Dealing with Homeschool and Work
by Mimi Rothschild
If you are Homeschooling your children, then you already have stepped outside the norm and made adjustments in your life in order to make it work. One or both parents may work at home or have a job that allows for the occasional odd schedule in order to meet the demands of teaching their children at home. Whether you are a single parent who telecommutes, a stay-at-home parent whose spouse has a day job, or a pair of self-employed homeschooling parents, dealing with Homeschool and Work can be a difficult, but not insurmountable, challenge.
Talking to your boss
If you work for a traditional employer (in a nine-to-five or otherwise), having a conversation about homeschooling is a good idea. Anytime you have an aspect of your life outside of work that has the potential to disrupt scheduling or other work related progress, having a frank discussion with the boss can go a long way towards understanding. Setting the right expectations are important, but understanding first yourself what kinds of demands your alternate education choices may place on your role at your job. If occasional time off to attend a field trip, or to relieve your spouse, is going to occur, then scheduling in advance is the way to go. In any event, if your boss knows the reason behind a disruption (and, of course, if they don’t happen too often!) he or she will be much more likely to be understanding.
Scheduling in advance
By scheduling, as much in advance as possible, you will not only be able to plan for absences from your day job, but also shifts in your work load. If your job requires you to do work at home, and especially if you are a telecommuter or self-employed, then knowing what is expected of you and when by your homeschool commitment will allow you to allocate your time accordingly. Stress is greatly reduced when you have a plan; if you know that you will be able to tackle that pressing work-related issue after you grade papers for an hour, you are more likely to forget about it for that hour and concentrate your attention where it is supposed to be.
Get everyone on the same page
Having a family meeting about how homeschooling and work will be designed to operate together is a good idea. Depending on the age of your children, you could keep things as simple as “After School Time Mommy has to have some Work Time, so play quietly” (and then make sure they have something engaging to do), or if your children are older you may even involve them in your work, helping you get your assignments done and teaching them even more in the process.
Use those time management skills!
You already have to plan out school days around work schedules and family time (non-school related), so time management is nothing new. Print out dedicated schedules highlighting work time so that your children can know when they need to play quietly or do self-directed study. However you decide to blend work and homeschooling, keep the communication lines open, use your tools, and schedule in advance as much as possible, and you are sure to be successful at it.
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