With the continued popularity of homeschooling and remote work since the COVID-19 pandemic, it was only a matter of time before families started to see the benefits of doing both simultaneously.

In many ways, parents who work remotely offer their kids the ideal homeschooling scenario. Parents can take a more active role in their children’s education, and children get to see mom or dad (or both) in their element modeling professional behavior. 

In other ways, this double duty can be a challenge for parents and children. Whether it’s juggling schedules, managing disruptions, or simply maintaining order, it can sometimes be tricky for homeschooling parents to keep homeschooling and remote work separate.

However, with the right approach and some well-planned strategies, simultaneously managing remote work and providing homeschool instruction can benefit the entire family.

Navigating the Roles of Working and Homeschooling for Parents

Each parent’s distinct roles and responsibilities can influence the dynamics of combining homeschooling with remote work under one roof. In certain households, one or both parents may operate a business or businesses out of the home, requiring them to blend entrepreneurial endeavors with educational duties. In other households, one or both parents may hold a full-time remote job, requiring them to find time for both their professional obligations and their instructional time.

When the primary teaching parent is a full-time homeschool instructor, and the other parent works a full-time remote job, the main challenge is keeping spaces separate. While having the other parent available to lend a hand is a huge benefit, maintaining and respecting separate spaces is equally important to build a routine and ensure everyone works efficiently.

For other homeschool families, the primary teaching parent may juggle teaching and working as a part-time (or even full-time) remote worker while the other parent works away from the home. In this case, the bigger challenge is keeping time separate, as the teaching parent will have to schedule time to do their work outside of the classroom. Here again, the non-teaching parent’s availability and willingness to step in can greatly help the primary teaching parent. 

Finding the right balance often requires open and regular communication, especially as work and school agendas flex and change through the seasons. Consider scheduling a regular planning session where both partners can discuss pain points, review the schedule for the upcoming period, and talk about what each of you needs for a successful year at work and school. Regardless of parental roles, setting clear and definable boundaries will help keep your homeschooling and working lives as balanced as possible and maximize the value of the time you spend on each. 

Challenges with Remote Work and Homeschooling

When it comes to juggling remote work and homeschooling, parents are no strangers to challenges. Even so, with a little planning and perseverance the most difficult barriers can still be overcome.

Time management is often the biggest obstacle for homeschooling families, as teaching and working take significant time. Once you add other day-to-day tasks like exercise or outside lessons (like piano or marital arts) into the mix, there is often little time left for yourself. Outside of homeschooling, many homeschool parents don’t feel they spend enough quality personal time with their children. Remember to prioritize the activities that support your family’s goals and learn to say no to the ones that don’t.

Distractions and interruptions are common and occur in both directions: homeschooling can interrupt work hours and vice versa. For example, loud noises or students intruding on video calls can be disruptive and unprofessional, while impromptu video calls interrupting homeschool lessons can derail student routines and create disruptions. Homeschooling parents can get creative with the spaces available in their homes (have you ever taken a work call from your parked car in the driveway?) and consider rotating workspaces throughout the day to meet everyone’s needs. Perhaps the most remote spare room or bedroom can become the designated quiet space or a house rule could be established encouraging the family to observe quiet hours during the times work calls are most prevalent. Investing in noise-canceling headphones or a sound machine can also work wonders for alleviating distractions.  

Managing kids during work is another challenge. If another parent is available and able to step in, that’s a big help, but it’s not always possible. Sometimes, older students might need to spend an hour or two in another room unsupervised. Parents should assign meaningful activities for children in these rare situations, and there should always be two-way communication to ensure safety and security. Parents can try planning for regular check-ins throughout the day and establishing predictable breaks when students can ask questions or receive instructions for coursework without disrupting work time. 

Focusing on their work and children’s education has the potential to become extremely stressful for parents, to the point of impacting their health. Homeschool moms and dads must consider and care for their own needs to make the most of their time with work and school. Making a concerted effort to enjoy restorative activities like taking walks, spending time with friends, or enjoying a creative activity or hobby can help reduce stress and regroup before getting back to the responsibilities of work or student instruction. 

Setting Boundaries for Productive Work and Learning 

Boundaries can take many forms. Whether remote-working homeschool parents set physical boundaries with their students or articulate a simple set of rules, the main goal of setting boundaries is to avoid educational distractions and professional interruptions. 

