Loop?

One way to tackle homeschooling is with a loop schedule.  You go through your list of subjects until say noon.  Didn't get to everything?  No problem.  When you start school the next day you just pick up where you left off.

Example:  Your list includes math, Latin, grammar, writing, and German, but you had to stop after grammar due to a doctor's appointment.  The next day you would start with writing, move on to German, and then start the loop over again with math.

This sounds wonderful and I think this would help me relax.  But (there's always a "but" right?), not one of my kids is independent.  Yes, I even have to tutor the 15 yo one-on-one.  This is more a parenting problem than an academic one.  The 15yo is, I believe, being passive aggressive.  She doesn't want to do the work (even when a written list is presented to her), so she conveniently forgets.  Suddenly it's bedtime, etc. and she has done very little of her school work.  I finally figured out that I had to tutor her in order for her to move forward.

Individually tutoring each child every day is tiring.  I enjoy working with them one-on-one.  It forms a special bond between us as we learn together, and I know exactly what they are learning.  At the same time, I feel fried by the end of the school day.  I feel used up, drained.  Consequently supper has become a hit or miss occurrence which is discouraging for Dad when he arrives home tired and hungry from a long day at work.

If I can accept the fact that we won't finish the loop every day then I think it would be a good fit for us.  It would allow me to tutor my kids without the pressure of feeling that I have to cram in x, y, and z before we can finish for the day.  Also, I would know that we are progressing, moving forward.  Maybe we won't be "on track" but at least I'll know that we are heading in the right direction.

I have to let go of the notion of being "behind."  This should be about learning not about ticking off a to-do list.