Homeschooling and Working OUT of the Home
 

Due to a streak of misfortune I am no longer able to work as a personal trainer as I don't have a vehicle and the nearest gym is miles away. So I am starting a job as a waitress in the evenings. Any advice on juggling working part time in the evenings and homeschooling?
My biggest issue is shifting our daily routine around since we can't be waking up at five am if I am getting in from work at eleven at night! I know it's still summer but I want to make sure I am adjusted to working outside the home and our new schedule by this fall when we start schooling again. I'm sure I'm not the only mom that wants to keep educating their own children with a Christian curriculum despite needing to work out of the home.

Re: Homeschooling and Working OUT of the Home
 

One thing you can do is not wait until fall to start schooling. Anything you can get done durig the summer takes the pressure off the rest of the year.

Re: Homeschooling and Working OUT of the Home
 

With working in the evenings it seems like it will work. I never wake up at 5 am ;). How old are your kids? Throughout my pregnancy I've been very tired and my kids wake up and start math even without me (they use Math U See so they can watch videos and then do their math).

Re: Homeschooling and Working OUT of the Home
 

I work outside the home.

3 mornings/week. 7-12. My older two (17 and 15.5) get started without me. My youngest 11.5) eats, reads and does a few Chores but in general youngest sleeps till noon when I work.

We've been doing this almost 1.5 years now. It can be bumpy and messy. We are very self directed by choice or couldn't do this because I have health issues. The self directed thing was how I was able to do this and has given them an autonomy and responsibility for their own schooling.

Even before I went to work, my kids carried a large amount of chores.

I would suggest you make sleep ahigh priority. When I do not things get really ugly.

I would also block out a schedule (including sleep times) and be realistic because your energy level will drop.

Will you work every evening?

---------- Post added at 09:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:49 AM ----------

:up :yes we have always
Schooled year round :yes

Re: Homeschooling and Working OUT of the Home
 

A lot would depend on age of your kids and what the current waking up routine is like. I have always tried to let my homeschooled kids sleep until they were ready to get up rather than wake them up and have a particular starting time for school. Agree with any of the earlier risers getting up and starting. They might need to start helping more if they dont already. Everyone rinse and stack their dishes or put in dishwasher.You could have a chore hour after lunch each day where everyone has one or 2 assigned things they do so you can count on them being done. You might try playing with different routines over the summer 2 or 3 days a week to find best flow and to also try school part time year round idea.

Re: Homeschooling and Working OUT of the Home
 

We are doing bible study, nature notebooks and some literature with narration over the summer just because they enjoy it so much! I was planning on schooling year round but due to major changes and stress it isn't quite working out.

---------- Post added at 10:31 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:26 AM ----------

I'm a morning person, I've been waking up at five a despite my recent lack of sleep and not turning one alarm clock. There's something about the sunrise welcoming in a day I can't resist! My kids are seven and nine, a neighbor will watch them while I am at work. I only work five hours two to three nights a week for tips so it's very part time for now.
We use Saxon Math but might consider switching to something less dependent upon me. Our biggest issue is they are slow readers so we use Verticy for phonics and they need me to read literature and history aloud. I would like to find some type of virtual learning for them to engage in while at my neighbors so even though I would not be homeschooling them it would at least be educational and possibly count as logged hours if need be.

Re: Homeschooling and Working OUT of the Home
 

One other thing popped out at me from your post, when I went back to work my mom (who transitioned from sahm to wohm) told me expect a minimum of a year for adjustment. She had kids in school not HS which added to the adjustment.

I also used to wahm and this is definitely super different.

:yes to mamacat at how old kids are. When I first went back to work, it was really really hard on my 10 year old. My older two were 15.5 and 14 and it wasn't as difficult. Probably because they craved autonomy anyways.

We have slowly developed little subroutines in our schedule and need tweaking every season.

For example when I text "on way" this actually has come to mean "tidy stations asap cuz mom will have a meltdown if the house is a mess" . My ds is very task oriented so he's taken over the household management and reminds them (moms on the way, get stations tidied). The last two weeks he's been I. Drivers ed. After a week of coming home to a trashed house, I started texting "on way, tidy stations please"

Backing up, we had stations for years before I went to work so they were used to dividing and conquering.

Most importantly, grace needs to cover everything.. this is a transition for ALL of you!!!

Now my dd1 has begun looking around and thinking "what would help mom the most?" And starts cleaning, scrubbing or doing chores. It's been lovely :heart

But was very very gradual. In the beginning they were unable to get any thing on the list done. Every day I had to remind them. Now they have a routine.

And we have school as priority so I've had to bend on what tidy and clean mean to me. If they have a big school project I remind myself they r juggling quite a bit.

