that they have done this, and it makes the start of the next school year that much easier because you are coming back to a familiar guide. I know you have older children that you've graduated so you know that slow and steady wins the race.

[MelInKansas]

Our state has the same requirement, 180 days of instruction. I too have discovered that what counts as instruction is in fact anything that is learning. Your co-op should count. Any sports/games/walks/etc count as P.E. time. Any time at all that you spend reading to her, any kind of reading for any reason. Cooking together, cleaning together. We usually can get a whole day's worth in the guide finished in one day, but we have taken more days off than I had planned, for various reasons. Any day that either I do anything in the guide, or the co-op day, I count as a school day.

HTH

[psreit]

Thanks, everyone. I do count field trips and co-op, but I just have this hangup that when doing HOD, I need to get all of it done to count as a day. I know that isn't so, but I just needed to be reassured. When homeschooling the older dc, we were in the traditional mode, but I know we didn't do every subject every single day, and when they got to high school there were specifics that I could follow without worrying about what was done in a single day. Like I said, I need to relax. If I keep the mindset that we don't HAVE to complete the guide by May will make school more relaxing and also help me to feel good about days we can't get it all done and gives freedom to throw in a day now and then when we can cook. and clean, and take a walk. If I didn't have this network, I would be fretting about this. Thanks for helping me think positively about this.

[kamariden]

Your question got me to thinking. Here are days which I remember from my years in public school, which I know they counted:
field trips
assemblies that took nearly half the day (and there were a LOT of them - fundraisers, pep rallies, special guests, etc.)
picture day
DARE Program days
Jog-a-thons
student body speeches (prior to electing president, vp, secretary, treasurer, etc)
Career Center visits
Library Orientations
School Plays (yes, during school hours)

That's just off the top of my head, not to mention the countless wasted hours waiting for roll call or other administrative tasks to be complete. So I guess you can gather that I agree with PP. There are many ways of deciding what counts as a "school day".

HTH!
-K

[my3sons]

You sure hit the nail on the head here, kamariden!

Your question got me to thinking. Here are days which I remember from my years in public school, which I know they counted:
field trips
assemblies that took nearly half the day (and there were a LOT of them - fundraisers, pep rallies, special guests, etc.)
picture day
DARE Program days
Jog-a-thons
student body speeches (prior to electing president, vp, secretary, treasurer, etc)
Career Center visits
Library Orientations
School Plays (yes, during school hours)

You got me thinking about my 7 years teaching in ps, and the list goes on and on...
Junior achievement
fire drills
tornado drills
fire department "smokehouse" visited school; practice calling 911
school talent contests
scholastic books description/order process/delivery
student teachers interviewing students
parents sharing this or that
Dr. Seus day
school cleanup day
special speakers
conservation day (plant a tree)
counselor's visit to the classroom to teach lessons
Humane society visits with pets
class holiday parties

This is one of the reasons I was frustrated with teaching in ps. I could not get enough time to teach! We'd be sitting at some talent contest for half a day (with some pretty vulgar talents being portrayed I might add - think lip syncing to Madonna), and I'd be thinking how I could carve out more time to help little Johnny learn to read. Anyway, I agree with the pp, as long as dc are moving forward at a good pace that fits their needs, you are fine.

In Christ,
Julie

[Heidi in AK]

I agree with Julie! I was thinking the same thing yesterday, but my computer was off-limits at the time! It is amazing how LITTLE teaching time occurs in the schools, actually! And they do count every day, whether good learning occurs or not.

[water2wine]

You sure hit the nail on the head here, kamariden!

Your question got me to thinking. Here are days which I remember from my years in public school, which I know they counted:
field trips
assemblies that took nearly half the day (and there were a LOT of them - fundraisers, pep rallies, special guests, etc.)
picture day
DARE Program days
Jog-a-thons
student body speeches (prior to electing president, vp, secretary, treasurer, etc)
Career Center visits
Library Orientations
School Plays (yes, during school hours)

You got me thinking about my 7 years teaching in ps, and the list goes on and on...
Junior achievement
fire drills
tornado drills
fire department "smokehouse" visited school; practice calling 911
school talent contests
scholastic books description/order process/delivery
student teachers interviewing students
parents sharing this or that
Dr. Seus day
school cleanup day
special speakers
conservation day (plant a tree)
counselor's visit to the classroom to teach lessons
Humane society visits with pets
class holiday parties

Oh my gosh and do not forget testing! Our ps has 50 total testing days. Thirty are regular testing and we are talking skills testing (BTW my state lied on those ) and then make up testing days. The normal child would not miss 50 days a year but special needs kids did because they did not have to take the tests (at least my dd did not) and then the special ed teacher was pulled out for the make up days to give tests to kids that took the tests but needed modification of some sort. So my learning delayed child got a whopping 130 days of school many of which were further depleted with some of the things listed above and most of the time with instruction she could not even understand. But even when you add all that ridiculous testing to the average child and all these other things it really adds up. It would be really hard for you to do less instruction than the average ps in my state. So do not let worry take your joy. You will be great.

[psreit]

OK! OK! You convinced me! I'm not fretting anymore! Really, I am going to keep moving along and we'll finish Beyond when we can get through it without pushing for 'days of school'. I want dd to enjoy HOD days, so, I need to be careful not to make it 'we have to get school done'. She can usually get all of the work finished in one day, but if we only get half of it finished certain days, we'll count it as a day. Thanks for all the support!