In the recent years, there has been a constant rise in the popularity of home-based learning systems or what is also known as homeschooling.
The National Center for Education Statistics supplied results of a survey showing an estimate of children aged 5 to 17 are homeschoolers. “Homeschool students are regularly engaged in social and educational activities outside their homes and with people other than their nuclear-family members,” according to Brian D. Ray, Ph.D. Though a lot of parents are considering the idea of letting their kids stay inside the house and start education there, many are hesitant for the assumption that it could interfere with their day jobs.
However, those who are able to balance work and homeschool are pretty convinced that even if the idea seems farfetched for some, it is ideally possible. “Homeschooling takes many forms, from supporting your child in their learning for a few weeks or months during an illness or transition, to schooling them for the duration of their elementary and secondary years,” according to Dona Matthews Ph.D.
Commitment Matters
Combining the two – homeschooling and working full-time – requires commitment. It might seem too overwhelming especially when you start to combine the two with other aspects like household chores, family time, and other miscellaneous tasks that parents might encounter throughout their day.
To help you with your homeschooling predicaments, here are some tips you can try:
Let Go Of Normalcy
Once you’ve finally decided that you will be homeschooling your children despite your fulltime work hours, the first thing that you have to do is to let go of the notion that your life will change drastically. Everything will have to be adjusted; therefore, scheduling is critical. Since you don’t want your work to suffer, the time allotted to it is prioritized. All you need to do is make the best of what’s left of your day.
Example, if you work from 8 am until 5 pm, you can start homeschool after dinner. This will provide you ample time to take a quick breather before learning begins. However, if you have a home-based job where hours are usually flexible, it is easier to juggle with whatever schedule you have in mind.
Focus On The Task
It’s quite difficult to erase the feeling of regular fragmentation wherein you are doing something, but then your mind will wander off to another thing. Telling yourself to be at the moment can be quite challenging especially if your to-do list is anything but endless. You have to keep in mind that if you lose focus, you waste precious time, thus, losing track of your schedule.
When work’s done, it’s done; no turning back wondering if there’s something that you failed to do. You can worry about that in the morning. Right now, you have to focus on your kid’s lesson plan. If you’re homeschooling, whatever’s connected with work should be ignored for that specific period.
Learn To Say “No”
Saying “no” is easy and hard at the same time. Keep your responsibilities to a minimum. A fulltime job and homeschooling is already eating up a significant portion of your time – anything extra will make you explode. Whenever something comes up, like a gathering or extra work in the office, decline. You’ve already had your hands full, how else are you going to commit to additional workload? Be honest with yourself and recognize your limits. There’s nothing wrong with accepting the fact that you cannot do everything.
Give Time For Yourself
Let’s be realistic – you are merely human. Eventually, you will run out of whatever it is that keeps you going. Therefore, you need to recharge. As a parent, the idea of having a “me time” is somewhat unrealistic and impractical, but it’s not. It is imperative for human beings to give themselves time to recuperate and just leave everything behind for just a couple of hours. Do not feel guilty if you drop the kids at daycare and just go out for some relaxing alone time. This will make you feel refreshed, and it’s something to look forward to at the end of a heavily scheduled week. “Further, if you’re only talking or thinking about work, that means you’re not talking or thinking about the other things that might help you have stronger, happier, more satisfying interactions with others,” says Tchiki Davis, Ph.D.
Being a parent, a better-half, a worker, a teacher, and a human being is a lot to take. It’s not easy, but if you are convinced that homeschooling is something that will do a lot of good for your children, you’ll think of ways on how to juggle everything in a day.