As if working full time and homeschooling wouldn’t be enough, imagine being a single, working, homeschooling mom, hustling several jobs to make ends meet and still being able to successfully homeschool. Meet Teri, she’s a swim coach/instructor (and that’s just one of the many hats she wears), and a fully dedicated mom, with a message for us that when it is in our heart, anything is possible.
Hi Teri! Tell us about yourself; What do you do for a living?
I am a single mom of one amazing 13 year old son, Ethan. I work several jobs in order to homeschool – I am a Tour Guide in the French Quarter, a swim instructor/coach, and I tutor other students at my house. I also hold various part-time and seasonal jobs throughout the year (data entry, retail, etc).
Wow! Quite a hustle…Would you share your schedule with us?
Sure! My work schedule varies from week to week, especially with my tour guide job. I tutor Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and usually work Saturdays and Sundays, depending on the season. My son and I attend our CC (Classical Conversations) Community Day on Thursdays.
Your son and you stay quite busy. Does anyone help you take care of him while you are out at work?
When I have to work during the day, my son is able to stay home by himself for the few hours that I am away. I am also blessed to have friends who help me with him as well.
Thank God for good friends! Teri, how long have you been homeschooling for?
This will be my 8th year homeschooling.
Quite some experience…please share your homeschooling schedule with us.
We typically begin our homeschool day around 9 am in the morning, and are usually done by 2 or 3 pm. On Thursdays, our CC Community Day goes from 8:30 – 3:00.
Does anyone assist you in teaching or do you do it all on your own?
I do all of my son’s teaching, which I enjoy, because it forces me to learn along side of him.
In what ways has working benefitted your homeschool life and/or vice versa?
As a single mom, working has allowed me to be able to continue homeschooling my son and provide for us financially.
Do you have time for extracurricular activities? (e.g. field trips, co-ops, etc.)
With my crazy schedule, we don’t always have as much time as I wish we had for extracurricular activities – we swim 3 days a week, and we both do CrossFit – I am blessed to have some wonderful homeschooling friends who will take him to field trips and outings for me, as well.
Do you have time for extracurricular activities? (e.g. field trips, co-ops, etc.)
We don’t necessarily do co-ops – we do Classical Conversations, and I can 100% say that the program has benefitted us greatly – I love that we get to be around other Christian homeschool families, and that my son is able to work and discuss school with his peers. We both also met our best friends through CC!
Do you utilize a “boxed curriculum” or do you gather sources together to form your own curriculum?
Since we do Classical Conversations, we use their recommended curriculum for most of our subjects – we do use Math U See for Algebra, which we love!
Which Homeschooling approach do you follow? (Classical, Charlotte Mason, Eclectic, Unschooling, etc..)
We use Classical Conversations, which follows the Classical Method of education.
What is the main challenge you face of working with a homeschooling lifestyle?
My main challenge with working and homeschooling is feeling like I am not teaching my son enough – my schedule is crazy – I work 7 days a week some weeks, and I wish I had more time to take Ethan on field trips and spontaneous learning opportunities. I worry that he isn’t getting enough culture and “teaching moments” sometimes.
What is your best time management tip you would share with a working mom who is just beginning homeschooling?
My best tip for any new homeschooling moms is to breathe – it’s okay to not feel perfect. Don’t compare your journey to others. It is so easy to feel so small and useless when you see these other families who go on great trips and do all the organic gardening and cutesy experiments – and you’re over here, drinking your 6th cup of coffee and your child is in a bad mood and you just got done working your 10th day in a row, and you’re crying, because you can barely get through Algebra. It’s okay!! Even if you do just the bare minimum, it is so much better than ANYTHING your child could possibly get out of public or private school.
Teri,thank you so much for making the time for this interview.
Oh sure! My pleasure!
I hope you found Teri’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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