Written by contributor Kris of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers
You know those homeschooling families that get up before the sun, do their morning chores, have a big hearty breakfast, and start school by 8:00?
Yeah, we’re not one of those.
Not that there is anything wrong with being one of those families. To be honest, I can see many benefits in being early risers and many days I wish we were. However, we just aren’t.
We’re a family full of night owls who aren’t especially friendly before at least 10:00. We start slowly in the mornings, we don’t like to eat for the first couple of hours that we’re up (well, except me — I’ve learned to eat early since I’ve started running), and we need some time to warm up before anyone can expect more than grunts that pass for conversation from most of us.
That’s why part of making school simple for us means that we don’t start school at 8 AM. Or 9 AM. Or even 10 AM. On a good day, we start by 11 AM.
I used to stress over our late-starting tendencies. I used to try to get everyone up and get school started by a time that is more socially acceptable in both homeschooling and public schooling circles. Those attempts resulted in a stressed-out, grumpy mom and sleepy, irritable kids.
So, I quit forcing a routine that didn’t suit our family.
We are night owls. Period. One of the benefits of homeschooling is that we can work by the schedule that best fits our family. We do our best work in the afternoon, so why fight that? I once asked my husband about our schedule and he actually prefers the days when we aren’t quite finished with school when he gets home. It allows him time to unwind before the kids are demanding his attention.
So, I usually get the kids up sometime between 10:00 and 10:30, after I’ve had my quiet time and my morning run. We do some basic household chores, have our Bible lesson, and do some light schoolwork before stopping for lunch around noon when they’re typically ready to eat. Then, in the afternoon, we tackle the bulk of our schoolwork.
Do I worry that my kids won’t be able to handle a more typical schedule when they get older and have jobs? No. I worked a traditional first shift job before I became a stay-at-home mom. I didn’t like getting up early, but I adapted and so will they. They may not even have to adapt. After all, somebody has to work those second and third shift jobs.
Does it get hectic sometimes? Occasionally, when we have commitments in the early afternoon and evening. Usually, though, we just adjust our schedule when we have to. We’re homeschoolers; we’re flexible. We may not like it, but we are capable of getting an early start.
For the most part, though, I have come to terms with the fact that our homeschool may not look like other families’ homeschools – at least, not between the hours of 8 and 11 AM – but that’s okay. It’s not supposed to because it’s our homeschool based on our family’s needs.
That means it looks just the way it’s supposed to look – for us.
What time does your family usually start school?
I cannot say how many hours a day we spend in actual school… but it isn’t nearly enough compared to my kids school-going peers… we start way too late in the day and finish way too early for anyone to think that we are are actually getting any education done!!! We are barely breathing before ten/ten-thirty in the morning… Though lately we have been starting at eleven sharp because an hour of workbooks and an hour of reading and journaling means that we can be finished school in time for lunch at 1pm. Two hours a day of formalish seat work is more than enough and most people wouldn’t call what we do before or after that school… but that’s when my kids are constructing with legos and building forts and researching the latest book they are writing or painting or crafting or playing games… or heaven forbid down the road playing in the rock pools at the beach, listening to audio books, practicing musical instruments, reading library books, cleaning tanks at the local aquarium… no not school/educational at all!!!
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We have a somewhat out-of-norm schedule but it’s on the early side. Our kids, no matter what time they go to bed, wake before 6 a.m. So we just go to bed early, all of us, and are deep into math by 7 a.m. and off to the academic races after that.
I always sort of hope when neighbors see my children bopping around outdoors at 1 or 2 they realize the kids started school before many people have brewed their first cup of coffee. I know I don’t need to feel guilty but I try to find a way to mention it lest they think we’re slackers. 🙂
We start school in the afternoons whenever my littlest goes down for her nap. We’re all happier that way!
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We tend to begin at about 10am, as my daughter has always been a night owl (and hubby too). We do tend to run out of time for everything on many days, because we have many afternoon commitments. I have not yet found the perfect balance of timing our days, as it does seem like we are scrambling or not getting finished on many days.
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When we first started 8 years ago, we started at 8:00. Now I work a few days a week early mornings and get off at 9:00 a.m. so we will start a little after 9.
That’s nice that you share with others that you can homeschool the way that works best for your family. 🙂
THANK YOU!!! This practically brought tears to my eyes. Such a relief to know that we’re not the only ones. I have five children ages 4 months-8 years and we are so not morning people! Our schedule has always been “different” from even our homeschool friends. Such a relief. I’m not going to feel guilty about it any more!
I am homeschooling my 13 year old son because he has severe IBS and would struggle to attend school. He is sick every morning and only begins to feel better in the early hours of the afternoon so we work around his illness. I have always felt somewhat apologetic for not being a “perfect” scheduled homeschoolers but stories like yours help to relieve that stress.
LOVE THIS!
We have been the same way. . .except we hide it! LOL
Well, not anymore, but we used to. . . you know, when the phone rings at 9:30 am (!!!) you try to answer it all chipper like you’ve been awake for hours and nearly done with school?
And about adaptability. . .when my son started college, he had NO trouble adapting to getting up at 6:30 am after the first week. Me, on the other hand, well that’s a whole ‘nother talk show.
Thanks for writing this article!
Since my son is a teenager and I work nights, school around 11 works better for us too. That s the beauty of homeschooling, the ability to adapt to your day. Isn’t this a nice skill to teach to our children!
Thank you so much for this article! Its so nice to know that we’re not the only ones that get up and get started later. My daughter used to be a morning person but since she’s been a teen that has changed. I read an article that said when teens sleep later they do better at school. Since we homeschool we can definitely do that.
So glad to hear we are not the only night owls out there!! We start school around 11am and stay up until 11pm. It seems to work better with my children’s internal clocks. Of course, I love a good nights sleep and love that my kids like to sleep late!
We are lucky to start before noon. Allowing my little night owls to sleep in lets me work (since I work from home) and blog. It also lets me finish up last minute stuff and relax a bit before having to deal with those days when they just aren’t excited about anything. I’m an early bird by nature, I’ve learned that my children aren’t so I don’t try to force it on them.
Thanks for sharing this article! We are night owls too. Also we can’t get going until about 9 or 10 and I feel guilty some. This article helped me see that it’s a family fit that matters most.
This is fantastic. We are not all the same! People ask me about our homeschool and typical day all the time and I say my husband is a night owl so that’s how the kids turned out for the most part and so I go to bed earlier, wake up at 6:30 and do my paying work from home. Then we start way later. Nobody should feel guilty about this. We should feel lucky and happy! This is homeschool freedom!
Yay, someone else with this schedule! I was feeling so guilty because we too are not early risers, most days we start homeschool between 10 and 10:30 or later. Even then, my youngest child (12) is yawning and tired, so it’s a real struggle (she is also autistic). Now I see it’s okay to have this schedule! So glad to not be the only one!