Will I be able to homeschool?

[minkajane]

I'm saddened by the prospect that I may not be able to homeschool DS. I had planned on it because he's so smart and spirited, I think he'll wilt in a super-structured environment like a classroom. However, now that STBX and I are divorcing, I don't know that it will be possible. Childcare will be tough enough with me working as a CNM, long hours at a hospital, and I don't know who would watch him while I worked.

Any single working mamas out there manage to homeschool?

[AnnR33]

YES you can! Will it be challenging? YES but you can do it. I can't offer first hand advice but I know others here can and there are some great resources out there talking about it, look at some articles at:
www.besthomeschooling.org

When you find childcare you can have him work on some simple things during the day (like cutting, pasting, tracing, coloring) then you can work on other things in the evening. The nice thing is that when they are just 5-7yrs it's not that critical to work on lots of academics so you can do lots of reading together and fun things in your limited time in the evenings.
Don't spend the weekends doing "school" either since that's your special time together-go on field trips, bake, etc and he'll learn more than you know!
Once you get more into a routine and things are running smooth (think positive ) then you can work on a plan to do more academic stuff as needed as he gets older or shows an interest.
GOOD LUCK

[phathui5]

I would recommend searching on the yahoo groups site for other single parent homeschoolers.

Also, find your local IRL homeschool groups and see if there are any other single parents there who can offer you advice.

[Mallory]

Are we talking about a 10 month old? That makes some things a little different then if we are talking about working with a 5 year old or a 12 year old.

I left my husband when my boys were 2 1/2 and 4 and it was very important to me that with all of the other changes in thier lives, I be able to stay home with them still. It was challenging and I was a stay at home single mom for about 2 years (until I moved in with my current dh).

There are other homeschooling single moms here. It can be done.

[minkajane]

DS will be 2 in January. I was planning on starting the real homeschooling around age 4 if he seemed ready, at which point I will (Goddess willing) be halfway through my first year of midwifery school.

[RiverSky]

If I were you, I would. My eldest is 7 and if I had to work full-time, I would try to find someone in our homeschool group to watch my children while I worked, so that they could continue to go to homeschool classes and homeschool group get-togethers and field trips with their friends.

Personally, I don't think you need to start any specific "homeschooling" at age 4, I think that reading books daily can start at birth and should just continue past the age of 4, then just do things that your child wants to do. Lucky for you, you still have plenty of time to make up your mind and feel things out by then. Good luck!

[folkypoet]

Originally Posted by phathui5

I would recommend searching on the yahoo groups site for other single parent homeschoolers.

That was going to be my advice, too. I went ahead and found a few. Some are very low volume, while others are much busier. You might look through some of the archives to get a feel for each group.

VegSource Single Parent Homeschoolers (scroll down a bit)
Work and Homeschool
One Parent Homeschool
New Rising Homeschool Network
Single Parent Homeschool
Homeschool 1
Homeschool Single
HS1Mom
Single Parent Homeschoolers
Single Parents Who Home School

You also might check out lists that focus on homeschooling cheaply:

Thrifty Homeschooler
Unschooling Cheap

And, here are a few sites that focus on single parent homeschooling:

A to Z Home's Cool - Working and Single Parents
"Can a Single Parent Unschool?"

All you really need is a library card, an adventurous spirit, an open mind, and a support network of some sort. Good luck!