Homeschool Curriculum Blog Online Learning for PreK-8th

In my last blog post, I explored the idea of working and homeschooling.  In these difficult economic times, parents who want to homeschool their child often feel like they have to choose between their job and teaching a child from home.  But the truth is that many working homeschoolers are finding creative ways to do both.

Last week we focused on finding a balance between working at home and homeschooling.  This week, I want to check out the idea of working outside the home and homeschooling.  Sound impossible?  You would be surprised at how many working parents are doing just that.  I myself can quickly think of several parents I know personally who work outside of the home and homeschool.

One dad I know owns his own remodeling business.  He takes his son with him every day to work with him, and his son does his school work right in his dad’s truck.  And in between, he gets an up close and hands-on education in math, science, logic, and design by helping out his dad with many of the jobs he is involved with. 

Another single mother I’m acquainted with gets a lot of support from her mom, who is willing to look after her grandchildren while their mom is at work.  She also guides them through two or three of their school subjects, and is also currently teaching them piano - - one of her many talents.  Then when mom returns from work in the late afternoon, she oversees the rest of their schoolwork, and they finish up late in the evening.  By spreading out their schooling over the day, the children benefit from the nurturing of two different family members, and get exposure to a wide variety of daily activities.

Amber, one of the members of the Time4Learning Parent’s Forum recently shared her story of how their family makes working outside of the home and homeschooling successful:

I am a baker at a grocery store. My hours are tiresome working 3-11:30a.m four days a week and sometimes I work midnight to 5am on one of my days off to pick up some extra needed cash.  Our days vary according to my sons moods. He has PDD-NOS which is an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Our main schedule is spelling, math, language arts, la ext, writing and reading daily. Science and social studies we plan on switching back and forth from day to day once we start them which keeps getting pushed backed do to my son having a hard couple months emotionally. My son likes to be independent so I try to let him do as much on his own as possible. I preview lessons ahead of time so I know what is expected from him. He works better in the afternoon which works great with my work schedule. On my days off we tend to stick with working after lunch. Some days he wants to get it over with so he does some work in the morning. He sometimes takes workbook work I have put together, based on what he is working on in t4l, when he goes to my moms or brothers house on the nights I work. Though working outside the home and homeschooling my son is difficult at times it is so worth it when I see him figure something out that has been causing him difficulty. All the quality time I get to spend with him is priceless. Before I would pick him up from school and be to tired to do much with him. Though there are days this is still the case, we do so much together now that would never be possible if he went to public school. He is a much happier kid now with less outbursts then before.

And these are not unique cases.  More and more families are pushing the limits of what are considered “normal” ways to homeschool.  If you would like to connect with other parents who are trying to make work and homeschool mesh, head over to the Time4Learning Parents Forum, where there is a section specifically created for WAH and WOH homeschooling parents to share their experiences and questions.

Posted under working and homeschooling, working moms