Having separate spaces for work and teaching is ideal, although not always an option. If you can establish separate spaces, try to make sure they are not next to or near one another so that noise from one doesn’t interrupt the work being done in the other. Sometimes, you can use a space for multiple purposes, such as a walk-in closet that doubles as an office or reading room. 

Make sure your working hours are clearly demarcated and transparent. Your students and your partner should be aware of the hours you’re dedicating to work time so as to avoid disturbing you. Set expectations about when and why interrupting work or school hours is okay. Serious emergencies are always a valid reason. However, while extenuating circumstances may arise, do your best to remain disciplined about the schedule. The more you adhere to it, the more your family will respect it. 

You can use physical signs and markings to indicate when work is happening. This could be a “Do Not Disturb” sign on your doorknob or a whiteboard that you use to indicate you are working. Young students might understand better if you wear certain clothing–like a specific hat, shirt, or uniform–during working hours. 

Managing Schedules and Priorities 

Time management is a constant challenge in the modern world. It is especially difficult to manage time while working from home and homeschooling. That’s why making a homeschool schedule that coordinates with your work life is so important. At the same time, you also need to be flexible and open to adjusting your schedule over time. 

One piece of advice is to schedule the most important work-related tasks outside school hours (even if that means weekends). This will minimize interference from class-related activities and allow you to focus on finishing the task. 

Be aware of and look out for recurring problems. If you are consistently interrupted during a certain time of day or if your students always need you at a specific time, try to fix that issue first. Look for ways to rearrange schedules to avoid such conflicts.

Block scheduling is also a helpful tool for maintaining a healthy balance. You may be familiar with this idea from your high school days. Experiment with dividing your day into chunks that last an hour or more, with each segment being set aside for a task like answering emails, participating in meetings, completing chores, focusing on a particular school subject, or preparing and eating meals. Dedicating set blocks of time to specific activities can help you accomplish more tasks and keep your family organized. Encourage your older students to create a block schedule for themselves and arrange everyone’s day in a way that complements each other while eliminating competition for resources, space, and parental attention. 

Another way to make the best use of time is to consider working with other homeschooling families. Some homeschooling groups offer classroom swaps, where one parent might teach a subject to another homeschooling family’s children. Other parents will then return the favor. Fellow homeschooling families typically understand the time restraints required by remote work, especially if they, too, have to balance remote work and teaching.

Practical Ideas for Making the Most Out of Your Professional and Homeschooling Lives 

Educating children while working isn’t always easy but it can be a very rewarding experience with abundant flexibility and availability for your children. Here are some ways to maximize the value of your homeschool and remote work lifestyle:

Chore Responsibilities

Some families rotate chores for variety, while others have their students stick to the same task for a while. You can use a to-do list to keep track of things that need to be done. Research has shown that involving students in household chores from an early age positively impacts their future self-esteem and mental health and a well-managed chore schedule means fewer tasks to worry about during the school and work week. 

Meet Regularly

Hold a regular whole-family meeting at least once a week to discuss how things are going and seek input from your students. Encourage your students to take responsibility and voice their concerns about how homeschooling is going and make suggestions for improving the family schedule. A Monday or Friday-morning huddle is a great time to connect. 

Self-Guided Activities

Give your students self-guided activities to do when you are not available. Reading, basic chores, and preparing pre-prepped food are great independent work activities for your students, especially if an older child can help the younger children. Just be sure not to have them do anything dangerous without your supervision, such as using a knife or stove. Help your students recognize these go-to activities as defaults when they need direction for next steps but are waiting for you to complete a different task.

Prioritize Your Health

Eat healthy, get plenty of sleep, and drink lots of water. No matter how well you manage your time, you won’t be able to use any of it if you don’t feel well. Remember to work these activities into your daily schedule so they don’t get pushed to the back burner. 

Remain Present & Engaged

Above all, strive to remain present and engaged with your students as much as possible. These formative years pass fleetingly, and quality time beyond work and school is often in short supply. Savor the special moments because they’ll be gone before you know it. 

With foresight and dedication, working from home while homeschooling isn’t just possible, it’s a remarkable opportunity to provide for your family while enjoying as much of your student’s childhood as possible. To get the most out of your efforts to manage remote work and homeschooling, click here to subscribe to the Demme Learning Newsletter. You’ll receive a wealth of tips and resources to help you navigate this rewarding yet challenging journey.