How feasible is it to expect to work from home while Unschooling?
unscooldad
We haven't taken the plunge yet but are strongly leaning toward unschooling. We have four children, ages 7, 8, 10 and 11. I (Dad) am a computer programmer and as such could work from home. In fact I have done that whenever a child has been sick.
I could work some in the early mornings and evenings to make up time spent with the kids during the day but I'm curious how feasible is it to expect to work from home while unschooling?
I could work some in the early mornings and evenings to make up time spent with the kids during the day but I'm curious how feasible is it to expect to work from home while unschooling?
lindaguitar
--- In [email protected], "unscooldad" <slkirk@...> wrote:
One is a graphic designer. Another runs a day care center in her home. Another one is a real estate agent.
I know some parents who work from their homes who earn enough money that they could easily afford to hire a babysitter if they needed someone to keep the kids occupied for a while, if they were to decide to homeschool/unschool. I used to babysit for a couple of public schooled kids after school every day, while their work-at-home mom finished her work in her home office. She's an accountant. She worked until 6:00 PM, so I babysat from 4-6 every school day.
So, if your IT job pays reasonably well, you could always hire a babysitter for a few hours a day, if your kids seem to need more attention than you can give them while working, or if they need someone to take them out to a park or museum, etc, when you're busy.
Linda
>I know some single moms who do it.
> ... I'm curious how feasible is it to expect to work from home while
> unschooling?
One is a graphic designer. Another runs a day care center in her home. Another one is a real estate agent.
I know some parents who work from their homes who earn enough money that they could easily afford to hire a babysitter if they needed someone to keep the kids occupied for a while, if they were to decide to homeschool/unschool. I used to babysit for a couple of public schooled kids after school every day, while their work-at-home mom finished her work in her home office. She's an accountant. She worked until 6:00 PM, so I babysat from 4-6 every school day.
So, if your IT job pays reasonably well, you could always hire a babysitter for a few hours a day, if your kids seem to need more attention than you can give them while working, or if they need someone to take them out to a park or museum, etc, when you're busy.
Linda
Meredith
"unscooldad" <slkirk@...> wrote:
It really depends on your kids and how effectively you can multi-task. If you need big chunks of dedicated time to get work done, and you have kids who need a lot of social interaction, it may be reeeeeaaaallllly tough to try and work from home.
The keys to juggling work and unschooling seem to be flexibility and creativity - figuring out how to manage your time so your kids get all of "you" they need.
I'm interested in the fact you're saying "we" though - does your spouse/partner work also? Or are you thinking both parents need to be home to unschool? If both of you work, then it may help to think creatively as to how to juggle your hours and financial needs so that the kids have a parent home all or most of their waking hours. That can happen in a variety of different ways, and working at home is one of them, but if you need dedicated work time, it's not helpful to "count" that as "time home with the kids".
---Meredith
>> I could work some in the early mornings and evenings to make up time spent with the kids during the day but I'm curious how feasible is it to expect to work from home while unschooling?***************
It really depends on your kids and how effectively you can multi-task. If you need big chunks of dedicated time to get work done, and you have kids who need a lot of social interaction, it may be reeeeeaaaallllly tough to try and work from home.
The keys to juggling work and unschooling seem to be flexibility and creativity - figuring out how to manage your time so your kids get all of "you" they need.
I'm interested in the fact you're saying "we" though - does your spouse/partner work also? Or are you thinking both parents need to be home to unschool? If both of you work, then it may help to think creatively as to how to juggle your hours and financial needs so that the kids have a parent home all or most of their waking hours. That can happen in a variety of different ways, and working at home is one of them, but if you need dedicated work time, it's not helpful to "count" that as "time home with the kids".
---Meredith
Latha Poonamallee
It is quite feasible if you require less sleep or can survive on less sleep
for a few years at the least. I am a sole parent and a professional worker.
Like you can, I can do most of my work (research) from home. I am required
to be on site anywhere between 7 and 10/12 on site. Over the years, my
son's (9) needs have changed. Initially, I needed to be fully present with
him during his play time. Now, he is a lot more independent and considerate
of my work time needs. The things that have worked for me:
1. Reorganize the workspace.
He and I share our basement for our work/play/his TV watching/computer play
etc. He has the big desk with the computer and I have a laptop, so can work
from anywhere. There is also an accompanying mental shift here. Most people
tend to believe that they don't get disturbed at their workplace. From my
experience, I am a lot more productive and efficient with my time at home
than at work/office, where people keep dropping in to chat etc. Again, I
had mine I was a grad student and a sole parent and got used to working
with him on my lap and shoulders.
2. Understand my workflow/components and reorganize it.
There are elements in my work that I can do on autopilot without requiring
full focus and attention. I do those when I am with him. Other times (like
writing), I need complete attention and focus and so I work at nights. Of
late, after having hit my 40s, I seem to require more sleep than I did in
my thirties. Fortunately, this has coincided with his burgeoning interests
in various activities like fencing, teakwood, music, and art. So when he is
away doing stuff, that gives me a few hours of uninterrupted work time.
