How To Juggle Being A Home School Mom And A Home School Lead

By Author: Jennifer James
Total Articles: 3
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Home schooling is demanding enough as it is. If you are a home school leader as well, learn how to juggle both responsibilities.
There is nothing more fulfilling than to witness your child excelling at the highest academic levels possible. It is equally rewarding to see your home schooled child immersed in an active, socially-sustainable home school organization or support group. To achieve this, moms oftentimes assume roles as both home school teachers as well as home school leaders. In so doing, moms find themselves in dual leadership roles that demand a tremendous amount of time and attention to detail. What do you do, then, when it is becomes increasingly difficult to balance teaching duties along with serving as a support group leader? Here are a few remedies that ensure striking a balance in both roles. As both roles demand much of one's attention, it is imperative to place goals and objectives into priority lists in order to feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. Without a well-thought out and well-planned priority list, activities, lessons, e-mails, conference calls and projects gel into ...
... a one, rich amalgam of confusion. No mom needs this. In order to avoid this scenario, take a day or two, even a week, to plan your course of action. What projects need to be handled first thing each morning? Between what hours will you teach school lessons or will you intersperse teaching throughout the day? What projects can be handled before going to bed? Are there any projects that you can seemingly do simultaneously? Place your to-do items into a list of must-do's and can wait columns and be fervent in being honest with your assessment. After you have jotted down your daily tasks and have put them into a priority list, it is time to make a plan. There are several types of plans that one may choose from. Some mothers create plans all throughout a given day, while still keeping their priority list in mind. Others plan their daily activities weeks in advance. Whatever style works for you, make sure to schedule your day to a tee. In realistic terms, ask yourself questions such as: Do I need to allot one hour or two to teaching math? How long will it take me to e-mail everyone in the group about the upcoming zoo trip? How much time do I need to schedule for the weekly trip to the library? Efficient scheduling, in effect, guarantees that you are consistently on task and you are assured that you will accomplish all that was scheduled for any given day. With a well-created and honest priority list and schedule in toe, it is time to look at your daily efficiency. Are there things that you can do that will help you cut down on time spent? For example, is it more efficient to e-mail all of the group members or is it more time consuming to call them all? Is there a faster way that you can drive to the library or is there a time of the day when the library trip can be rescheduled and the traffic isn't as heavy? This step, essentially, encourages you to look over your schedule and see if you can find extra or free time by finding ways to make your tasks more efficient. One of the most important tips in helping to balance being a home school teacher and leader, is to be consistent. Consistency allows moms the opportunity to finish the goals that were predetermined to be accomplished in the schedule. The consistency factor makes it easier to complete tasks as scheduled and it assures that moms do not have to postpone any lessons to the following day or next week or be late in coming up with field trip ideas for a committee that you head. Consistency, also allows you to stay in control of your schedule, while creating room for fun and free time. As more and more home school mothers join the ranks of home school leaders, certain priorities, goals and objectives must be set in order to be able to do both successfully especially since both roles are particularly demanding. These four easy steps: make a priority list, create a schedule, be efficient and be consistent will do much to assure that children are afforded ample teaching time and the support group is also given 110% of your efforts. About the Author Jennifer James, a writer and home school mother of 2, is the Director of the National African-American Homeschoolers Alliance. She has been featured on Fox News.com and BET Nightly News. In her role as a home school leader, Jennifer has also been interviewed by Reuters, The Christian Science Monitor, the Korean Broadcasting System and the Monthly Magazine World Report.