How to Work and Homeschool: 10 tips to do both effectively – PART 1

Thanks to Coronavirus-19, our country has become the land of e-learning while working from home overnight!  I must admit that it’s strange to suddenly log onto social media and see that what I considered my ordinary life – work and homeschool from home – is now considered strange at best, and nearly impossible, by most Americans.  Ha ha.  Who knew?

But seriously, it can be daunting.  I get it.  And it may sound pretty crazy.  But, homeschooling while working is possible.  Not only is it possible, but it can be a great way to provide an excellent education and a flexible lifestyle to your family.

Now the big question is How to work and homeschool from home?  I mean, how do you fit it all together, stay sane, and maybe even enjoy it???

If you’ve been with me a while, you know that I don’t believe in one-size-fits-all prescriptions, but rather, processes that will enable people to find their own version of a happy place.

So, with that disclaimer, I write this post in the hopes that if you are

• someone thrust into homeschooling because of the crisis, or
• someone who would like to do more things, but feel like you can’t because you also homeschool, or
• someone who works, and doubts that you could, therefore, homeschool,

then perhaps what I have to say will get the wheels turning in the right direction.

First, The Backstory.

Here’s the quick lowdown: My husband and I have been building businesses together since we met 19 years ago.  We currently run 3 businesses together: real estate rentals/management, a wholesale flooring sales agency, and the Minimalist Homeschooling movement you see here.  I had my first baby 12 years ago, and 3 more since.  We’ve navigated (sometimes painfully) the process of building businesses and a family at the same time.

We are at a point that works. It’s not perfect, but it works, and this lifestyle has a TON of perks.  Part of the reason I’m writing this is because what works for me often flies in the face of conventional wisdom.  I’d love to give you a glimpse into the unconventional approach, permission to do what works for you, and encouragement to get creative.

Changing Our Perspective

Homeschooling while working is not so strange when you consider that up until very recently (relatively speaking, over the course of history), children spent many more hours alongside their parents and other adults in the community.  In a lifestyle of constantly learning, children historically learned trades, life skills, and academics throughout every day, in real-world environments.

It is only in modern times that we have chosen to isolate the various types of things that children can learn, and also began to isolate children from everyday adult life for the vast majority of their childhood.  I’m not here to debate the value of one model over another – I’ll let you ponder that – but I am here to say that working from home while educating children is not actually so strange.  Working while homeschooling is pretty common in the modern era, too!  Look at the end for a list of other homeschooling while working resources.

Once you accept that this model of working with children learning alongside you is well-vetted, it’s important to realize that “homeschooling” is different from conducting “school at home.”

Homeschooling, especially while working, will include more than merely academics.  When you homeschool, academics can be completed much quicker than in a school setting.   As a result, homeschoolers can pursue a wide variety of interests, trades, and life skills in addition to academics at a very young age, and consistently.

For example, as a business-owning parent, my children have the benefit of learning business concepts and skills throughout their childhood.  As a homeschooler, learning is living, and vice versa.  I can say the same of my adult life: I constantly need to, and want to learn different things!

But man, it’s hard!

Now, with all that said, it can seem like reconciling a work schedule with schooling demands is heroic and unsustainable.  Make no mistake, sharing our time, tasks, and space with our children all day long can be a challenge.  Fortunately, there are several tricks to homeschool and work at home that are worth sharing.  Here are 5, and will be discussing 5 more (to help you keep your sanity) in the next post.

Be sure to follow me on social media so you don’t miss the next installment next week!

Facebook @MinimalistHomeschooling
Instagram @ZaraPhD

 

1. Compartmentalize

Normal, modern life (if there is such a thing) is in its neat little compartments.  Children go to school to do their thing.  Parents go to work to do their thing.  Everyone comes home and does some things together.  The apples and oranges are kept separate for the most part.

What we have now is one big fruit salad.  It’s really intimidating to try to work, and homeschool, and keep a house, and make meals… all simultaneously.  This is also a really great way to feel overwhelmed, inadequate, and pulled in too many different directions.

I might be speaking from experience here ;).  Which brings me to my first point:

Do not function as a fruit salad, folks.

Pick all those bits and pieces apart, and start creating your own new compartments of time.  Some compartments can be group lessons, tutoring time (where you work directly with your kids), work/independent schooling time, free time, quiet time, meals, activities…

The goal here is to identify how you are spending your time as individuals and as a family, and start grouping like items together.  Identify when your child(ren) most need you, and for which items.  Identify what they can do independently.  Identify the time you need.  Then, put those pieces together.  Some people call this “block scheduling.”

I have a video on the easiest way to create a basic routine and structure in your home over here on YouTube.

Your time to teach your children may not be during school hours at all!  That is the beauty of homeschooling while working.  You get to decide what schedule is best for everyone.

The goal is to accomplish your professional and educational goals.  Meet those goals at whatever time you need.

