I started working full-time last year. Before 2020, I hadn't worked full-time while homeschooling before. The only other time I worked full-time while mothering was the year we all went to public school, and during that year, I realized that full-time work while caring for my daughters was a bit too much for me. So fast forward to eight years later, and I am giving it another shot. This go-round is different because I work from home for a company that values its employees doing enjoyable work, and my daughters are teens. Although this time is more optimistic, I still have to intentionally make this of my life work without becoming overwhelmed and burnt out.

Three Key Areas to Focus on While Homeschooling and Working Full-Time

Time Management

Time management is vital when you have numerous responsibilities that all carry a level of importance. Homeschooling is an extension of my parenting, and it is high on my list of important things. My work provides for my family, which also means that it is high on the list. To make sure that I do both of these things well, I have to be aware of the way I am using my time. 

I use planners to help me prioritize. It would be nice to stick to a routine each day without having to think about it, but unfortunately, I haven't been able to manage the same routine day in and day out since starting my full-time position. I use tools to help me stay on top of what I want to do. By utilizing planners, I can see what my week looks like at a glance; then, I can arrange my work and homeschool instruction in a way that allows me to be successful. 

Not only do I use a planner like the Passion Planner, but I also use reminders and a Google calendar. I use a Google calendar for work to see which projects I am dedicating time to and help me remain aware of meetings. Now, if my calendar were only on my computer, I would probably be in trouble because meetings can pop up at any time, so I added my work calendar to my phone. I appreciate the meeting reminders, especially if I am away from my computer to do some work with my daughters. It's easy for me to get caught up in whatever we're doing at the moment. My reminders are not limited to my work, but I also have reminders to tell me when to do lessons with my daughters. 

Outside of the tools, I am also strict about having a particular start and stop time for my work. As a remote worker, it is easy to keep working at random times, but I choose not to work that way. I have a specific start and stop time each day for my work. If my brain is in work mode all the time, then I won't accomplish much with my daughters.

With all the tools, reminders, and boundaries, I can balance the two pretty well on most days. 

Delegate

Yes, time management is on me because I have multiple responsibilities, but my daughters' education does not fall on me. When we started homeschooling in 2009, I was their only teacher. I taught them both to read, write, math, pray, and the list goes on, but now, I don't homeschool them alone. I need help to ensure that they get whatever they need to grow into the people God has created them to be. 

My daughters must be responsible for their education just as much as I am. I have intentionally incorporated a curriculum that they can handle on their own with little guidance from me. We are eclectic homeschoolers, so while some of the curriculum they can do alone. There are some subjects that I must teach, like math. If I am honest, I primarily teach them math, writing, and grammar. I do not provide direct instruction for every subject that they learn. I delegate some of their learning to texts that they are responsible for reading. We have conversations about what they're learning, but I am not tied to them while they are reading and completing these independent assignments. 

Over the past year, they've taken more online classes through Outschool and other online academies. They have learned new information from other adults who are more knowledgeable in science, world languages, and more. Even though I teach them writing and math, I have also signed them up for classes with teachers in these topics to hear the information worded differently than how I would say it. 

As a life-long learner myself, I know that learning from more than one source expands your level of understanding, so I utilize other people and resources to help me educate my daughters. 

Trust

I can work full-time while homeschooling my teenage daughters because I trust that God is with us on this journey. I do not put pressure on myself to mold my daughters into a particular image, but instead, I trust that God is with us on the journey, and He is molding them into who He desires them to be. With this knowledge at the core of our homeschool, I can do my best in the areas that I hear Him bring to the forefront of my mind regarding my girls' education. 

I also have my own story to reflect on. I know that everything I know today didn't all come to me between birth and eighteen. Ultimately, teaching my daughters to learn whenever the opportunity presents itself is the best thing I can do for them. I trust that they will. 

What questions do you have about homeschooling and working full-time? Shoot me an email at latonya@joyintheordinary, and I'll do my best to answer.