How to Do School at Home with an Inconsistent Schedule
byCassandra Polzin
3 min to read
One of the key benefits of virtual learning is the flexibility it provides. If your student has appointments, performances, practices, or other interruptions during the week, they can complete their online lessons at their own pace.
Some parents or Learning Coaches may worry that an inconsistent schedule could make staying on track challenging for their learner; however, it’s completely possible for your child to have a positive learning experience without a consistent school routine.
How to Create a Learning Plan with an Inconsistent Schedule
Whether you’re traveling or juggling your own work schedule, or your child has extracurricular commitments, these can all cause interruptions to a routine.
There are a few strategies your family may leverage to build a successful learning plan to avoid inconsistent performance in school, despite a varied schedule.
Alternate days
Let’s say you have a student, Melody, who is a concert pianist and online middle school student. Her daily schedule allows her to focus on her piano lessons and get all her learning done. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, she has time for self-guided piano practice, a few school lessons, and free time to work on whatever she may need to focus on that day. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, she has two piano lessons, and does schoolwork in-between.
This alternating schedule allows Melody time to focus on her extracurriculars without falling behind in school. Her Learning Coach has set aside a flexible time each day where she can work on whatever she may need to catch up on from earlier in the week.
This schedule may work well for your learner if they have regularly scheduled extracurricular activities occurring on specific days. By spreading out their learning and extracurriculars, you ensure your student has the energy and focus needed to appropriately dedicate to whatever they’re working on.
Schedule Blocking
Some learners benefit from block schedules for a deeper focus. With this schedule, students complete multiple lessons on a single subject in one day, such as math on Monday morning, science on Tuesday afternoon, etc. This allows them to fully focus on the subject instead of shifting gears to work on various classes.
This schedule works well for students who often have chunks of time during the day to focus on school and want to stay focused on one subject.
Use a Physical Planner
When each day is different, it helps to write down the plan. A physical planner also helps your learner take ownership of their schedule.
At the beginning of the week, talk through your agenda for the next few days. Have your child review their time reserved for school along with the week’s assignments. Then, work together to build a schedule that will allow them to get everything done within the allotted timeframe.
Be Realistic
While extracurricular activities and traveling are fantastic ways to help your child learn new things and broaden their horizons, it’s important to set realistic expectations. In addition to taking time, these outside activities also take up your child’s ability to focus. Overscheduling your learner will make it hard for them to complete all of their schoolwork.
If you find that your learner is struggling with inconsistent performance in school, consider scaling back their commitments or trying a new schedule. You can always reach out to your child’s teacher for help. Discover more advice from existing learning coachesadvice from existing Learning Coachesadvice from existing Learning Coaches on building an effective plan for your learner.
Connections Academy-supported schools provide flexibility for your family to make time for things that matter and for your student to learn at their own pace. Whether your family is frequently on the go or if your child is pursuing an outside passion, you can tailor their schedule to meet your family’s needs.
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