Balancing Work and School at Home

Are you wondering how to handle working and homeschooling at the same time? It’s challenging! Here are some tips to balance work and school at home with kids.

How to actually do this remote-learning thing while also working from home.

This is a guest post from Kelly Lieberman

I have been working from home for 10 years and we have been homeschooling for 16 years. I have homeschooled and worked through bringing home a new baby, moving to a new state, freak snow storms that left us without power, and hurricanes.

However, this current status is unique and brings new challenges. This is an exceptional time for someone that is used to working at home and schooling at home.

To go from school to school-at-home and working from home, it will be a transition but it does not have to be too overwhelming or traumatic. 

How to Balance Work and School at Home

First talk to your children and your spouse about the change.

Discuss and acknowledge that this is a big deal, a big change but together you will get through it. Manage expectations for the new normal there will be a time period needed to process all of the changes in everyone’s schedules.  

Depending on your current job and work situation you will need to speak with your client(s) or boss about what your schedule will be like now that you are working at home.

Some questions to ask:

• What tech will you need to make sure that you are able to complete your job successfully?
• How will our team stay in touch? Will we use Slack, a Facebook Group, text, etc?
• What about conference calls? 
• Will our schedule be a traditional 9 – 5?

Everyone has had their lives turned upside down. Be patient, flexible, and communication is key. 

Our families may be used to a particular schedule. If that still works for you under the current circumstances — stick to it.

However, be prepared to adapt as necessary. 

14 Tips for Working from Home and Homeschooling

Here are some ideas to make the process easier to transition to work and school at home:

Give time to Process the Change
Allow yourself and family time to process the change. There will be a wide range of emotions from sadness, anger, depression, frustration, fear — all are valid and need to be acknowledged. Listen, talk, and be supportive. 

Patience
Change is hard. Everyone will adjust at their own pace. Be patient.

Set realistic expectations
Teachers and schools have had to transition to teaching online from their homes. They are pouring all of themselves into making sure that your children receive a quality education. There will be hiccups with the technology, it will be slow. Wait, the site will eventually load.

Respect Family Time First
Teachers and administrators are also adjusting to this new school. They also have their own families that they are adjusting to their new at home status and schedules.

Make a Schedule
Sticking to a schedule can be very helpful when everything else has changed and seems to be out of control. It allows you, your spouse, and kids to know what to expect and when.

Having a schedule will help kids (and parents too) avoid boredom and burnout.

Allocate your Time in Blocks
How you schedule your time for work and school depends on your family and your specific work and school needs. 

Make Flexible Learning Blocks of Time
School can be at any time. I understand that there may be a specific time kids have to be online for a lesson with their teacher) but if the classes are asynchronous let them log on when they are fresh and ready to learn —for some kiddos that is in the morning and for others that is in the evening.

Assign Family Duties
Scheduling breakfast, lunch, dinner, school time, work time, free time, and chores will help everyone manage stress better.

Communicate Openly with Work
Speak to your boss/client(s) honestly about what your schedule will be like now. Will you be working the same schedule as you had been before the virus? When are you available? 

Connect with co-workers to see how they are managing their time and schedule. Discuss what is working. If there are areas where you can better support each other. 

Create a Plan
Communicate with your spouse and kids about your schedule. What it will be like when you are working: conference calls, what to do if spouse or child needs you during working hours, how you will manage disruptions.

For older children, a spiral notebook can be turned into an “Ask Me Later” journal, where questions and thoughts can be written and kept safe until work time is over and you are able to address them.

Start Each Day Fresh
Get up and get dressed like you would on a normal work day or school day. The office and school location has changed but still prepare and dress like you are going somewhere. It helps with your mindset. It is also one that you can be flexible on because you do want to be comfortable. 

Make Pinterest Your New Best Friend
If Pinterest is not your go-to place for all things inspiration…it will be now! Find every kind of schedule and ideas for managing work and school at home.

Siblings Can Be Great Learning Peers
Teaching kids in different grades can be a challenge but they can help each other with reviews, studying, and essays (proofreading).

Make Time for Connecting with Family and Friends
Give the kids, yourself, and your spouse downtime to talk, text, FaceTime, etc with friends and family.

Reach out to other families from the school that your child attends. The school may have a Facebook Group where you can connect with each other.

You can learn how others are coping with this change during this time. 

Give Each Other Space
When things are not going well and you are doing more yelling than helping or supporting or teaching take a time out

Stay Active
Get outside (practicing appropriate social distancing) and get active! Walk, run, swim, bike. Play a ball game or your favorite outdoor game.

Plan for FUN
Game nights (or days), painting parties, spa at home are fun ways to connect with each other.

Create Homeschooling Lesson Plan
I had the luxury of choosing the curriculum that we would be using this year…for you not so much.

Understand that the teachers are there to help and want your kiddos to do well, to learn, and to be successful. Follow what they are setting up to best fit the needs of your child’s school.

Using Google classroom to share assignments and curriculum packets to pick up from school seems to be what most schools are putting together for students.

How to homeschool while working remotely

“Homeschooling” while working from home at the same time can be a challenge for all families, even with older more independent children. With various ways to work and school at home as a family, I hope these tips will help you during this time.

There are so MANY resources online from lessons, tutorials, support, etc. Remember Pinterest will become your BFF!

Stay home and stay inspired.

Do you have a toddler or preschooler at home? Here are some tips for Working at Home with Younger Kids

Additional Resources for Parents Doing Remote Learning at Home with Kids

• Helping Children Cope with Changes
• How to Work at Home with Kids
• Elementary School Daily Planner
• Daily Preschool Schedule Samples
• Homeschool Resources on Pinterest
• The Ultimate List of Sidewalk Chalk Activities
• Helpful Tips for Staying Active at Home with Kids
• 5 Ways to Make Learning Fun at Home
• 6 Ball Games Your Kids will Love
• 10 Ways to Tempt Your Kids to Get Outdoors This Spring
• 30+ Virtual Field Trips for Kids

Ask me any questions! We’re here to help you succeed during this time.

What are the ages of the kids you are supporting with school from home? Tell me in the comments below.