Wait, you homeschool and work full-time? How can you homeschool your kids if you are working right now? What do your kids do while you are at work? Where do you find the time? How do you structure it?
These are the first questions that I immediately get the moment I share with others that we homeschool. These are questions that YOU might be asking yourself as well if you are considering homeschooling as a full-time working parent.
There was a time, in the not so distant past, when I didn’t believe that homeschooling was even an option for us!
The truth is that there once was a time when I would have asked the same questions if someone would have told me they homeschooled and work simultaneously. As a matter of fact, there was a time, in the not-so-distant past, when I didn’t believe that homeschooling was even an option for us because
- Both my husband and I held full-time working jobs.
- I’m a school teacher, which means I work during the typical school year months and hours. Where would the time come from?
- I lacked the time to create, plan, and deliver lessons at home.
- I was so intimidated by primary grade levels! My teaching experience had always been in upper elementary/middle school grades.
There was a big problem with the barriers I listed above! I was looking at homeschooling with the wrong perspective and thinking of it as something that I would have to do a certain way all by MYSELF!
I thought that because I was the teacher by trade in our home, I was the most equipped to teach our children and that all the responsibility of homeschooling was solely on me… boy was I WRONG! My husband, who has zero teaching experience in a school setting, is the BEST teacher my children could ever have! SO please don’t think that you need teaching experience to homeschool your children. That’s a myth!
My husband, who has zero teaching experience in a school setting, is the BEST teacher my children could ever have!
So, what changed to make homeschooling as full-time working parents an option for us?
First, I think it’s important to understand that homeschooling is very different from sending your kids to regular school because you have complete control of the structure, schedule, curriculum, and implementation. With that being said, we don’t just homeschool during the “traditional” schooling hours. As I mentioned before, I’m a teacher, that is my profession, so I’m not home during those “typical school hours”. My husband who has a much more flexible work schedule, can homeschool the children for the bulk of the time. I work with the kids during the evenings, weekends, extended holiday breaks, and summers. This did take some adjusting to at the beginning of our homeschool journey because we had to break out from our “traditional school” mindset. Now homeschooling has become our lifestyle! This is just how we do things and it’s a beautiful, wonderful thing!
So how can you make homeschooling and work full-time a possibility in your home?
Well, everyone has a different scenario based on their employment and the hours that they have available. This might not seem like a very practical thing to do, but if this is something that you are truly passionate about, nothing can stop you! Know that this will not be a piece of cake. It will take a lot of hard work and sacrifice but I promise, it’ll be so rewarding! Here are some tips based on our experience to help any working family homeschool.
- Become aware of your state’s homeschool laws! Every state is different and has different homeschool laws. Some are more regulated than others. Before you can determine a plan of action, please make sure to check what your state’s homeschool law requires you to do, so that you comply with your state. A great site that has this information for you in a very easy-to-understand manner is https://hslda.org/legal or you can simply check your state’s department of education site.
- Collaborate with your spouse! This is my most important tip! When both parents are working in
the home it’s important to work as a team. Think about what strengths you each possess and share the responsibilities. In our home, I do all the administrative, and organizational tasks, phonics/guided reading and some of the “creative” classes. This includes organizing the curriculum, grading, and keeping records, which is something I’m really good at but it’s my husband’s biggest weakness. This takes the stress away during the instructional day and all my husband has to focus on during the time he has the kids is the most essential and challenging part, teaching and making sure the kiddos are learning what they need to learn in their own level! - Have a structure/plan– Think about how you are going to put things in place. This might mean having a schedule, choosing a curriculum that works for your family, (read why we use a curriculum here) block planning, and even meal planning! You’d be amazed at how much time you can save by meal planning and using grocery pickup or delivery. This is valuable time that you can use to work with your children! If you would like to read more on scheduling check out this post ➡️Homeschool Scheduling
- Be flexible and creative- Think outside the box! Homeschooling doesn’t have to happen at a desk, inside, September-May, Monday-Friday 8-3! For us homeschooling sometimes happens at the dinner table, in the living room, at the grandparent’s house, in the car, outside, in the summer, on the weekends, or during weeknights. The possibilities for learning are limitless.
If you are considering homeschooling, make sure to read 5 Things You Must do Before Homeschool.
It’s a lifestyle!
Now homeschooling has become our lifestyle, this is just how we do things and it’s a beautiful, wonderful thing!
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Are you a full time working parent who is considering homeschooling? What are some questions you have that you would like me to address? Go ahead and post them in the comments below!
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