Can you work and homeschool at the same time?

Yes. Lots of us do it.

Most homeschooling families are single income families. But not all. There are many moms (and dads) who also try to work part time or even full time to supplement the household income.

First, my girls are older, and are able to complete most of their work without my constantly looking over their shoulder. If they do run into trouble, they can often skip that part until I get home.

Second, our family home schools year around. Year around means our days schooling days are shorter. So, if we do miss a day here or there, we still get our hours in. Last year we ended up with close to 1600 hours, way beyond the 1000 hours the state requires.

We also count things that some may not think to count--such as trips to museums, or art gallery's, or even the bank or grocery store if they learn from it. When we travel each girl has their own map to plot our trip and they get some geography time. If we watch an educational TV program, such as "How Its Made", we count it as science, even though we may watch it as a family outside of our normal schooling hours. If we go bowling, swimming or skating, we count is as PE.

I require my girls to read one hour a day, EVERYDAY-even holidays. That isn't hard, as they often get books for birthdays and Christmas, so they are wanting to read it anyway. If the subject is fiction, it normally counts as reading under language arts. But if they are reading, say, a book about Ben Franklin, we may count it as history rather than reading. They also have a history lesson as well, but this will help give them extra hours in that subject.

We also do at least 3 times a week, reading comprehension. I as a general rule, use true stories for reading comp. That counts for another subject as well. Last week we had a reading comp about the history of clocks. (That credit goes to the Chinese-did you know that?)

I sub teach. Since we school year around, that is 3 months a year that I don't sub, in addition to spring break and Christmas break. When you sub teach you have the option of accepting or turning down the call. I try to take my calls on days my hus band is off. One of the schools I sub for is a private Christian School. At times they have me allowed me to bring my daughters with me, who in turn get to eat lunch and go to PE with their friends. At times they have stayed in the library, and at other times they have taken their work and actually done it in the classroom of their peers. The small school is open to this idea, because several years ago my daughters attended there. I am sure they would not allow this every day, but once every 8 weeks or so they do.

I have several homschooling mom friends who work 10 or 12 hour night shifts at hospitals once or twice a week. That schedule works for them, and brings in an extra $1000 a month for their families.

My girls take all their classes at home. But some friends of ours kids go to public schools on Tuesdays and Fridays and take art, music and band for 3 hours in the afternoons. The mom has elected to work nights on Mon and Thurs nights, then naps while the kids are in school for those 3 hours. She takes them in after lunch, but they get to ride the PS bus home.

I also do some child care one or two days a week. The ones I watch love to "do school" when my daughters do their work, and we also do work while the little ones are napping. I treat them as if they were my own children, just as a homeschooling mom of toddlers would treat hers. Another option here is to provide over night care in your home. Many parents who work nights have trouble finding night care. For child care, check your local and state regs.