The Homeschooling Handbook_ From Preschool to High School - Mary Griffith [103]
Like Donna, many single parents find a way to work from home. Telecommuting is one possibility, as is a home-based business of some kind. With planning and organization, the kids may be able to help out with the business, or the parent may prefer a cooperative homeschooling arrangement with another homeschooling family or two. Depending on the family history, the noncustodial parent may also be able to help out.
Consider these ideas for making single-parent homeschooling work:
Let your kids know that your lives are a cooperative effort. For homeschooling to work while you are trying to support everybody financially means that everybody needs to pitch in, whether it’s taking over some of the household chores, helping with the shopping and cooking, or simply learning when to give that busy parent a break.
Consider your employment options carefully. If your prospects are limited, you may want to look into the possibility of further education. A few very tight years may be worth the struggle if the result is a substantially better income; financial aid or some kind of public assistance may be available.
Look into cooperative homeschooling arrangements. You’ll probably want to work with families with similar educational philosophies, so it might take some digging to find the right families. One family might have all the kids on weekday mornings, while you take them in the afternoon, or two or three full days each week might be preferable.
If you’ve got the room, consider offering a college student room and board in exchange for child-care services. You’ll probably have to do quite a bit of interviewing to find the right person, and you’ll have to make sure everyone is clear about duties and expectations, but such an arrangement could be positive for everyone involved.
Cultivate a network of friends and family who can help out on short notice. Get to know members of a local homeschool support group who are willing to take your kids for group events now and then. Occasionally, you’ll need a break from kids and work, and your kids will need a break from you and their normal routine. Don’t expect to be able to go it totally alone.
The best investment I ever made was joining my support group nine years ago. Members have carpooled my children to field trips, dance classes and performances, offered emergency care, and given me lots of support—food, money, and even a loaner car—throughout my divorce.—Donna, Washington
One nasty complication for some homeschooling single parents is a custody battle. Homeschooling has occasionally been brought up as an issue in such fights. Sometimes an estranged spouse uses homeschooling merely as a wedge to bargain for lower child support payments or alimony, or he may be genuinely concerned about it as an appropriate choice for his kids. Even though homeschooling is a legal educational option, courts may view it as a less desirable educational option and consider it when deciding custody arrangements. In such cases, it’s definitely worth contacting homeschooling organizations for advice; they may be able to refer you to lawyers or expert witnesses experienced in such cases.
Geographic Isolation
For homeschoolers, geographic isolation spans everything from the family who lives a few miles out from the nearest town to military families stationed overseas and families sailing around the world in a fifty-foot ketch. One family finds that their kids want more contact with other kids. Another family discovers that the learning materials they want are not available where they are.
We travel nine or more months of the year for my husband’s work. We spend from a few weeks to five or six months in each location, but we keep our permanent residence in Texas. It is very difficult to take along everything we’d like. We have to start over making new friends often and leave our comfortable home behind. We might eventually be subject to state regulations in locations where we spend more than a few weeks. Travel opens up a whole world of possibilities for learning,