Calvert School Blog

A great question from last week’s webinar:  “When creating the Time Bank, does the time include the instruction time, i.e., what is written in the manual, or going over the math lesson and concept, practice exercises, etc.?

The answer is, yes, it should.  If Calvert establishes 50 minutes for a math lesson, that includes the instruction, practice and problems.  Remember, you are looking for mastery, not number of problems completed.  So if your student has a clear understanding of the content, and can work through the concept, then you can tailor the number of problems to meet their understanding.

What the time bank estimate will NOT include is YOUR availability for review.  That is outside the scope of the time bank because your availability is not in the control of your student.  So if my student estimates 45 minutes to complete a history lesson, it does not include the review of the lesson after the fact with me.

How do you avoid a child rushing through assignments just to add time to the bank?

Every child will do this at least once.  However, it is up to you as the parent to see if they have “achieved mastery”.  If they cannot clearly answer the discussion questions, or produce the math content as instructed, then they have not mastered the content and they are not entitled to add time to the bank.

You are the parent are in charge of whether they have “earned” the time.

This next question has been changed (a little) because SO MANY parents asked a variation of it:  My child(ren) and I started homeschooling this past year.  I had imagined that a one-on-one day would only take about 4 hours.  However, we work very diligently and without recess and it takes at least 8 hours.  How do they get instruction in Public School along with things like languages, music and P.E.  Is Calvert just so structured that it takes this long each day?

There are SO Many mitigating factors here that this could be a blog in and of itself.  What I want to do is encourage you , if you have asked something like this, to contact the education counselors.  This is part and parcel of why they exist.  If Calvert establishes a 4 hour day for your student and it is taking twice that, then something needs to be re-examined.  The education counselors will ask a variety of questions to help you understand why it is not working.  We want you to call BEFORE you reach a level of frustration with your children…