By Jeanne Noorman / Grand Rapids Homeschooling Examiner (CLICK to read more)"If the quote “For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned, ” is true, than homeschoolers would be well advised to spend time organizing their time.
With academics, enrichment classes such as music and PE, and extra-curricular activities to coordinate for each student in the home along with daily and weekly household tasks (cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping), doctor’s appointments, church commitments and more, time management skills and/or a time management system are essential in achieving a balance in your homeschool. Stephen R. Covey, best-selling author of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, comments that “the best thinking in the area of time management can be captured in a single phrase: Organize and execute around priorities.”
Priorities in a homeschool will vary according to the ages of the students and the dynamics of the family. A working mother will have to schedule school around her paying job; while a stay-at-home mom can be more flexible with her schedule. Other aspects to be taken into consideration when setting priorities in the homeschool household are learning styles, homeschooling methods and curriculum choices. Active, younger children and those with shorter attention spans will need regular breaks while doing their school work. These short breaks can be utilized by mom to do quick household chores such as changing a load of laundry, unloading the dishwasher or returning a phone call. Older students should be able to work independently for longer stretches of time.
CLICK on the full article link above for a few time management tips offered by experienced homeschoolers."
