Preview: Homeschool teacher workdays can diminish your stress level. Learn what you need to know to take advantage of them in your homeschool.
Finding time to plan your homeschool year can be challenging given the demands on your time and energy.
I haven’t always scheduled teacher workdays. When we first started homeschooling, I tried to finalize details for the upcoming term during our term exam week and plan for the upcoming school year in my spare time.
What I discovered is that I felt frazzled trying to plan school lessons alongside normal activities. Then, one day I had a revelation. Teachers in a traditional school setting have dedicated workdays to prepare for the start of the school, manage records, plan for upcoming terms, and wrap up the school year.
We, as home educators, need to do these tasks too. And we, too, can schedule teacher workdays into our school year. (Be sure to check your state’s laws first, but most have a provision for this.)
Now, I schedule teacher workdays throughout our school year. In this article, I’ll share with you what to do on homeschool teacher workdays and how to schedule them into your school year.
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What To Do On Homeschool Teacher Workdays
You can use workdays for whatever you need to do related to homeschool planning. Examples include:
- Planning the next school year
- Planning term exams
- Completing term evaluations
- Planning the next term’s lessons
- Gathering supplies for the upcoming term
- Attending a homeschool convention or online workshop as a teacher development day.
Oklahoma regulations state that we can take up to five days as homeschool teacher workdays. My days generally break down as:
- 2-3 days (20-40 hours) per year planning for the upcoming homeschool year
- 1 day per term (2-3 per year) for the following tasks
- 1 hour planning term exams
- 1 hour evaluating and making adjustments to our plans
Additionally, I set aside some time each week for weekly maintenance tasks. I do not count these times as part of my workdays, but I do plan it into my schedule.
- 15-30 minutes each week to schedule lessons for the upcoming week
- 30-90 minutes each week for homeschool teacher continuing education
You will probably not accomplish everything you need to do as a home educator during these scheduled teacher workdays. I don’t. But taking a few days off from planned lessons to focus on the administrative tasks associated with homeschooling can diminish your stress level significantly.
How To Schedule Homeschool Teacher Workdays
How can you schedule teacher workdays? There are many options, and which one you choose will depend on your circumstances. Here are a few ideas to help you think about how you might implement teacher workdays.
- Talk to your spouse about the importance of making time to plan. Discuss how you may need some time alone to think and process. Ask if you could go away for a day or a weekend or if your spouse or a grandparent could take the children on a field trip so you can have uninterrupted time to plan.
- Schedule a time when a friend can watch your children for a couple of hours. Then trade and allow her some time for a teacher workday.
- Find an interesting documentary for your children to watch.
- Schedule an annual planning weekend with friends. (Pro tip: Set a goal of what you want to accomplish during the weekend so you can stay focused and not spend too much time talking.)
- Allow your children to finish projects or work on individual interests.
Do you have questions about homeschooling?
Watch the FREE Homeschool 101 Workshop. It’s an on-demand workshop you can watch at your convenience.
Ready to start homeschooling but not sure how?
Check out the Homeschool Roadmap. It walks you through establishing your homeschool with confidence and joy, one step at a time.
