How long to completely set up your year?

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  • July 6, 2011 at 6:26 pm
    Misty
    Participant

    I was just wondering if my overly organized, compulsion is out of control? ! Laughing

    So I am wondering from start to finish and for me that means everything is ready for the year.  The only thing I don’t do prior to starting is the art things, I do that as they come up.  But books, things for our book of centuries (all cut out and ready), there check sheets, anything bound and copied. 

    How long does it take?  It seems like I take forever?  I can’t do it all at once I really only do it during nap times and some evenings if I want but I feel like I put in way more than others?  Am I over doing something ? I don’t re-do things or anything like that.  I do put contact paper over new books that will be used year after year with my multiple kids.  I only have to make answer sheets for new things (none to do this year) and at 7th grade they just get a blank notebook. 

    So why do I feel like it is forever?  I know mom’s who say they do it a week before school?  AHHH I’d never get everything ready in a week unless I had the week to do it uninterupted.  What are your thoughts? 

    July 6, 2011 at 7:38 pm
    mom2fourboys
    Participant

    I imagine that you will get a wide variety of answers because it really depends upon the type of person who is doing the planning. Some people really don’t plan they just wing it and others plan down to every last minute of the day. Of course there are all other kinds of planners in between those two extremes. As for me, I fall somewhere in the middle. I am an organized person in general, so I tend to organize my school year accordingly. I think it took me about a month to plan this upcoming school year. That includes ordering and waiting for books to come in so I could organize, read, and plan them. I am following SCM for the most part except for math and grammar. I used their free curriculum guide and it saved me oodles of time.  I must also mention that I didn’t spend every waking hour planning during that month. I have four boys and one of them is a toddler, so I would just work on things during the down time. At least twice a week I would also pack one or two subjects in a bag and head off to the park with the boys. They played, I planned and we all got a little sun. This year’s planning went much smoother and quicker than in the past and I have to thank SCM and this awesome forum for that. As far as you feeling like you take forever, please don’t feel that way. Every family and their educational needs are different. Take your time, enjoy the process and don’t compare yourself to other people. If you try to speed through the planning just to get it done you may miss something that would greatly benefit you or your children’s lives.

    Tammy

    July 6, 2011 at 8:26 pm
    simple home
    Member

    I agrre with Tammy. Don’t worry about it. It is just part of schooling. I have asked the same question about myself, and here is what I concluded. Since I want to set my own curriculum choices and customize it for each of my children’s learning style, it takes me a bit longer than just having something prepackaged. I have tried doing all in one curriculum in order to avoid longer planning, but I end up not sticking with it for various learning reasons and end up wasting my money on some of it. The longer I homeschool, the more I get used to choosing the right thing for each child and time is not as much as it used to be. But even so, I still take a lot of increments of time planning because I can’t “lick” it in one long chunk of time as i have multiple kids under my feet. I do try to have one weekend sans kids to organize before the official year begins, and that is fun! My hubby is great to allow me that time to concentrate. I call it “teacher inservice”. 🙂

    July 6, 2011 at 10:52 pm
    Heather
    Participant

    This is my first year planning on my own, well, on my own with the SCM Free Curriculum guide, that is!Wink  It has taken longer this summer, in fact I just put all of the pieces in my homemade planner today (and we start school in 2 weeks)!  I was getting a bit overwhelmed at first.  I went through each subject and broke each one down into a yearly lesson plan, including library hold books and everything.  Since this is my first year without “school in a box” I had to make up all of my own planning forms, etc.  I feel so relieved now that I am through it.  Next year will go more smoothly, I think!

    I know planning it all is definitely more time consuming, but it is oh so worth it to me.  Getting the box in the mail with all of the new books, daily pre-made plans (and hefty price tag) always was very exciting and worked great for a few weeks but left us wanting so much more!

    July 7, 2011 at 3:30 am
    stsawyer
    Member

    I feel like I’m probably a lot like you. I plan A LOT during the summer. In years past, I haven’t been as ready as I wanted to be and then when life got in the way during the school year, I was beating myself up wishing that I had finished my planning and organizing. THis year, a friend and I have been meeting one day a week throughout the summer to go through SCM school planner. We are now working through each individual term for each child. It’s a lot of work, but we are both hoping this will help out during the year. She is not the type A personality I am and seeing her need to be more prepared has given me hope that I’m not crazy. Good luck!

    July 7, 2011 at 5:09 am
    my3boys
    Participant

    I take a long time to plan as well.  I spend lots to time off and on throughout the summer(s) to plan but I’d like to do a better job (perfectionism anyone??) so that my next school year is smoother.  I know it can’t be perfect but I know where I fall short and I know that those days when I have know idea what I’m doing is due to my poor planning!  So, you’re not alone.

    July 7, 2011 at 6:57 am
    cedargirl
    Participant

    HAHA! I am planning obsessed this year (which is really no different from other years). I start the online & catty (catalog) research in early April so I have my “look at it in hand” list ready for the home school convention. I normally would be knee deep in my SCM 5 steps worksheets by now. This year’s postal strike has put a wrench in the process as I am still awaiting several little packages. I try my best to be totally set by the end of July so August is restful. I flip flop over curriculum choices for a while, it’s ridiculous really. But once it all is ordered and arrives I get my lists made, supply forage, organize, and work through the details. I love the process though. I am a curriculum junkie. I think I come by it honestly though (eh, H&H?! Wink)

    I think it,s important to do what you need to do to get your year in it’s best chance for learning flow. it makes me more confident in teaching, my children more eager to learn when I am stoked, and helps when life gets too lifey and we stay on course!

    July 7, 2011 at 5:25 pm
    HeidiS
    Participant

    I am a curriculum junkie and proud of it 🙂 I also am very odd because I LOVE the planning process- much more than the implementation! When I am planning everything works. I don’t have to account for personality coming out and ‘not liking’ that book, or face the fact that the …program I ordered isn’t working. Nope, it just all lines up, after tons of work, smiles up at me from my typed or printed page and is, well, wonderful. Then LIFE hits…Undecidedkids get sick, I start a program that seemed wonderful but didn’t fit quite right, or a myriad of other things happen. But hey, when I am planning, I love it, so I stick to my CM planner because I have the most chance of success with that and I enjoy myself. Hey, a girl can dream can’t she Wink

     Oh, and honestly, I do put in hours and hours during the summer, and it mostly works out OK- I just know life is gonna happen and all we can do is be as prepared as we can and enjoy the ride because they are going to grow up and be just fine! I have my 3 olders to thank for my confidence. Just do what feels right for you- don’t sweat anyone elses plan. I would LOVE to have a planning partner to go through my CM planner with me but my closest hope is miles and miles and oh, like 108 miles away…so if you can team up, enjoy!

    July 7, 2011 at 5:54 pm
    Misty
    Participant

    Glad to hear I;m not the only one who spends hours planning.

    Hiedi, I totally loved your post.  I feel the same way.  It all works out so nice on paper and things flow so well.  So why when school actually starts doesn’t it work that way?? LOL

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