Is It Possible To Homeschool My Kids If I Have To Work?
One of the most heartbreaking replies I hear when talking to parents who want to homeschool is ?I can?t, I have to work.?
But what if I introduced you to several moms who are successfully working full- or part-time and making homeschool succeed for their families?
I surveyed a lovely group of homeschool moms to find out how they pull off this seemingly impossible combination of bringing in an income while educating their kids at home. Check out how they?re doing it!
How Long? How Many? What Ages?
The first questions I asked were related to general statistics, just to get a clear picture of the ranges of the participants. Here is the data provided by the thirteen moms who responded to my questionnaire:
Range Years Homeschooling Less than 1 year 5 1-3 years 5 4-6 years 17 - 10 years 1 Over 10 years 1
The ages of their children ranged from 3 all the way up to 18, suggesting that the kids? ages aren?t a roadblock to working while homeschooling.
Nor, it seems, does the number of children. While most of the respondents have one or two children, several had 5 or more homeschooled kids in their families.
Have You Always Worked While Homeschooling? Why?
With three exceptions, everyone who participated in the questionnaire has always worked while homeschooling, and all but one plan to continue to work.
The main reasons given for working while homeschooling included life situation changes, bringing in extra income, or being the main breadwinner of the family.
While most of the respondents have schooled three years or less, they have a good framework for their homeschooling and are finding success through their struggles.
What Are Your Struggles and How Do You Deal With Them?
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Speaking of struggles, time and scheduling seem to be the biggies. There doesn?t seem to be enough time in the day to get everything done, but these moms are meeting their challenges head on with some creative ideas.
For the homeschool families who have two parents, some of the solutions include:
- Working opposite shifts away from home
- One working from home while the other works away from home
- Both working from home.
But even single moms are able to work while homeschooling by choosing to
- Teach during the day and work at night,
- Have the kids do schoolwork during the day and checking it at night when they get home,
- Work from home by alternating lessons and work,
- Enroll their children in online school so they can still have input, yet know their children are learning.
The other struggles include
- giving the kids the opportunity to socialize and make friends,
- making sure the kids stay motivated to do lessons,
- finding time to incorporate housework and meal planning and preparation throughout the week, and most importantly, enjoying family time apart from school work.
Some of the moms overcame these challenges by signing their kids up for local sports and extracurricular activities. Staying involved in the children?s daily lessons helps with motivation. And setting aside family time keeps connections strong.
What Does A Typical Homeschooling Day Look Like For You?
A typical day for these working moms starts early, making sure the kids have their assignments for the day. While some of the lessons take place in the mornings or throughout the day, occasionally, school happens in the evenings or on the weekends.
As Samantha said, ?School can happen anywhere, even on the go.?
What I found incredibly encouraging is how all of these moms make homeschool a priority even though they must work for the benefit of their families. Their passion for doing what is right for their children shines through their replies.
What About The Future?
I also asked these moms to peer into the future. Is there a chance they will one day choose to not work? Will their children ever attend an institutional school? The answers surprised me.
Only three of the participants said they see a time they will not work, or will be able to reduce their time spent at work. Once the rhythm of working and schooling is in place, that lifestyle becomes a part of their lives, and is a necessary season through which they must pass.
And only three of the participants said their children may ever attend school, but only if the kids wanted to. So far, not one of the kids has opted to head to a brick-and-mortar school.
That makes sense, as one of my questions was, ?What do your kids think of homeschool?? and the answers were 100% positive.
?They like it.?
?They love it.?
?He is proud to be homeschooled.?
?They love the freedom to learn at their own pace.?
?She wants to keep homeschooling.?
What Have You Learned About Your Children So Far?
I asked what were some surprising discoveries and noticeable changes the moms saw in their kids.
They noticed their kids were happier, more relaxed, more confident, more mature, and healthier. Some moms also mentioned they see their children working together, solving problems and willingly cooperating throughout the day.
I also asked what discoveries their children have made that surprised them.
- ?My son is amazing at science!?
