The Ogburn Online School

Homeschooling can be a life-changing experience for your child, provided a perfect schedule is devised for the course. Preparing a proper schedule needs hours of quiet introspection, when the child himself creates it. In case of elementary school students, parents take up the task. They are the closest to the child to know his learning habits, so it is justified. However, creating a day-to-day schedule in a meticulous manner might require the supplementary assistance of the online counselor or instructors who shall be able to guide from a professional point of view. Proper planning shall make the learning environment hassle-free and anxiety-free for the child. A schedule can render an organizational frame to the entire coursework. The scheduling may be a conventional one or done in an innovative manner. The more personalized it is, the better. Certain things you need to keep in your mind while preparing the schedule, as follows:

• Child’s learning pace:Learning pace involves certain characteristics of the child to take into account such as whether the child is a slow learner or a fast one to grasp things.

• Child’s short-term and long-term goals:Short-term goals might include goals like completing 10 lessons every week. Long term goal might be to aim for maximum grade in the final assessment.

• Child’s learning style:It might include facts such as whether the child learns better during early mornings or in the evenings. Also, one needs to make sure whether the child is a visual, auditory or kinesthetic learner. Depending on this quality, the method of the learning has to be determined, be it video lectures, audio books or group activities.

• Feasibility:The scheduling might be stringent or flexible, but one thing has to be kept in mind that it should be humanly attainable. The child should be able to execute the plan on a daily basis. A specific time-frame should be spared as resting or leisure time.

• Family:You need to think about your family calendar as well. In case during the summers, you and your family have planned a visit to the countryside, you can assign fewer tasks pertaining to the coursework for that time-duration and make up for it in the latter part of the month.

• No stress:The essence of online homeschooling in itself is the zero-stress policy. So, follow it and make the schedule such a way that it does not bring any kind of work stress to the kid. You can schedule certain field trips or other fun-filled activities to provide some respite from the challenging coursework.

• Alteration:The schedule might be subject to tailoring, depending on whether it works effectively for the student. In case, it does not, you need to make major amendments while taking suggestions from the online faculty members.

• Stimulate the child’s mind:Try not to repeat the same sequence of activities or tasks every single day. Monotony is the reason why the child is opting out of a traditional class environment. So, try to do the scheduling in such a way that it holds the interest of the child throughout the course.

For a specific course, first you need to consider your goals, followed by your subjects, followed by the learning methods that you shall implement. Finally comes the compartmentalization of time for the whole week accordingly.Make sure that the hardcore Study-time should not be disrupted at any cost. Make all possible arrangements or restrictions to let the study-time remain smooth and consistent. It might involve little sacrifices such as keeping the phone switched off during that time, not meeting visitors at home, not turning on the T.V., browsing the internet for entertainment news and trimming other digital distractions not related to studies in any way. Of course it won’t be an easy job to do but your purpose or goal should control you from such temptations. Always think about the end result and take action accordingly in the present times.Your type of perfect schedule should reflect your personality. In case you are the most systematic and organized individual on the planet, your schedule has to be very meticulous, taking care of your to-be tasks every hour. In case you are a fan of the concepts of flexibility and liberation, you might be more comfortable with an easy-fitting schedule which is subjected to alteration as per your learning ability for a particular day.However, a schedule need not be such a stringent outline of your tasks throughout the course. Maintaining a weekly or monthly checklist of certain tasks works fine as well for many students. Your main purpose should be to keep a healthy track of your progress. So whatever works for you, embrace that.Maintaining a record of your attendance is a must, else things might get haywire. In case you miss two weekdays in between, it would be easy for you to cover up and maintain the flow of the coursework, if you have your attendance record. Generally, parents take charge of keeping the track of attendance. However, you can do it yourself as well.An online homeschool schedule need not be extravagantly loaded. Remember, it will make your child run away just the way he had run away from the conventional classes! An ideal schedule should be such that it should inspire you and most importantly, you. It might be too simple or too loose in others’ eyes, but for you it should reinforce your drive within a second.Daily homeschool schedules have to be specially designed for children with learning disabilities, dyslexia, autism or other special needs. Parental intervention is a must in these cases.Always make sure to stick to a particular corner of the room or the entire room for your coursework. Studying in the same place shall make you more committed to your studies! Make sure the place is maintained clean and organized. Clean surroundings will keep your mind healthy and fresh for a longer period of time.Right proportion of work and play in your schedule can make your educational journey exotic one.