People I work with are always shocked when I tell them I homeschool my 11-year. They always look confused and say "But you work". Yes, I work outside of the home 35-40 hours a week and I homeschool. How do we make this work? Well, first let me say I am very blessed to have it easier than some. My husband works from home. So, while I still handle the homeschooling, he is home so we don't have to worry about childcare. Also, my son is 11 which means most of what he does is done independently. I don't necessarily need to be there with him while he does it.
That being said, working full time and homeschooling still has its challenges for us.
Challenge #1: Scheduling and Planning
I work retail so my schedule is never the same. I work days, evenings, and most weekends. There is no consistency which makes planning difficult. I sit down every Sunday with curriculum and my work schedule to plan the week. I make a daily schedule for CJ and plan out anything we need to do together for a day I am off or an evening after work. I gather up all the supplies and books he will need for the week and keep them together so I can easily pull them for him daily. Each day he is responsible for completing the tasks on his schedule sometime before 8pm. I leave the time up to him. Sometimes he gets up early and does it all. Sometimes he waits until I get home to do it. Of course, right now we are on a light summer schedule and only doing Math and Science and a few other little things.
Overcoming Challenge #1:
I'm not sure there is much we can do to completely overcome this challenge. It's just the way it is. I just have to make sure I stay on top of the scheduling and planning, especially when we start our full schedule in the fall. I also kept these things in mind while I was choosing curriculum and I looked for things that would be easy for CJ to work with on his own. Now, I'm by no means saying that all of his work will be done independently. There are still plenty of things we will do together on my off days and mornings or evenings before and after work. But most of the book work he will do while I'm working.
Challenge #2: Excuses (his and mine!)
We have had some problems with excuses. What I mean by that is that I leave a list of school things for him to do and sometimes when I get home all I hear is "I couldn't find..." or "I didn't know what this meant..." or "I couldn't get the computer to work". Then there are my excuses.... "I'm to tired to do school this evening, we'll do it tomorrow", "I've got to be at work in a couple of hours so let's just wait". Sometimes I can have just as many excuses as CJ!
Challenge #1: Scheduling and Planning
I work retail so my schedule is never the same. I work days, evenings, and most weekends. There is no consistency which makes planning difficult. I sit down every Sunday with curriculum and my work schedule to plan the week. I make a daily schedule for CJ and plan out anything we need to do together for a day I am off or an evening after work. I gather up all the supplies and books he will need for the week and keep them together so I can easily pull them for him daily. Each day he is responsible for completing the tasks on his schedule sometime before 8pm. I leave the time up to him. Sometimes he gets up early and does it all. Sometimes he waits until I get home to do it. Of course, right now we are on a light summer schedule and only doing Math and Science and a few other little things.
Overcoming Challenge #1:
I'm not sure there is much we can do to completely overcome this challenge. It's just the way it is. I just have to make sure I stay on top of the scheduling and planning, especially when we start our full schedule in the fall. I also kept these things in mind while I was choosing curriculum and I looked for things that would be easy for CJ to work with on his own. Now, I'm by no means saying that all of his work will be done independently. There are still plenty of things we will do together on my off days and mornings or evenings before and after work. But most of the book work he will do while I'm working.
Challenge #2: Excuses (his and mine!)
We have had some problems with excuses. What I mean by that is that I leave a list of school things for him to do and sometimes when I get home all I hear is "I couldn't find..." or "I didn't know what this meant..." or "I couldn't get the computer to work". Then there are my excuses.... "I'm to tired to do school this evening, we'll do it tomorrow", "I've got to be at work in a couple of hours so let's just wait". Sometimes I can have just as many excuses as CJ!
Overcoming Challenge #2:
I could be wrong but I think these come from 2 different sources. I think some of the excuses are because he is still just learning to work without me. And it wasn't a slow transition for him. He was kind of pushed into it. So, for now I am cutting him a little slack on the excuses and just trying to make sure they are just that, excuses, and not legitimate reasons. I have everything together for him, I make sure the computer works, make sure the directions are clear and easy to understand, things like that.
I also think sometimes they are what they are, just excuses. Mom isn't here to make him do the work and Dad is busy working so it gets put on the bottom of his to-do list. Right after 4 hours or playing Xbox! And before you know it, Mom is coming in the door from work and the school work hasn't been touched! That's something we will have to deal by cutting off the Xbox, making a more detailed daily schedule, and getting Dad more involved in making sure the work gets done.
As for my excuses, I'm working on those too! I have to remind myself that his school has to come first and if it needs to be done, then we need to get it done. I have to set an example by not letting school work get put on the back burner.
Challenge #3: Hanging Out With Dad (and big sister!)
Dad works from home which is great! And our 18 year old daughter is home, when not in class or working. We don't have to worry about childcare, Dad can help in making sure work gets done, he is home to guide and answer questions, and the best part, he gets to be home with his son all day! The drawback... he gets to hang out with his son all day! This leads to out for lunch, running errands, walking around the store, coming to visit me at work, visiting grandparents. Not to mention all the running around with Sissy. And before you know it, it's 6pm and no school has been done yet. It's so wonderful for both of them that they get to spend this time together and actually another one of the many reasons why I love homeschooling. But at the same time, I've got to convince CJ and Dad both that school has to come first....most days at least!
Overcoming Challenge #3:
I think this one will work itself out as the new of it wears off and summer ends. I really don't think it will continue to be a challenge. And I only schedule 4 days a week to allow for catch-up work that needs to be done!
Even with all the challenges, we have managed to stay on schedule for the past 3 weeks! Thanks to catch-up days! I'm thankful for that and hopefully that this school year is going to go smoothly.
