Working Part Time (Parent)

[Carolinagirl1]

Does anyone here work part time (like 2-3 days a week) while homeschooling high school? My kids aren't there yet. They are getting ready to start 4th and 6th grades, but I want to complete my masters in nursing, and I would be starting my clinicals about the time my older one starts high school level. I have no idea how independent they are by the time they're in high school. I'm posting this on the HS board so I can get an idea of how independent your kids are with their schoolwork, and if it would be feasible in reality to leave them (either at home alone or at my husband's office) for a couple of days a week while I work.

[freesia]

In my experience, it would work better to leave them at your husband's office. My high schooler is independent but needs some help staying focused. I left him too often in the beginning and he fell super behind.

[TCB]

I've worked part time the whole time we've been homeschooling. I would definitely rather not but have had to. In my opinion it is easier to do when they are in high school. I have found that my dd16 is able to get on with things when I am not here. However, I would definitely choose not to go out to work if I could.

 

ETA - For me the downside is not so much being out of the house, but having the energy to devote to both work and homeschooling. Maybe that's because I'm older - I'm 52.

Edited May 15, 2016 by tcb

[Sunshine State Sue]

I have always worked and homeschooled.  I worked 20hrs/wk until ds was 12, then needed to increase to 30hrs/wk when ds was 12 in order to maintain health benefits.  Fortunately, I've worked from home since ds was 7 or 8 and dh had a somewhat flexible schedule so mostly we were able to be around to supervise.  Dh also was in charge of some of the hs'ing.  We used a bit of after school care and a hs teen for a while in the elementary years as well. 

 

Ds was a bright but unmotivated student.  Even in HS, I could not completely trust him to complete assignments without some supervision.  OTOH, we used some online classes, some PS, and lots of CC during the HS years, so I did not have to teach much.  In fact, I only taught 9th grade English and math.  Having an only child helped in some ways wrt my time and school expenses.  Around here, many hs moms work particularly as the children get older.  It's challenging to survive on a single income these days.

 

I agree with the pp who said it works better for the dc to be supervised rather than left on their own, unless you have especially mature, responsible, motivated children.

[Donna]

I work two long days a week. Dd is very independent with her schoolwork so does whatever I leave for her to do. One of the days I work, she spends the morning with her writing tutor.

[G5052]

Another who has always worked, and full-time for the later end of high school. Thankfully I work from home.

 

I've had some failures where I though I was on top of things, but we've always been able to recover.

 

Outsourcing to other teachers made a difference here in some subjects. It's also allowed me to enjoy them more as teens instead of being the heavy all the time.

 

It's going to be hard to manage full clinicals and homeschooling. A friend of mine outsourced her to an online school with a diploma program so that she just had to review the weekly grade report to keep on top of it. But of course that's expensive and takes more time for the kids, but she was happy with the trade-off. 

[Grantmom]

I think it really depends on the child, on the type of work, and on how flexible your DH's job and schedule is.  I have always worked part-time, varying the number of hours over the years.  When they were younger, I worked more hours out of the house, but part of my work was done at home.  I think it was easier when they were younger, because we had a family member care for them or had a college student come here.  Now, I work completely from home, and I find that much easier.  But my DH has zero flexibility in his job.  It's just the nature of his work, so everything is on me to be the flexible one to get kids to activities and to be here when needed.  I am very grateful that I can do something that is so flexible and that can be scheduled around my kids.  I would never say that anything is impossible, but if you were to do something like a clinical, you might want to consider having some classes outsourced and having help.  Are you sure that the clinical would only be 2-3 days/week and not full-time?  I think you can do anything for a short time, but you just may have to be creative, ask for or hire outside help, and get your DH on board to help.

 

 

[Closeacademy]

I work part-time about 15 to 20 hours a week.  But I work late-afternoon/early evenings and Saturdays.  It has worked out well.  

 

We work on the things that they need my help/instruction on first then do their independent work like reading assignments, research, projects, etc. to do on their own.  Anything they are having problems with they skip and we look at it the next day.  Most days we are done with schoolwork before it's time for me to leave but sometimes they do have to work on their own.

 

 

[The Girls' Mom]

I work part-time and go to college full time, and started when my youngest girls were in the second half of their sophomore year.  However, they are VERY independent workers.  Half the reason I decided to go back when I did was because I was sitting at home bored to death because they didn't need me at all.  I still keep tabs occasionally on what they are doing.  We also outsource some classes (co-op and DE).  Also, dh works from home, so there is someone here.  He doesn't do anything school related with them, and many days they don't even see each other because he's in his office all day.  But his being here may be a little motivating to not goof off too much?

 

IMO, it will be much easier if your kids are pretty independent.  

 

 

[EndOfOrdinary]

Ds will be in 7th grade next year. I work between 35 and 40 hours a week. He can come with me, but I am not really instructing. It is more just the accountability of me being close-ish. My schedule is for afternoons and Sundays, so we have a "morning meeting" where review and instruction take place. What I have found worked the best is to deliberatly prepare for the independence. Start now. If you know you have three years, begin with small bits of work which your students have to complete without you. Be hardcore about being independent. Try giving them reading to do while you go outside to garden or a quick trip to the grocery store. Establish a routine around when they can ask the inevitable questions which will arise. Work on being resourceful about finding answers.

 

My main screw up was setting the bar too high for Ds. Things he felt confident about with me sitting next to him were vastly different than things which he felt confident trying with me in the other room. It is not that he was incapable, but more a mental block. I needed to scaffold more. I needed to be sure he had fall back resources. Taking notes, organizing himself, time management, all those executive function skills that I took for granted really threw me for a loop.

[laughing lioness]

I've worked from home for the past couple of years, Direct a CC Challenge program and my last 2 are in Jr and Sr High. My kids are pretty independent, but I do have to keep up with where they are at on stuff. They do hang out at dh's office occaisionally, but not regularly. We do weekly planners and then go over the days work together- and we often have a weekly family meeting just so everyone knows where everyone else is at- how to coordinate cars,etc.Scheduling and planning are key. My 13 yo is naturally organized but will avoid certain subjects if left alone with them, while my 16 yo will naturally tackle stuff he doesn't like as much but is not naturally organzied- haha! So, really, staying on top of the schedule and their personalities. I did a short blog series homeschooling and working here.

[1Togo]

I haven't worked, and when I tried to teach a few home school classes, that didn't even work out. All of our children have needed me for various reasons -- severe learning disabilities to accountability. I also take care of an elderly parent. It has been difficult at times, but it was the best option for our family. We know home school moms who have worked from home, worked for a while, worked several jobs at the same time, run family businesses, or never worked at all outside of the home. Everyone has made their decisions based on what is best for their family.

 

1togo

[regentrude]

I work every day, used to be part time, now full, but flexible schedule, so part of the work can be done from home.

on the days I was gone only for a few hours, kids worked independently at home. On the day where I'm gone from 7:30 to 4pm, the kids came to the office with me to do their school work there, until later in high school when they were old enough to work an entire day without supervision/contact and were taking DE courses anyway.