Re: Homeschooling and Working OUT of the Home
 

Making sleep a high priority is the reason I'm taking it easy onschooling right now! If I tried to do anything other than our daily devotionals I would likely get frustrated and would rather prioritize quality of time together during this transition than getting work done.
I will only work a few nights a week but I think it will be more stressful to have two different daily schedules than to just reset my ciciadian rhythms to be a night person? Probably I a few weeks once I have reset my sleep cycle so I'm getting more than four or five hours of sleep I will begin to intregrate handwriting, nature studies, literature back into our routine.
Luckily the kids are being self directed with chess, knitting and somewhat with music. Not necessarily progressing but at least practicing all three.

Re: Homeschooling and Working OUT of the Home
 

On days after nights you work, can u keep schedule the same but schedule quiet time so u can nap? I'm asking about how many days because we have a few things we only do on my two days off. Things that don't need doing all 5 days. So our schedule remains fairly similar but the days I'm off are longer.

The bottom line is to give yourself time to adjust and be gentle on yourself and your kids. What works for us probably won't work for youdue to the kids ages ;) find your own personal way but you can do this. I knew 4 HS moms that WOH and I listened to their ways and developed my own.

As far as independent math, we like teaching textbooks.

Re: Homeschooling and Working OUT of the Home
 

Ahhhh!!! I was hoping it would only take about a month to adjust to not being morning people anymore. The tips are so much better on weekend nights I'd rather work three evenings than five mornings.
Grace covers everything, even the mess swept under the rug:) my oldest loathes doing chores for me but is eager to help the elderly lady that is babysitting!
I have been trying to focus on relationship and family values above all and the on school lessons. Luckily over the past month some of what used to be done in lesson time has just become part of hobbies and family time.

Re: Homeschooling and Working OUT of the Home
 

Don't forget that there are people who don't even start formal academics until 10+. Just lots and lots or learning rich lifestyle. Especially high quality literature

My eldest is one who started Formal academics at 12 and she got high enough on her ACT the first time to qualify for several music scholarships ;) honestly, the act requirements for music are not as high merit scholarships but she's ready for college academically and enthusiastically pursuing her passions :grin

For literature and history can u do some audio books. Even if u listen w them it gives you a break! Our library has overdrive and there are wonderful audio book options.

---------- Post added at 10:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:52 AM ----------

And yes! Connect before correct. And in our home relationship comes before academics :yes

It's hard but u can do this. If I can w several brain injuries, I know you can too :hug

Re: Homeschooling and Working OUT of the Home
 

One resource that has been SUCH a big help to me has been www.allinonehomeschool.com https://allinonehomeschool.com/how-t...is-curriculum/ You can see if there would be a couple of thngs they could do while at the neighbors. Also a site like www.mrnussbaum.com you could really use as a curriculum. There is so much there and again they could play some of the learning games and the history tutorial things are superb and fun because of the format http://mrnussbaum.com/united-states-history-for-kids/ Lots of fun geography games there too

Re: Homeschooling and Working OUT of the Home
 

Can you move all academics that require you to work with them to the days you don't work the night before? It may mean your family has different "weekends" than traditional, but it would allow you to be more rested on the days you have to work with them.

My situation is different than yours bc you work in the evenings, but this is what we do...

My kids are 8, 10, and 13 and 95% of their work is independent. It has taken a year to get them to where they only need reminders to keep on task during the day instead of my constant assistance. I stopped reading aloud to them, instead they read the books to themselves. Buying Story of the World on CD was one of the best investments I ever made. My dd that struggles with math uses Teaching Textbooks so the lesson and grading is all within the program. My oldest uses Keystone online for English class. All of them use giftedandtalented.com for extra grammar and/or math practice and ttrsonline.com for typing.

On the weekends, dh and I sit down with them and check all their work and make a plan for the next week. It is written down in a school planner for each of them and they check off the work as they complete it. In the evening, we check that they finished their assignments for the day. If they need any help, this is the time to ask for it.

All 3 girls have evening activities 3-5 days/week and the system is imperfect, but that's where a good routine and lots of grace comes in handy.

Re: Homeschooling and Working OUT of the Home
 

I have seen real need in homeschooling community for childcare both part and fulltime for moms who work outside of home. is this a possibility rather than the server job? I know it could be that you might make more with tips but I was paid very well by the hour to take care of children of young professionals

Re: Homeschooling and Working OUT of the Home
 

It won't be easy. But it can be done. You need to consider what normally happens during the time you are planning to work. What accomodations need to be made? Dinner? Baths? You mentioned sleeping in later in the morning. Can the kids get their own bfast? Can they start some school work, like handwriting, while you are waking? A huge thing for me was really focusing in on the time I have to teach lessons and keeping the kids on track.
And...
I dropped a few thing like music and art. I wish I had not. I should have taken time for them and ran a few more weeks into the summer.
Summary....after sahm to 4 for 10 years, I started working at a grocery store 30 to 40 hours a week.