Further, he is at an age where he doesn't require me right next to him
while he is watching TV or doing his own thing. He knows that I am in the
house and can come to me for anything he needs except when I am taking
conference calls (probably 6-10 hours a month max). Which I let him know in
advance. Heck, I have even started to work out an hour a day for the past
few months and he is totally supportive of it. If there are extreme
deadlines for grant or paper submission, I usually I know them well in
advance. During those times, I might take the help of babysitters. What
really helps me is planning my workload, being super efficient with my
time, and more importantly not leaving stuff for the last minute. I am
usually a last minute person burning the midnight oil before the deadline
but I have had to change my work patterns so I almost always am on top of
it and anything that requires to be done in the last 24-48 hours is
tweaking and editing and not the whole production.
3. Reliable Social Networks
I cannot overstress the importance of finding a reliable, supportive social
network for working/homeschooling parents. I am in a small town in the
middle of nowhere, where there are no unschoolers but quite a thriving
group of homeschooling families. I have developed a good network with these
families and they have continued to provide me with reliable homeschooling
teens for babysitters/companions. But I have had to be openminded about
their philosophical orientations to life and find commonalities that bridge
our lives than be picky about who I will socialize with. They all know that
my son is unschooled but the fact that we have all made a choice to home
educate our children and put our children's well-being above every other
concern seems to be a stronger bonding element than our differences. Most
of them are traditional, anglo families with a strong conservative,
Christian orientation. This may not be true of big cities but is very
common in smaller, rural areas like where I live. For example, there is a
gym day every week at a local universities, I have families that will bring
my son with him thus giving me a couple of hours every week.
Hope you find it helpful and good luck!
Latha
for a few years at the least. I am a sole parent and a professional worker.
Like you can, I can do most of my work (research) from home. I am required
to be on site anywhere between 7 and 10/12 on site. Over the years, my
son's (9) needs have changed. Initially, I needed to be fully present with
him during his play time. Now, he is a lot more independent and considerate
of my work time needs. The things that have worked for me:
1. Reorganize the workspace.
He and I share our basement for our work/play/his TV watching/computer play
etc. He has the big desk with the computer and I have a laptop, so can work
from anywhere. There is also an accompanying mental shift here. Most people
tend to believe that they don't get disturbed at their workplace. From my
experience, I am a lot more productive and efficient with my time at home
than at work/office, where people keep dropping in to chat etc. Again, I
had mine I was a grad student and a sole parent and got used to working
with him on my lap and shoulders.
2. Understand my workflow/components and reorganize it.
There are elements in my work that I can do on autopilot without requiring
full focus and attention. I do those when I am with him. Other times (like
writing), I need complete attention and focus and so I work at nights. Of
late, after having hit my 40s, I seem to require more sleep than I did in
my thirties. Fortunately, this has coincided with his burgeoning interests
in various activities like fencing, teakwood, music, and art. So when he is
away doing stuff, that gives me a few hours of uninterrupted work time.
Further, he is at an age where he doesn't require me right next to him
while he is watching TV or doing his own thing. He knows that I am in the
house and can come to me for anything he needs except when I am taking
conference calls (probably 6-10 hours a month max). Which I let him know in
advance. Heck, I have even started to work out an hour a day for the past
few months and he is totally supportive of it. If there are extreme
deadlines for grant or paper submission, I usually I know them well in
advance. During those times, I might take the help of babysitters. What
really helps me is planning my workload, being super efficient with my
time, and more importantly not leaving stuff for the last minute. I am
usually a last minute person burning the midnight oil before the deadline
but I have had to change my work patterns so I almost always am on top of
it and anything that requires to be done in the last 24-48 hours is
tweaking and editing and not the whole production.
3. Reliable Social Networks
I cannot overstress the importance of finding a reliable, supportive social
network for working/homeschooling parents. I am in a small town in the
middle of nowhere, where there are no unschoolers but quite a thriving
group of homeschooling families. I have developed a good network with these
families and they have continued to provide me with reliable homeschooling
teens for babysitters/companions. But I have had to be openminded about
their philosophical orientations to life and find commonalities that bridge
our lives than be picky about who I will socialize with. They all know that
my son is unschooled but the fact that we have all made a choice to home
educate our children and put our children's well-being above every other
concern seems to be a stronger bonding element than our differences. Most
of them are traditional, anglo families with a strong conservative,
Christian orientation. This may not be true of big cities but is very
common in smaller, rural areas like where I live. For example, there is a
gym day every week at a local universities, I have families that will bring
my son with him thus giving me a couple of hours every week.
Hope you find it helpful and good luck!
Latha
On Thu, Mar 29, 2012 at 3:04 AM, lindaguitar <lindaguitar@...> wrote:
> **
>
>
> --- In [email protected], "unscooldad" <slkirk@...> wrote:
> >
> > ... I'm curious how feasible is it to expect to work from home while
> > unschooling?
>
> I know some single moms who do it.
>
> One is a graphic designer. Another runs a day care center in her home.
> Another one is a real estate agent.
>
> I know some parents who work from their homes who earn enough money that
> they could easily afford to hire a babysitter if they needed someone to
> keep the kids occupied for a while, if they were to decide to
> homeschool/unschool. I used to babysit for a couple of public schooled kids
> after school every day, while their work-at-home mom finished her work in
> her home office. She's an accountant. She worked until 6:00 PM, so I
> babysat from 4-6 every school day.
>
> So, if your IT job pays reasonably well, you could always hire a
> babysitter for a few hours a day, if your kids seem to need more attention
> than you can give them while working, or if they need someone to take them
> out to a park or museum, etc, when you're busy.
>
> Linda
>
>
>
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