Homeschooling While Working Full-Time (outside of the home)
Anyone who had been following my blog may have noticed that not much has been happening with it for the past several months. This is because life decided to happen and I found myself needing to find full-time employment. For more than a year now I have been homeschooling while working full-time.
With the kids’ activities, homeschooling, and working 40+hrs a week I just haven’t had much of myself left to give to writing any content. To be honest, I have been able to keep only my nose above water, barely avoiding drowning.
Now, you might be wondering how this has affected our homeschooling routine. See this article for a look into what our homeschooling routine looked like before I started working full time. I nearly mourn the way we were able to homeschool before. However, after an entire school year of trying to figure out a new routine and system that works for us I have some insights to share.
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Different approaches we tried
Let’s explore some methods that my family tried! This was not a quick process it took a few months to find the approach we settled into.
While not all of these worked for us, one might for you!
For reference my working hours are about 7:30-4:30 Monday-Friday.
Waking up early
For about a month we tried waking up extra early to do our school work. They would have a snack while working if they wanted but we wouldn’t have breakfast until afterwards.
If you have a later work start time than I do then this method may work for you. However, for my family this method was not feasible as we always felt like we were rushing and it didn’t give the kiddos hardly anytime to wake up and be mentally prepared to receive the information.
Schooling at work
As I was able to occasionally bring my kids to work with me we did try getting some schooling done while at work. But having to split my attention between teaching my kiddos and preforming my job adequately just wasn’t realistic.
The kids are mostly still at a point where they need me by their side at least for part of their lessons, and I’m unable to give them that one-on-one attention they need while I’m working. If you use a fully online curriculum then this approach may be more feasible. However, I am unwilling to change our curriculum choices as we found what works best for our family.
Alternating Kids after work
Another method we tried was alternating kids afterwork. So, Monday I would do school with my 3rd grader, then Tuesday I would do school with my 1st grader, Wednesday-3rd grader, Thursday-1st grader, and so on. This actually wasn’t too bad as it cut down the time spent on homeschool each day. But this just didn’t feel right for our family.
Leaning on my support system
I really don’t have a huge support system but just a few people really can make a big impact! To try lightening my load I tried having my husband and my parents take a day to do schooling with the kiddos. However, because they didn’t know the concepts the kids have been learning and building on this made it difficult for them to teach the core subjects.
I found that having family members help teach the extras like science, history, and elective type materials worked best. Language arts and Math are pretty complex subjects that really need a steady approach.
The Method that Works for us
Thursday and Friday we just do the bare minimum. We hit Math and Language Arts then we add in handwriting if we have time. Then on Saturday and Sunday we do math and language arts, history or science.
Thursday – LA, Math, and Handwriting (about 4:30-6pm)
Friday – LA, Math, and Handwriting (about 4:30-6pm)
Saturday – LA, Math, and History (about 2-4:30pm) ( we have activities on this day as well)
Sunday – LA, Math and Science (about 12-2pm)
We use Monday – Wednesday as make up days. For example, if one of the kids didn’t get to their math lesson on Thursday we will add a day of homeschool on Monday. However, we don’t get home until around 6pm-8pm (depending on afterwork activities and whatnot) and there is dinner to make and lunches to pack and cleaning to do, so we try to avoid doing much if anything on these days.
Comparing to our old ways
I won’t lie or sugarcoat this; Homeschooling while working full-time has been HARD and affected more than just our daily routine. It has been a huge adjustment. I’m honestly hoping to be able to take a step back from work in the coming months to focus more of my time at home. However, it is possible and my kids are still doing so well!
We had to change a lot, especially in my expectations of how homeschool should look.
I have also had to rely on family members to help out with homeschooling. For a long time my kids’ grandparents never really seemed to be very interested in helping out with teaching, but they really did step up and now if the kids spend time over there while I’m at work I will send them with a little homework that grandma and grandpa jump in to help with.
I knew that homeschooling while working full-time would be a difficult task. I am so much more tired now. Finding the want to go the extra mile in every single thing we do has proved impossible. However, I do cautiously push myself to continue to do as much as I feel I am able. I say “cautiously” because I try to very mindful about making sure I don’t hit burn out. If I get burnt out then it wouldn’t be good for anyone. Attention to self-care and self-awareness is more important for me now than it has been previously.
Homeschooling while working full-time
No, none of this is my ideal situation for homeschooling. But we are making the best out of what we have and it is working for us! The kids are still thriving! We have new hurdles and obstacles in our way, but we’ve been able to navigate them through trial and error.
If you are going through something similar, consistency is the key! Just keep on going and don’t give up! Happy homeschooling to you and your family!
Of course what works for us may not work for you, I hope at least you got a few ideas from my experiences. If you are working full-time while homeschooling and take a different approach than any listed here, leave a comment for other readers to see and consider!
Other Articles you may enjoy:
Grandparents’ Involvment in Homeschooling
Lessons Our Chickens Have Taught My Children
5 Reasons Why to Not Homeschool
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