When to Stop and Smell the Roses

There comes a time in every homeschool year, when parents give a deep sigh, look toward Heaven and cry out, “Please Lord! Make it stop!”

That of course begs the question, when CAN you stop? When are you done for the year?

Here is a quick tip. 80% done is completely and officially “done.”

Public school teachers go through four years of college and learn that they are expected to complete about 80% of the curriculum. Think about your average textbook for a minute. The last few chapters are often supplemental, or beyond what is expected. That’s just in case the teacher finishes too quickly, and needs more material to fill the year. And the first few chapters are usually review, in case the previous year’s teacher didn’t finish the curriculum, or the children have forgotten much of what they learned.

I mentioned this on facebook, and Carol wrote: “As a former public school physics and math teacher, I learned that no one is expected to finish the text. So much is jammed into those books to make everyone happy that there is not enough time in a school year to teach it all. So don’t sweat it.”

So when a homeschool teacher decides to end school after completing 80% of the curriculum, that’s OK. Public school teachers decide in advance which 80% of the curriculum they might skip. You can simply decided on our 80% retroactively – Hahaha!

Parents get to choose when they are done for the year. Like many homeschoolers, I always finished books too, but I think it’s important to have the freedom to stop for summer when your sanity is on the line

If you are ready to break, maybe you can just stop soon.

Maybe now is a good time to stop and smell the roses!

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