Do you want to homeschool, but also need to work? You might not have to choose between them. Today on Home School Heartbeat, HSLDA President Mike Smith discusses an option you may not have considered before.
Mike Smith:
Not everyone who has the desire to homeschool also has the means. For single parents, households in which both parents must work, or families with tight finances, homeschooling is almost a luxury. Parents are faced with a stark choice: staying at home to teach their children, or going to work to provide for them.
As with most dilemmas, there is a third option—you may be able to work from home. If you haven’t considered it before, it may be because you imagine that working from home is only for people with MBAs and cushy home offices. In reality, working from home is as different as each person’s unique circumstances.
There are stay-at-home moms who run part-time sales businesses, bringing in extra money to cover extras like curriculum or a vacation. Some parents work out telecommuting arrangements with their companies—this allows them to keep their regular job, but perform it at home. Parents with a yen for entrepreneurship have taken the risk of launching a home business—and discovered it to be more fulfilling than the 9-to-5 grind ever was.
Working at home can be full- or part-time; it can mean starting your own business, working for someone else, or all of the above. It requires boldness, diligence, and creativity. There’s no magic formula for success, but if you are willing to work hard, working at home can work for you. And until next time, I’m Mike Smith.