Then, the next piece of this is really important, too:

2. Do Not Multitask

Here’s the deal: If I’m trying to work while my kids are schooling or need me, and they keep interrupting me with normal kid questions and problems, I am going to get frustrated and irritable.  I like to focus.  I don’t like distraction.  So, why work while my kids need me?  It doesn’t make sense?

If I try to work and school at the same time, I’m not doing my work 100%, and I’m not giving my children 100%, plus I’m getting frustrated just because my kids are being kids.  It’s not fair to me, and it’s not fair to them.  It’s unnecessary stress.

Everyone can absolutely work and homeschool, but probably cannot do both well simultaneously.  Give your undivided attention to each in their own time.

Do not try to do all the different kinds of tasks simultaneously.  You cannot effectively tutor a child, work in a business, and wash the dishes at the same time.  Even quickly switching from one of those tasks to the other is not efficient.

When I devote specific time to tutoring my children, I give them my full attention. I am not folding laundry, washing dishes, or replying to emails at the same time.  I am there for tutoring, and so I plan the subjects for which my children need me during that time frame.  Then, my children can work independently on schoolwork while I am doing other things.  If they have questions, my children know I will help them when I am done with what I need to do.

Once you know when you are doing certain things, stay disciplined.  Communicate the plan and expectations to your children, and be consistent (and patient) for at least 2 weeks while everyone gets the hang of it.

3. Prioritize

You have a limited amount of time each day.  Instead of asking “how do I get everything done?” start asking “how can I make the best use of this time that I have?”

Prioritizing is important in both business and in homeschooling.  Nobody wants to feel busy and inadequate at the same time.  In order to see value in how you spend your time, you must value the things you do with your time.

Choose to complete high impact items first in your homeschool and your business.  Know your priorities for yourself, and your children.  Do them first.  It’s that simple.

4. Choose Where Your Life Will Have Variety

I like working and building businesses.  I love teaching my kids.  I like being active in the community, and going to church.  To me, these are the things that give my life variety.  I never feel like I am “balancing” these things.  They are the richness of life.  I like my variety in the big-picture activities that we do.

However, I sacrifice variety in other parts of my life, instead.  I don’t try out new recipes, or mix up our menu or meal plans very often anymore.  I can practically use the same grocery list every week.  We eat the same breakfast 90% of the time.  I don’t have a lot of variety in my wardrobe (or anyone’s wardrobe, for that matter).  Our homeschool doesn’t have too much variety from day-to-day, but it does get changed up every 6 weeks.  Instead, my children have free time to add variety to their days however they choose.

You get the idea.

You have to choose what kind of variety you like best.  Maybe you are a foodie, or maybe you are a creative homeschooling type.  I dunno.

Choose where you want your variety most because having all the variety in all of the things gets overwhelming and crazy quickly.

 

5. Do Not Do All. The. Things.

Many people ask how to homeschool and work when they find out “all the things I do.”  And, really, here’s my secret: I don’t do “all the things.”  Here, I’ll talk about all the different ways that I don’t do all the things so that I can work and homeschool.

• Delegate: If someone else in your house can do it, ask them to do it!
• Invest in Teaching Others: My children do more housecleaning than I do.  They have daily chores, and have been taught how to clean.  Teach them how to cook, mow the lawn, do the laundry…  it’s an investment with great dividends.
• Lower Your Standards: In order to delegate, you may have to be ok with a lower standard.  By all means, teach your children the proper way to do things, and then be patient, and just be thankful you didn’t have to do it.
• Schedule “Daddy Days” (or “Mommy Days,” depending on your situation).  These are the days where the other person is 100% in-charge for part or all of a day.  I know not everyone can do this.  I know it may not be possible on a weekday, and it has to happen on a Saturday.  But, if you have this option, use it!
• Hire Someone: Wait!  Don’t roll your eyes.  I’m frugal, but I cannot think of a better use of my money than freeing up my time to be with my kids, or to be a better business owner. Consider this a homeschool expense, guys.  You just took on a part-time job teaching your kids – something has to give! What will you NOT be doing now that you are homeschooling?

Click here to read about how I batch items in my homeschool so we don’t have to do all the things, all the time.

There you have it.  Some of my tricks for how to work and homeschool.  How do you manage to work and homeschool?

Is there anything that you’d like to be doing more of, but you’re afraid you can’t because you homeschool?  I’d love to continue the conversation in the comments below.

Wishing you all the simple things,
Zara

Here are some Work and Homeschool Resources you may like:

The Homeschool CEO is coming out with a podcast soon!  In the meantime, go join the facebook group via this link if you are an entrepreneur homeschooling, or considering homeschooling!

Minimalist Homeschooling: A values-based approach to maximize learning and minimize stress  This is the book that started it all!  Get a step-by-step process to design an intentional education at every age.

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