- ?A love for planets. My oldest is [a] very good artist.?
- ?How good he is at math and that he?s really enjoying learning again.?
I was interested to know what suggestions these homeschooled kids had made that had been implemented.
- Some of the moms replied that a child had opted for an online school.
- One suggestion was incorporating educational YouTube videos and science programs into the daily routine, which produced a surprising result. (Her 11 year old picked up animal names and related information that Mom never knew!)
- One mentioned the kids had put systems in place to help her grade their work every day.
- And three mentioned that their kids are in charge of the breaks they take?and naps! (A great suggestion!)
Encouragement From The Homeschooling Moms Making It Work
I am amazed and inspired by these moms (and dads) who make homeschooling a priority even though they must work. This article is my way of sharing their words of encouragement to anyone who wants to homeschool but believes they are unable.
I hope you gain some inspiration of your own from the wisdom and advice they generously shared.
April: ??Just do it!? Hah. Cliché I know, but I think it?s totally doable and I truly believe, especially in our situation, sometimes it?s the only way to get quality family time together. I?m fortunate enough to work from home. But for someone who might not be, I?d still encourage it. I?ve learned more about my children in the last 10 months than I have in years and it?s wonderful!?
Ashley: ?It can be done! As long as you have support for the hours you are working, you can do it if you want to! School at night, school the weekends, school early morning if needed. Homeschool is supposed to tailor to your family. The only thing you need to be successful isn?t a time frame, it?s the passion to educate your children.?
Kelly:. ?Sometimes you have to make your own job and work for yourself to make homeschooling and working work.?
Jody: ?Those who don?t want to will make excuses, those who want to will make a way. It all comes down to how much you are willing to sacrifice and how much having control of your child?s upbringing you want to have.?
Sue Ann: ?You can do it! I googled a lot of stuff before I started this and found an article or two similar to this one and I don?t know if it really gave me that many tips, but it let me know that I wasn?t crazy and I wasn?t alone! I do recommend doing something that has some kind of support attached to it. Even if it isn?t online public school, find a system that will do the majority of the grading and planning for you because even if your kids can sit and learn independently all day long, that is the hardest part to keep up with and would be a lot to tackle on your off time.?
Samantha: ?Just remember the whole point of homeschooling is to suit your [family?s] needs not everyone else. Schooling can happen anywhere. Even on the go.?
The overarching sentiment from all of them can be summed up in one axiom, mentioned several times:
?Where there?s a will, there?s a way.?
And I couldn?t agree more.
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For those parents who sincerely want to homeschool even though they are working a full-tome or part-time job, I also echo that sentiment. You can do it.
Suggested Resources
Some of the awesome resources suggested by the survey participants include:
(NOT affiliate links)
Easy Peasy All-In-One Homeschool
YouTube educational videos
Educational apps for mobile such as Homeschool SkedTrack
Online schools such as K-12
Iza says: ?Word of advice: online public school is a great option for working busy parents that want to have more input on their kids? education.?
And my personal favorite resource, the local library.
First Step: Find A Support Group
In addition, there are homeschool support groups that will offer encouragement and advice. Homeschool mamas love to share their successes, especially if it helps another homeschool family.
Some of the responders are members of local homeschool co-ops and learning centers. And all are members of Facebook groups designed to offer online support to any homeschool parent.
Parting Words
I liked this comment made by Kathryn:
?Homeschooling is hard even without working. It seems to consume my thoughts even as [I] fall asleep. But it?s all worth it to avoid having to put my kids in a very broken school system!?
Thank You, Working Homeschool Moms
I want to thank everyone who participated in my working homeschooler research. I hope this sheds light on the many opportunities and possibilities available to would-be home educators.
It is also my desire for anyone who wishes they could homeschool to receive inspiration and encouragement from these moms and their success stories.
For more information on this survey or where you can find a homeschool support group, please contact me. I?ll help any way I am able to make your vision of your child?s home education come true.
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beverly@homeschoolcopywriter.com