Collaborative Post¦ As a parent, working from home is a dream. The kids are at school and you have time to sit in the quiet, get all your work done and there are no office politics to worry about. If your children carpool with a friend or relative even better, as you don’t have to worry about the school run! The problem this time is that you’re expected to meet your deadlines and get your work done while managing the kids at the same time. Not only that, you’re managing being a newly drafted teacher, while managing the toddler and while getting your work done! It’s a lot of things to do and if your kids aren’t in school and are at home, you need to figure out a way to manage without melting down.
It’s not easy to do, and while you can buy yourself and your other Mum friends teacher sweatshirts to mark the transition between parent and teacher, you need to make sure that homeschooling isn’t getting you down. Your children need you to feel good while you’re working with them, and they’re without their friends. So, if homeschooling is pulling you down, we have a variety of suggestions to help you to pull yourself back up again.
- Know Your Non-Negotiables. When you’re working from home, there has to be a level of flexibility with your boss so that you can ensure that you are also managing children and their schoolwork without wanting to scream into a pillow. If you’re working, you need to create a timetable to fit in work around the kids’ education. You also need to prioritize your downtime and time away from both being a teacher and being an employee. Talk to your boss about how to manage it all – they should be able to help you. You could also get a home tutor to help share some of the load with you!
- Offer Independence. Can any of your children work without supervision? If they can, set your own laptop up alongside them and work together. They can continue school work while you continue your job. Any children that need your supervision can still be set up next to you while you answer emails and catch up on paperwork. Just make sure that your boss knows that you are multitasking on the job.
- Play. Younger children (10 and under!) learn far better through play than they do sitting down and concentrating on worksheets. Setting up sensory toys and ways to make things is going to help your children to better their education. Card games, board games, turn taking and more – you can even get the kids outside for outdoor play in all weathers!
- Chores. Children can learn just as well with doing chores as they can when they are working on schoolwork. This can work to your advantage, too, as they can give you a hand with the housework and help you to keep up with it as much as possible. Life skills aren’t often covered in school, but you can cover them while you are doing things like ordering groceries online and balancing your budget.
The most important thing to remember about homeschooling is that you cannot do it all, and you need to reach out where you can and get some support. Don’t be afraid to tell your boss if you’re struggling, too!
Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.