Homeschooling through a Layoff

At some point in your homeschool career, you are bound to deal with job changes or losses. We have had this happen to us, twice. The first time I was devastated and threw all learning out the door for the 6 weeks my husband was home. At the end of the school year, we had barely put a dent in our school books and I realized I had made a big mistake. So, the second time, I knew that I could not do that again.

Homeschooling through a layoff can be tricky. After all, you are not used to having your spouse home during the day, and your routine is going to be out of whack. However, it is important that you keep “trucking” on during the layoff. Why? Here are three reasons why.

Routine is important.

It is important to your kids, and it is important to your homeschool. After the initial shock of the layoff has passed, jump back into the books. If your husband is home, have him help with homeschooling. Put him in charge of a subject he may enjoy, or split the kids up and let him take the younger ones, while you focus on the older ones. Keeping your routine will help your family keep your mind off of the layoff.

It will help provide stability.

Kids pick up on things and they know it is not “normal” for your spouse to be home during the day. They are probably picking up on concerns and stressors within the home and may be worried. Continuing homeschooling through the layoff provides them with extra stability. They will know that something is still “normal”, and that all is well within their home.

Keeps your homeschooling on track.

There is nothing worse than getting to summer break and realizing you are 2 months “behind”. Believe me! The year we took 6 weeks off my oldest was only in preschool, so I didn’t feel obligated to run through summer, but now that my kids are older there is no way I could ditch the books for that long and not be behind. Continuing homeschooling through a layoff will ensure that you are on task all year.

Now, there is nothing wrong with taking an impromptu day or week off when your spouse first loses their job. But, the important thing is to keep going once that initial shock or first few days are over. This will help you keep your routine, provide stability for your children and ensure that you are on track with homeschooling!

Misty Bailey is a wife to Roger and a homeschool mom to three beautiful blessings.  She loves helping new homeschoolers and has a Homeschool 101 eBook for those getting started. She shares her struggles with time management, becoming unglued and finding joy in the everyday moments on her blog Joy in the Journey.