Monday meetings have been a staple in our homeschool routine for a couple years now. We started when my oldest began seventh grade. At that point, I wanted him to have more independence in his work – not in choosing what, but in choosing when.
A homeschool Monday meeting is a short weekly check-in between parent and student. Together, you review the calendar, assign or review the checklist, troubleshoot problems, and help the student take ownership of the week’s work.
Monday Accountability Check-in
Sometimes Monday meetings has been when I’ve gone over all the previous week’s work (except for math, which is corrected daily) before assigning the next week.
Sometimes Monday meetings will be a calendar-review time, because my kids like to know what’s coming and put it on their own lists.
Sometimes Monday meetings is when one-on-one handwriting or spelling or Latin help happens – because it is a spot carved into our week that will happen, and other times just might slip through the cracks.
It’s helpful to have a morning reserved for those sorts of administrative or tutoring times that are so helpful, but so easy to procrastinate or miss in the bustle of a homeschool day with many students.
What happens during a Monday meeting – which is often only 10-15 minutes per child – has changed and does flux and flex depending on our current needs.
For awhile, the check-the-work and make-the-checklist routine was working quite well. Then some students found out that doing two week’s worth of work in one week was no fun and some parents found out more frequent checking was called for.
Building homeschool accountability.
For awhile, the calendar-review time happened individually during Monday meetings, and that was a nice bonding time (because I’m weird and bond over planning). Then people were crowding around to eavesdrop on the calendar updates and still demanding to be told it all over again when it was their turn and the repetition part of it started driving me nuts.
So now we do that part of Monday Meeting all together as the first item of Monday Morning Time – everyone brings their clipboards, I hand out checklists, and we all talk and collaborate together on the week’s agenda. That’s working now.
Currently, I have one student who needs more one-on-one attention for some subjects, and so the Monday meeting – already a block in the routine – can expand to accommodate that.
Even though different things have happened over the years during our Monday meeting slots, it has been so helpful to have the slots there. I can connect with each student, touch base, troubleshoot and brainstorm with them if they think their work is too much or if they have nothing to read.
That’s when they will make requests about library books or getting something with their spending money off Amazon. It’s where I’ll ask birthday menu questions if a birthday is upcoming or when we’ll find a present for a friend’s upcoming birthday.
Having a slot where we can take care of business together – whatever the business happens to be – has been a blessing in our homeschool.
Monday Meeting Sample Procedure
- Greeting & prayer. We’ll settle down together at the kitchen table and open our time together in prayer, because that’s how we should always begin an undertaking in life. (~2 minutes)
- Questions & concerns. First we bring up any concerns, comments, or questions either of us have. We’ll talk about what he has on his mind. (~10-15 minutes)
- Goals & plans. Next, we go over the plans for the week, phrasing it as the student’s own plan for the week, and not mine I’m imposing upon him. I ask him questions such as “What do you have to do to be ready for writing (or speech or piano) lessons? What do you want to learn more about this week? What book(s) do you plan on reading this week? What do you need to practice to improve in (something) this week?” As the student states his goals, we talk about how to make them happen and I adjust our plan accordingly. (~5-10 minutes)
- Narrate & print. After making the plan, we’ll go over it together to confirm it all. I’ll have him add a sentence or phrase to it based on the metaphor. Then I’ll send it to the printer so he can have a hard copy to work from during the week. (~2 minutes)
Should you also have a Friday follow-up?
For some students, a Monday meeting is enough. For others, especially students still learning independence, a short Friday follow-up helps close the loop. The student reports what was finished, what was difficult, and what needs to change before the next week.
Here's an agenda option for a follow-up Friday meeting:
- Greeting & prayer. Again, because all things should be begun prayerfully; the focus on Friday will be gratitude for the week and the work. (~2 minutes)
- Go over the list. The student reports with his hard copy while I fill in our digital copy as we go over how the week’s follow-through went. It might be possible for weekend work to be assigned if a slack hand (or mind) is diagnosed. The student also reports what books he read and we will update his goodreads account. (~10-15 minutes)
- Conversation. Here the student again gets a chance to ask any questions, raise any concerns, or tell me any story from the week. If he doesn’t have anything, I’ll ask him to think about and tell me about a time he wanted to give up (or cry or yell or any other poor response) but kept going. I want them to grow accustomed to telling the story line of difficulty, perseverance, triumph. It begins with small things, and we will rejoice in the small victories.
- End with prayer. To give the meeting and the week a sense of closure, we’ll end with a prayer of thanksgiving and blessing.
Choosing accountability in your homeschool
I have only one recommendation.
Yes, what you do will change, even mid-year.
Yes, sometimes additional action and agenda items pop up.
Still, have a procedure list for the meetings.
Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don’t, and when I don’t, our meetings are much more haphazard and much less helpful. When I can just glance at my list and say, “Ok, here’s what’s happening during this child’s meeting,” I can keep their attention better, they feel more a part of their school checklist, and we can do more in less time.
Sure, make it in pencil. Better yet, make it digital. But open it up and follow through when you sit down with each student.