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When a mom needs to work to supply a need, she will find the resources and take advantage of her own talents and knowledge to be able to make an income. There is much to be said about moms that work, and especially of those that also homeschool. These moms have a deep love and dedication to the homeschooling lifestyle to invest time in it as well as in sacrificing time to work for an income. Meet Jaelynn, a successful private piano teacher and homeschooling mom.
Hello Jaelynn, please tell us about yourself, what do you do for a living?
Hi! I’m Jaelynn Strosnider, I’m happily married, and I have two children. I teach private piano lessons in my home.
What’s your work schedule?
I work three days per week: 3-6 pm on Mondays, 12-5 pm on Wednesdays, and 3-6 pm on Thursdays.
How long have you homeschooled for and what are your children’s ages?
I’ve been homeschooling since 2014, and my children ages are 5 and 7.
When do you homeschool and how long it takes you on average per day?
I homeschool Monday through Thursday each week and we follow an academic year of August 1st to mid-May, and it takes us an average of 5 hours per day.
Do you do all the teaching or do you have someone assisting you?
I do all the teaching with assistance of our curriculum’s lesson plans.
That’s great! In what ways has working benefitted your homeschool life and/or vice versa?
Working was necessary for us to pay for our homeschool curriculum’s resources.
Do you have time for extracurricular activities (e.g. field trips, co-ops, etc.)?
Yes we do lots of field trips, Physical Education (P.E.), music, play dates, etc. We do them usually on Fridays because we don’t plan school for Fridays. P.E. is every week after school is finished on Thursdays, and before I have to work teaching piano to my private students.
Do you utilize a “boxed curriculum” or do you gather sources together to form your own curriculum?
We use Abeka Curriculum as the core of our learning. The lessons are already planned and makes it easier for the parent to teach.
Abeka Grade 3 Homeschool Child Full-Grade Kit (2016 Update)
By Abeka
Which Homeschooling approach do you follow? (Classical, Charlotte Mason, Eclectic, Unschooling, etc..)
We follow a Christian Classical approach.
What is the main challenge you face of working with a homeschooling lifestyle?
I have over 50 people per week in and out of my home. It’s very challenging to keep an eye on my kids and my house as well as give my students the attention that they are paying for and need. I am able to do it easier now that we have a camera system in our home. However, my kids sometimes get upset when I teach for a solid 5 hours and they’re not allowed to play in the neighborhood because I can’t possibly keep an eye on them when they’re down the street; that is my greatest challenge.
I can imagine…What is your best time management tip you would share with a working mom who is just beginning homeschooling?
Pull lesson plans a day ahead, have your school days laid out for the year. I know I’m going to teach 170 days per year so I like to lay out ahead of time which days we would like to take off and leave some for spontaneous activities.
Thank you Jaelynn for your time!
You are very welcome, I’m glad I could contribute.
I hope you found Jaelyn’s schedule insightful. As always, “We can do all things through Christ, who strengthens us” (Phil. 4:13), but we can’t do them all at once.
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