Are We Behind In Our Homeschool? {week 28 lesson plans and recap}
This is week 28 in a year long series, all about lesson planning in an interest-led homeschool. Each week, I share a recap of last week’s plan vs. reality. I also include our new lesson plan for the upcoming week.
My child had to ask me how to write a date again this morning.
Is it day first or month first?
I answered him calmly, but inside, I was flat freaking out. My very first thought was, “I have totally failed this child.” That was soon followed by, “You have no idea what you are doing,” and then again, “You have totally failed him.”
After taking a deep breath, I talked myself down off the ledge.
He has a processing disorder and is profoundly dyslexic. You have covered this before, but it hasn’t totally sunk in yet. It will, just like when he finally started reading. It just takes more time than usual. You’ve got time. He’s going to be OK.
Are We Behind In Our Homeschool?
I was asked if we were behind a few weeks ago when I shared my son’s real high school transcript. On paper, it’s hard to tell. You might look at us and feel bad because your child isn’t performing at the same level.
Don’t. Seriously.
I would never say we are behind, but this is only because a few years ago, I simply gave up on measuring my son’s progress against any formal grade requirements.
Related Post: When Your Child Isn’t At Grade Level
Is my son academically on track compared to most kids heading into their sophomore year? Of course not.
It scares the daylights out of me if I think too much about it, so I don’t. Instead, I remind myself that I know several moms whose kids are in public school, navigating learning differences, and they feel the exact same way.
There is no perfect solution or magic wand we can wave.
What If Your Child Is Behind?
The only advice I have for you today, especially after realizing we need to add practicing dates back into our lesson plans, is this:
Focus on making progress, not on the finish line itself.
For example, my child has spent the better part of seven months trying to finish and memorize the information necessary to take his written driver’s permit test. The recommended course timeline is 4-6 weeks. Seven months, and he still has a ways to go.
I hope these weekly recaps help you see that progress necessarily looks different from one child to the next. That progress has nothing to do with timelines, test scores or grade levels, and everything to do with showing up and doing the best you can for your child.
Please, let me tell you the same thing I told myself this morning.
You’ve got time. Your child is going to be OK.
Last Week’s Homeschool Lesson Plans vs. Reality:
Monday
THE PLAN
- YouTube Video
- Drivers Ed
- Blood Plasma Infusion – 4 hours
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED
- YouTube Video – Music Theory
- Drivers Ed
- Blood Plasma Infusion – 4 hours
Tuesday
THE PLAN
- Audiobook and Discussion
- Social Time with friends at school – 1 hour
- Art class – 1 hour
- Voice class – 1 hour
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED
- Audiobook and Discussion
- Social Time with friends at school – 1 hour
- Art class – 1 hour
- Voice class – 1 hour
- James Webb Telescope Pictures and Discussion
- Dark Matter Lesson (from science teacher at private school)
Wednesday
THE PLAN
- Physical Therapy – 2 hours
- Drivers Ed
- Meeting with youngest to discuss his subject preferences for next year (10th grade!)
- Everyday Finance
- Current Events Discussion – read and discuss various news reports
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED
- Physical Therapy – 2 hours
- Audiobook and Discussion
- 10th Grade Planning Meeting (more to come)
- Free trial of Vocabulary Quest
- Played Trekking Through History
Thursday
THE PLAN
- Audiobook and Discussion
- Social Time with friends at school – 1 hour
- Art class – 1 hour
- Rock Climbing Class – 2 hours
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED
- Audiobook and Discussion
- Trip to Guitar Store with my oldest
- Social Time with friends – 1 hour
- Art class – 1 hour
- Rock Climbing class – 2 hours
Friday
THE PLAN
- Driver’s Ed
- History – taught by brother (maybe no more genocides for now…)
- YouTube Video – their choice and educational
- Audiobook and discussion
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED
- Drivers Ed
- Audiobook and discussion
- Everyday Finance
- History with Brother – WW2 Historian Breaks Down Movies
- YouTube – Music Technology
Our Homeschool Lesson Plans For This Week
Monday
- YouTube Video
- Drivers Ed Lesson
- Blood Plasma Infusion – 4 hours
Reference Notes: Every Monday, my son has subcutaneous immunoglobin infusions. This means we typically keep learning to a minimum.
Tuesday
- Audiobook and Discussion
- Social Time with friends at school – 1 hour
- Art class – 1 hour
- Voice class – 1 hour
Reference Notes: My son attends classes on both Tuesday and Thursday at a specialized private school.
Wednesday
- Physical Therapy – 2 hours
- Drivers Ed
- Meeting with youngest to discuss his subject preferences for next year (10th grade!)
- Everyday Finance
- Current Events Discussion – read and discuss various news reports
Thursday
- Audiobook and Discussion
- Social Time with friends at school – 1 hour
- Art class – 1 hour
- Rock Climbing Class – 2 hours
Reference Notes: We spend Thursdays in lessons mostly outside our home. My son attends a program on Thursday afternoons through a local private school and then has rock climbing practice about an hour away. We use the car time to our advantage as much as possible.
Friday
- Driver’s Ed
- History – taught by brother (maybe no more genocides for now…)
- YouTube Video – their choice and educational
- Audiobook and discussion
Some years back, I decided to ditch the grade level timetable. It dawned on me that although my asynchronistic learner was light years ahead of his peers in some areas, he has always needed more time to reach other milestones. If it took him years longer to ride a bike, or tie his shoes, why should I expect him to be on the same conveyor belt speed as other kids? After all, that was why we left school. To have the freedom to move at our own pace. Because he is on the ASD spectrum, our province allows us to take extra time to complete all 12 years of learning. This made me realize that the finish line for us does not HAVE to be an arbitrary date. Having said that, I do understand your date writing panic. Having neglected bookwork for years, I recently realized that my son’s penmanship had fallen off a cliff. But then, one of his same age public school friends mentioned that he can’t spell, print, read or write properly and he has been in a classroom for 7 years longer than my son! I think realizing that all kids will have gaps in their education, in or out of school, helps me panic less these days. While we may be “behind” in some areas, looking at the way my son has grown emotionally, spiritually, and personally I realize…THIS is what truly matters and why homeschooling is so worth it.