Nikki10 Posted August 4 Share Posted August 4 Hello, I’m thinking about homeschooling my kids but have no knowledge on this subject, the thought is very intimidating! Right now I work one week straight and then have one week off with my kids. I am wondering if there are other successful homeschoolers who also work and somehow make it work? My husband has a typical Monday through Friday job so there would be about 4-5 days I’d need help with homeschooling if I didn’t quit my job. Anyone with experience would be great to hear any opinions on this! thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porridge Posted August 9 Share Posted August 9 (edited) How old are your kids? What kind of educational goals do you have? What vision of homeschooling Do you have for your family ? How intense is your job? What industry are you in? It’s hard to answer your question well without knowing more of your context. If you can be more specific, we can probably be more helpful. i did something like that when my kids were young. It was hard, but it can be done. There are various ways to find support or to structure your curriculum /family to make it work. Many will have a family member take the lead while they are working. If there is no family member available/willing, you need a nanny. It can get expensive because it’s hard to find a nanny who wants to work one week on, one week off - you will most likely need to hire them full time and be creative about how to use their time and help when you are not working. I know some women who have their nanny help with homeschooling, but I was not able to find someone who could implement schooling, so my kids just didn’t do school when I was working. If I could give myself advice when I was in your shoes I’d say: -try to have a clear understanding of your reasons /vision for homeschooling -don’t be too idealistic -be pragmatic (did I mention not being too idealistic?) That being said, and even though I burned out, i feel incredibly blessed to have had the privilege to homeschool. ETA— Some moms will put their kids in a hybrid or university model school- the kids are in school 2-3 days a week, home the other days. This takes the burden off the parents for choosing curriculum and helps maintain momentum (it can be hard to keep the momentum going if you are the sole person /parent doing the schooling and are also working). In your case, on the weeks when you are working, your caregiver would only need to oversee school on the “home” days. The downside is that you don’t get to choose your own program of study ( if that was one of the appeals that homeschooling held for you) I personally think it’s easier to homeschool while working when the kids are elementary age or later high school. In elementary, academics might be pretty straightforward (unless your child has learning differences). In high school, some kids can be pretty independent with their learning (though some still need a lot of support). The middle school /early high school years are harder because the academics ramp up but the students are usually not ready to be super independent, requiring the homeschooling parent to be more hands on. I hope others will chime in for you, as I know there are others in this forum that have homeschooled while working. best wishes! Edited August 10 by Porridge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OakParkOwlets Posted August 9 Share Posted August 9 Are your kids and husband on board with homeschooling? How old are your kids and can they do any independent work? Who watches them while you work? Would you be able to leave lessons for them to do on your work days, even if just computer based work, and do a heavier load when you are home? I have always worked and homeschooled, sometimes full time, sometimes part time through all kinds of rotating shifts, but I always had a strong support system at home. I knew I could leave some work with my parents who watched my kids, and I had a child who was very independent by grade three. My youngest is not quite so independent, so I have had to modify my expectations a little and use more of my off work time to help him. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gil Posted August 11 Share Posted August 11 No, you don't have to be a Stay At Home mom to Home School. You have to be creative, think outside of the box and adapt strategies and schedules that other people wouldn't normally think of. Just because the default is 8am-3pm, M-F, doesn't mean that you have to emulate that. The Boys did a significant chunk of PreK-4th grade largely on the City Bus as we commuted around town because we didn't have a car. You can accomplish a lot in 15 minute pockets during the elementary stages. The Boys learned to read not just at home but also sitting at Bus Stops, Laundromats and in 24/7 College Libraries. They learned to write in 5-15 minutes pockets of time before meals because they were already at a table so why not? There have been seasons when we did lessons between 4am and 7am, between 7pm and 11pm or between 12am and 3am. There have been seasons when I teach one boy a day, while the other works independently near by. Due to Covid19 Pandemic, I became a Stay At Home Parent and in a way, I think homeschooling only at home is harder--being distracted or losing focus is an option. When I have 50 things happening and external pressures structuring my day, slacking up ain't an option. One obvious way to start is to look at your schedule and which hours make the most sense for you? Would you rather HS 1hr a day, every day before you head in to work or would you rather Alternate between a Week of Night School, a Week of Day School. Would you rather adapt a Night School Model for the first semester and only have the kids do work during the evening. Think outside the box. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarita Posted August 12 Share Posted August 12 On 8/10/2024 at 5:19 PM, Gil said: One obvious way to start is to look at your schedule and which hours make the most sense for you? Would you rather HS 1hr a day, every day before you head in to work or would you rather Alternate between a Week of Night School, a Week of Day School. Would you rather adapt a Night School Model for the first semester and only have the kids do work during the evening. Think outside the box. Not all kids can do a lot of independent work and learning, but for some kids this is definitely an option. In fact, even though I am a SAHM my son actually does a lot of learning independently. So I have sit next to him to make sure he focuses but for example I don't teach math everyday. His math curriculum is organized in such a way where the problems he works out also guide him in the math, so a lot of days he just works on problems and occasionally asks me for help. This is his preferred way of learning math vs. me directly teaching him all of it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amanda1989 Posted Thursday at 01:55 AM Share Posted Thursday at 01:55 AM I work from home full time and I pulled my kids out of school last year! It's a challenge but doable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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