{F.A.Q.} Can We Both Work Full-Time and Homeschool?

As word has spread about my new book, I have begun to receive some version of this question regularly:
We love our jobs, and we do not want to give up salaries and insurance. But we think we want to homeschool our kids. Can full-time working parents do that? If so, how?




Here's my answer:

Yes, it can be done. Parents are working full-time and homeschooling their kids. 

My forthcoming book includes a list of schedule options for full-time and part-time working parents. The schedules will help you visualize how to accomplish what you want to do. I also talk at length about how single working parents homeschool their kids.

You can watch this page for updates on the book's release. It is due to be published by GHF Press in July 2013. The price will be under $6--a real value for working parents.

If you need additional support transitioning to the homeschool lifestyle--or if you just can't wait for the book, I offer workshops and private consultations for a fee. Some people express surprise that I charge for consults. I charge because, as a working homeschool parent myself, I generate revenue through my writing and coaching. (Click here for details.)


Childcare is often the single biggest hurdle for working homeschool parents. On that topic, I also suggest that you look for a copy of The Four-Thirds Solution: Solving the Childcare Crisis in America Today at your library or via Amazon.com or another retailer.

Finally, please be sure to take a look around this site and follow me on Facebook.


Disclosure: this post contains affiliate-links for Amazon.com.

{Homeschool Tips} You Don't Have to be a Math Whiz to Homeschool Your Kid




Supper... or a study in fractions?

Many would-be homeschool parents are afraid to dive in because they project 2, 5, or 10 years out and think "I sucked at X so I can't teach X and therefore I can't homeschool."

Note this well:



 I'll say it again, because it bears repeating:

Just because you homeschool doesn't mean that you must always be your kids' only teacher.

You can outsource all kinds of lessons and topics via your network of friends and family, tutors, or for-profit learning centers. Or, you may learn like I did, that if you change up your approach to a topic--releasing yourself from how you learned it--you may find new ways of teaching that work better.

Whatever you decide to do, and however you decide to do it: more power to you!

This post originally appeared via my feed at Sulia.com, where I frequently write about homeschooling and other lifestyle topics.

{Homeschool Tips} Simple Stealth-Schooling Strategies

This post is part of a blog hop sponsored by Gifted Homeschoolers Forum. (Links to other blogs appear at the bottom of this post.)

We love stealth schooling here.

Except of course that our kiddo doesn't know the term or that we do it as often as we do.

Our roots in stealth schooling--or "sneaky teaching"--go back to his preschool days, when we wholeheartedly embraced the Reggio-Emilia approach, a child-led educational method. ("R-E" is a basis of the popular "project-based learning.") Back when he was a preschooler,  I would make a point to listen and look for what interested him and then make materials related to that topic accessible to him for exploration.

This is how, when he was 5, he came to love a pretty sophisticated app on the human immune system designed for much older children. He'd voiced an interest in the topic, and I kept providing him resources on it. Eventually he became proficient at explaining things like how T-cells work, making a short video on the subject by using the Show Me app.

Remember: our children's brains crave information and if we pay attention to their words, actions, and behaviors, we can tune into what they seek. Stealth schooling builds upon our awareness as parents, creating meaningful, lasting learning for our kids! 

 Here at home, I find that when I listen to what my son's interests and try to meet that demonstrated "need to know," then he is not only more receptive to the information but also more likely to remember it.

If you'd like to incorporate stealth schooling strategies into your homeschool or afterschool setting, here are some simple ways of so doing.

Make materials accessible: Books, art supplies, media, and other materials on topics of interest can be selected for their age appropriateness and made readily accessible for independent exploration.

Conversation: While one doesn't want to inundate a child with too much information on a topic, conversation--free-flowing, two-way chat as opposed to a one-way lecture--is a marvelous way to determine what a child knows about the topic already. (You might be surprised!)

Show and tell: When it comes to topics like character development or basic life skills, children learn by watching us. So, if your child shows an interest in cooking, get in the kitchen with him or her and collaborate on a project.

Can you think of other stealth school tips?

If so, I'd love to hear them in comments.


More About the "Stealth Schooling" Blog Hop


Be sure to check out the other bloggers writing on the topic of "stealth schooling" this week. A complete list can be found here, but I will continue to add links to this page as the posts come online.

Wenda Sheard
Building Wingspan
Mommy Bares All
Little Stars Learning
A Voracious Mind
Chasing Hollyfeld
Cedar Life Academy
Thea Sullivan 
Buffalo Mama
Sprite's Site



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Facebook Office Hour TOMORROW Night!



On Tuesday (May 7, 2013), I will be taking 
your questions about working while homeschooling. Details are on my Facebook page.