“I Don’t Have Time to Homeschool…”
Time is one thing that never seems to be on our side. Regardless of the situation, you’re in, it always seems as if time is a commodity we can’t quite get under control. With so many commitments pulling you in various directions, you’re probably wondering how in the world you’d fit one more commitment into your day.
…because I work full-time:
Whether you work full-time or part-time (or not at all), homeschooling is doable for you! First, realize you don’t have to homeschool from 8am-3pm as though you were a public school. Instead, you can homeschool when you are available – which may not be until the evening or on weekends. Homeschooling simply doesn’t require the same amount of time as it takes to teach 25 students. Furthermore, because you’ll only need a couple of hours each day, you can easily teach a weeks’ worth of lessons in three or four days – especially if your students are young.
…because I have 5 kids:
Rather than make things more complicated, this actually makes things easier! No doubt, at least one or two of your children can work independently. Generally, students who are in grades 4 and above can do a good bit of their work on their own. For the subjects that require more interaction with you, consider doing rotations. For instance, if you rotate your 1st, 3rd, and 5th grader in 20-minute increments for language arts, you’ll only need one hour. If you do the same for math, you’ll only need about 2-½ hours at most (which includes taking a break). There really are many benefits to having a large family!
…because I don’t have 8 hours to devote to teaching each day:
When you’re only teaching a few kids, it takes a lot less time than when you’re teaching a room full of kids. In addition, because you know your children better than anyone else, you’ll know which areas of the lesson plan you can skip and which areas you need to spend more time covering. So, use your lesson planning book as a guide but don’t let it dictate the day to you.
If you’re new to homeschooling, it can seem like there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to get it done properly. In many cases, it’s a simple misunderstanding about just what is required when homeschooling. It’s obvious, homeschooling frees you to do many things!
