2014 is well underway, and I am left with
the realization that this is it, really it. This is the last time I will go
through textbooks and teacher's books working out assignments so we can get
through the whole book before the school year is over. It is the last time I
will put assignments, dates, and holidays in a grade book. It's the last time I
will put all this information in an assignment book to keep track of individual
assignments, so someone isn't constantly asking me what they have to do this
week This is it. I will never journey this way again.
As a little experiment, I will try to break
this down so I can account for my time over the past 11 years:
Hours picking curriculum: approximately 6
hours every school year doing research and checking the prices of comparable
curriculum = 66 hours
Hours making assignments and writing in
grade book: approximately 3 days x 6 hours x 2 a year x 11 years = 396 hours
Hours writing assignments in kid's assignment
books: approximately 12 hours x 2 a year x 11 years = 264 hours
Hours making Excel spreadsheet to keep
track of and calculate grades: 12 hours to design to my liking + 2 hours x 1 a
year x 11 years = 34 hours
Hours spent grading papers: approximately 2
hours x 5 days x 36 weeks x 11 years = 3,960 hours
Hours entering grades into Excel spread
sheet: approximately 3 hours x 2 a year x 11 years = 66 hours
Miscellaneous hours spent in kids schools
preparation (making assignment books, ordering assignment books, printing final
grade sheets, etc..): 8 hours x 2 a year x 11 years = 352 hours
Approximate total of 5,138 hrs over
the past 11 years, which equals approximately 467.09 hrs a year I have devoted
to educating my children. Now I didn't count the multiple field trips to
museums, art exhibits, points of interest, summer unit lessons we did the first eight years and Disney (see my last blog) or
learning experiences of daily living like trips to the grocery store, Home
Depot, gardening, pet care, nutrition, foreign languages and the dreaded
driver's ed., nor the grueling hours devoted to soccer, tee ball, tennis and
swim. It's been a lot of work but I wouldn't trade a thing about it. I have
enjoyed every second (apart from the driving lessons; I so could have done
without those).
All we have to decide is what to do
with the time that is given us.”
