Full time work and home school?

Question

I'm home schooling my middle child and I give a lot of time and effort into educating and teaching him my values and beliefs.

I don't mean for anyone to get offended but how can you home school successfully if you work full time? If you work full time how you can home school your child without having that child feel "abandon" by you.

Sure, they learn to be independent and self-teach themselves but what about the fact of dealing with their emotions?

Some home schooling moms that I know worked full time and some of their children suffered from it. Some of them had behavioral problems and felt "left out" by their parents being so busy and tired all the time.

Where would you find the time to be there for your child if your busy working your job?

As a home schooling mom I ask myself that question.

Answer 1

I shift between not working, working at home, and working part or full time sometimes for a few weeks or months to build up our bank account for a bit. When I work full time, it's not that hard to continue homeschooling.

I'm home 2 days per week, my husband is home a different 2 days per week, and my mother helps the other 3 days. When they go to my moms house, I send them with their books and worksheets and projects and they do most of their independant or "skills practice" when they're with her. We do more direct work the other 4 days we're home. They continue to go to their co-op classes and their extra curricular activities and classes, we just work out a schedule of who is taking them where. I also have a 17 yr old who is pretty much self sufficient with her college courses, and she'll sit down and work with the younger kids, too.

It's sort of a family affair... it isn't too difficult for us. We never were highly structured to begin with, so usually it's just about shifting schedules around to fit everyone's needs.

Answer 2

You know, that is the beauty of homeschooling. So many different options, schedules and reasons go in to the decision making process. While you cannot comprehend how a mom cannot spend 24/7 with her children, there are those out there that cannot comprehend not doing whatever they can to ensure the success of the ENTIRE family, and not just the homeschooling aspect.
I'm not meaning to offend you, or anyone else, but why do you assume moms that work are not able to "be there" for their children?
Am I busy? Oh, heck yeah. Do I get tired? absolutely. Would I change anything I am doing? Outside of being independently wealthy, not a chance.
My need to take on these two jobs over the last school year is not a reflection of my commitment level to my children's education, it is a reflection of my understanding of a need in our family to have additional income.
Do my kids feel left out? Not so much. My teen enjoys the alone time she gets every now and then due to my schedule. And my youngest is forever learning what it takes to be dedicated to your family.
They get to see first hand, from the example my husband and I set for them, the amount of strength, compromise, dedication, and perserverence it takes to care for a family
When they are ready to go out on their own, they will be under no delusions. They will know they have to work hard to get what they want.
Oh, you say your children are learning the exact same thing?
Isn't it funny how we all can accomplish the same thing in so many different ways?

just something to chew on from the other end of the spectrum.

Answer 3

I would say that if a child is feeling left out or having behavioral problems, then it probably isn't the homeschooling/work itself, but the parenting.

I don't work outside of the home, but I have seen several families in which both parents work (or work and one goes to uni, whatever) and it works very well for them. Learning takes place all the time, and is not restricted to certain hours. So, if a parent can work, and has a loving person in charge of the child, it is wonderful. If a child is capable of staying home, then they have lots of personal reflection time. I am sorry for the families you know for whom it doesn't work, but you should know that there are families for whom it does work.

I stay at home full time with my kids, and homeschool takes no time at all, so homeschooling could be said to be working perfectly. I'm glad you are putting a lot of effort into your child's education. In our family homeschooling probably looks a lot different, we don't spend time at the table memorizing facts or filling paperwork, but I do spend a lot of time and effort emotionally. They have a lot of free time, which they enjoy filling without my managing them.

I've known many 'public school moms' who stay at home, and their children are shuffled off to school, in the charge of people for whom they are just another job. How is that different than 'abandoning' them by leaving them at home?

Answer 4

I have had to work fulltime and homeschool at the same time. We just did our schoolwork when I wasn't working. I worked graveyards and would sleep until about 10am then we would do work until around 2 or 3. Then the kids would go out and play and I would go back to work after they went to bed. It worked out great for us. Sometimes as parents you do what is best for your child and doing what is best means that we give give give and do the best we can. We would do field trips on the weekends and sometimes we would just take a day off to be mom and kids and enjoy our time together.

Answer 5

Make me feel worse than I already do! (I say everything with a smile so don't think I am really upset.)
I do feel badly that I cannot be with my son more. I think it is the way it is 'supposed' to be but it ain't. He is learning more at home than he did in school, but I think it would be better if I could devote more time to him and less time making money.
My husband has changed his work schedule and we hope that he will be able to take up where I leave off in the school day.
I won't bore you with our schedule. It is not ideal, but we must make it work. It works better than public school did for our son but it would work better if we didn't have to arrange our priorities to deal with providing shelter, clothing, food, gas, insurance, utilities, and Internet connection.

edit: check my grammar :bad, badly, more worser? whatever

Answer 6

There is no way in the world that you can work full time and still home school, unless you are taking the child to work with you. I have a friend who home schools, but she only works part time. At those times she has a teacher come in to teach the child math and grammar, because she hates those subjects but wants her daughter to have a love for all learning. If you hire someone else to teach your child at home that is maybe a possiblity.

Answer 7

I dont beleve you can work full time and homeschool but maybe here is a program www.k12.com best homeschool around if your not htere they are all lessons on computer try it youll love it