Couple of questions I have as a newbie to homeschooling is: How many hours a day do others typically spend teaching a 3rd grade curriculum? Does anyone else have to work outside the home but choose to homeschool also?
I have a part-time job working from home that does require a few hours out of the house. It's VERY flexible though. I was fortunate to find it! In the beginning, I was overwhelmed, but got a schedule going and it works OK now.
i used to clean house 2 days a week, but i only had a K and a 2nd grader, so i didnt get too flustered, lol. i think we will be in 3rd this year, and im planning about 2 hours of seatwork and instruction in math, language, writing, and maybe another 2 hours give or take for reading, science and history, hands on, games, etc. for what its worth, i recently redid our schedule, and we are doing the 3 or 4 hours schedule, 3 or 4 days a week with Mays off. I think it will be good. Plus i figure in March we will be ending the year so just reviewing stuff, and in June we will be beginning the year so just review again, so we will have 1 light month, 1 month off, and then another light month, before we get back to new and harder stuff, lol
Oh, I'll have a 3rd grader next year, too (and K, 5th, and 8th). The older ones usually work 4-5 hours a day. The K'er will probably only do 1-2 (formal learning anyway).
My ds will be in 3rd grade starting in the fall. We have about 2 hours of seatwork. Afternoons are usually spent on a homeschool group trip or class - or at the playground with friends. I work 6pm-10pm Mon to Thurs. And Saturday afternoons. 20 hours per week. Perfect schedule for us.
Bless you all and keep 'em coming~ Currently I am a contractor at a Nuclear Power facility doing document control and record keeping, engineering assistant etc. type work. This is not a permanent job. The project I'm working on had some delays and I have been offered an extension through January 2010. If I agree to stay for the additional extra months, they even offered me a raise. I don't see how I can pass up this opportunity because my husband is an over the road truck driver and trucking isn't very stable right now with the state of the economy. I am telling myself that I CAN do this. We would be able to begin homeschooling by 2:00 pm in the afternoon every day and of course weekends too as needed or if desired. Honestly, I think this set schedule will make me more disciplined and organized than if I wasn't working outside the home, ya know? Plus, if our time together is spent with instruction and one on one learning, the time she is at a friends / sitter's, she could be responsible for doing homework that is then turned in when we have formal learning time each afternoon. This is our first year at homeschooling and so we have all of the normal anxieties with any new HUGE decision. Plus we deal with non-supportive family members and neighbors in a small rural community. Ugh. Leaning on seasoned homeschoolers is comforting and quite helpful in understanding what others are doing out there. Katie especially has been a SUPER source of support and wisdom. Ladies, THANK YOU so much for sharing with me. Any other stories to share are greatly appreciated. (((((Hugs))))) :angel: :angel:
You can do it! Up until we moved last February, I worked outside the home. I worked as a manager at our local movies. My hours were anywhere from 30 to 50 a week. I had a 5th, 3rd, 1st, and toddler at the time. We used Calvert at the time, which is very time consuming. We made it work. I was usually tired (worked until 1 or 2 a.m.), and sometimes grouchy. We survived. It is doable, you just have to be dedicated. Good luck! I am sure you will be do just fine! Good Luck! Tara
I don't work outside the home yet but hope to be after next month. After talking it over with hubby, I am going to work just for a few months until we move. I will be HSing two Kers and a 4th grader also. My oldest does 3-4 hours of work a day when we have nothing going one. Some days we will just do two hours of work.
Hi Scooby, I worked outside the home when we did 3rd grade - it was hard, probably more so since I am a single mom. But we did get it to work. I don't think that was our worst year, but it certainly wasn't out best. I still work, I just do it form home now. I actually have 3work at home jobs plus the website stuff. My main job is as a farm inspector. I travel every other week for that job, but it is easy and flexible and I don't have too many overnights. My mother lives with us so she "watches" my kids, although they are 12 and 19 now - so not much watching going on. I also teach science for an online university and I will be starting with a political action group for another work at home job. So - thank goodness I have a homeschool routine that is pretty much self directed by my son. :lol: My main goal through all these years was to get to this (self directed) point, but back in third grade when I was gone all day and my daughter was taking care of the house, it was a struggle. I'm glad those days are over. I would stay up late or get up early so I could write things out on the whiteboard. We did ancient Rome that year and everyday I'd put copywork up on the board for him. We actually did end up making some nice notebooking projects from all that, but it was a huge sacrifice that I might not repeat had I known how tough it would be. Keep in mind that I worked a full 40 hour week and had 2hours of travel time each day, so it was nothing like what you are proposing. I think with your schedule it is absolutely do-able.
You can do it Scooby. I work 40 hours a week as a hotel front desk clerk. My shift is 3pm to 11pm. So we do school in the morning, which takes us about 3-4 hours and then I drop the girls of with hubby on my way to work and he does dinner and gets them to bed. It has taken some organizing trial and error but we have been able to make it work. Oh, the girls are 3rd 2nd and pre k.
Encouraged Thanks so much for sharing your personal stories. I am encouraged to hear of others that have been there done that and / or are doing it now. I guess I know this adventure at times won't be without challenges or hardships (like anything else in life) but that it is very possible and we can make it work. Where there is a will, there is a way and I have always been a strong willed woman. Here me roar.....RAHRRR! LOL :lol: Thank you ladies! God bless you!!
I work outside the home. I work evenings and on Sunday's. It seems to work, where I leave my dh picks up so we balance everything by doing it all together to the best of our ability.
I currently have in my house a 6 grader, 3rd grader and 1st grader. And I currently clean houses and 2 drs. offices. Now the houses I will do on Friday and Saturday and the Drs. offices I do in the evening normally on Monday and Tuesday. So for me working with the kids during the day and then cleaning works because all that I clean for are flexible and work with me.
I work 4x10hour night duty shifts each week at our local hospital. I have done since we started hs, when ds was in 3rd. He is now in 7th,dd in 8th. It was harder when they were younger, but none of us regret it at all. We did a 4 day school week 3-4 hours per day in the begning, and we still caught up all the stuff the didn't learn at ps and moved forward! Now we do 5 days per week, with one and a half days independent work. It can definitely be done.
I work full time, my husband owns his own business and we only have my stepdaughter 70% of the time. Still, we make it work for 2nd grade! She does about 2 hours of seatwork 3-4 days a week (we school year round) Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The rest is activities (gymnastics, soccer, swimming) and music lessons, art and fun stuff! You can do it too! I do 2 days a week (Friday nights and Saturday mornings) and my hubby does 2 days. I take care of the lesson planning and such. She's doing wonderful!
