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Abstract

isturbed on an ad hoc basis</li><li><b>Put meetings in the diary</b> — Even if you're not attending them, you should always have key client meetings scheduled in your diary. This way you are prepared in case you are needed last minute. Do the same with lessons. Build the times for the lessons in your diary and even if your kids are ok doing the lesson without support, you are ready, just in case. Plan to do jobs that can be disturbed during these times</li><li><b>They get priority treatment</b> — No one likes to openly admit it, but some of your clients get quicker responses than others. Sometimes its because you like them but normally its because they pay you a lot more! For them, you drop last minute to answer questions. You manage that and still continue with your working day, so the same with your kids. It’s a mentality thing, getting disturbed is not that bad if you are prepared and even expect it</li></ul><h1 id="df7b">Treat Your Kids Like a New Member of Staff</h1><p id="5b69">If you don’t have clients, an alternative is to view your children as a new member of staff; they will ask annoying questions, forgot things and need support at random times. But they are very important and deserve your time and patience.</p><p id="2b3f">When somebody new starts at work, it is essential to spend time with them and be available when they want to ask questions. This is the same with your children. When you have a newbie starting, you should always to put them first, they come before other work you are doing, to make them feel wanted when they arrive.</p><p id="ef3f">By taking this approach, I’ve become much calmer when I get disturbed by the kids for different problems they have. Take the attitude you would in the office and you’ll find it much easier to deal with the constant interruptions.</p><h1 id="8de8">Plan the night before</h1><p id="8d00">A practice I swear by in my day job and has been invaluable in homeschooling, is never go to bed without a plan for the next day. This has so many benefits.</p><ul><li>You will sleep better, I promise. Never go to bed thinking about the next day. If you have a plan, particularly for how it will start, then your mind will rest easy overnight</li><li>The day will

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start well and that is so important for the rest of it. Being able to get going quickly is vital when you have added responsibilities</li><li>This approach really focuses you on good planning, putting key lesson times into your diary and generally get on top of your teaching and work</li></ul><h1 id="2a18">Flexible Time</h1><p id="4d78">9–5 is no more, hasn’t been for a while, but Lockdown has really helped cement that. Most businesses will have differing start times, they’ll allow people time off if they have to work late. So let's apply that to homeschooling.</p><p id="dbac">For example, on my birthday I had a meeting from 10.30 to 1.30 and then 2 to 5 — glamorous life I lead! So I knew I wouldn’t be able to spend much time with them during the day. I chatted with the kids and we agreed on a new schedule for the day. We’d start an hour early, cut-out breaks and get most of the work completed before 10.30, particularly the tough English class.</p><p id="0416">I felt bad about it, but the kids thought it was great. They loved the idea of working to a different schedule. Homeschooling is a lot more flexible than school and the kids are ok with that. In fact, they prefer it. I worry when they go back they will struggle to settle back to regular times!</p><h1 id="0b33">Give Yourself a Break</h1><p id="9c70">It’s a motto I live and work by. You will make mistakes, things will go wrong.</p><p id="7393">Your kids will annoy you (it’s ok to admit that), you’ll have days when you won’t spend enough time with them and they don’t get all their work completed. They might watch a little too much telly. It’s ok.</p><blockquote id="1cde"><p>Give Yourself a Break</p></blockquote><p id="3ac3">What we are all being asked to do is beyond reasonable. You’ll have moments at work when too much is expected. At times like that, you do what you can do and then keep going on. Homeschooling is no different. You are not going to be perfect. Accept that and everything else gets a little bit easier.</p><p id="205a">That’s how I’ve managed to make homeschooling part of my working life, meaning my children are getting a decent education whilst I’m able to keep my business going and all without losing my mind.</p></article></body>

I Treat My Children Like An Important Client

Plus other homeschooling tips for surviving Lockdown 3

On 4th January, it was announced schools would shut again. It wasn’t a big surprise and initially, I wasn’t too concerned — been through this once, we can do it again. Boy was I wrong. My mind had wiped how hard this actually was. That first week was tough, but it changed when I started treating homeschooling like a business.

Let me explain my circumstances. My wife has an incredibly important job helping towards getting us all out of Lockdown, so cannot help with homeschooling. I run my own business, act as a board advisor on two other businesses and am trying to maintain a little side hustle. I’m spinning a lot of plates, so throwing in being a teacher is tough.

I needed to get organised and a chance joke from an old colleague made me realise it was time to treat this like any other work project. Planning, structure and discipline. She mentioned that it sounded harder than when we launched a new division whilst trying to keep the core business running. It was meant as a joke, but it was spot on.

So I put together a plan (as I would any work project) and eventually the following rules surfaced as important to making this all work. I hope they help you to.

Treat Your Kids Like a Client

The number one lesson I’ve learned is to schedule the kids work time into my diary as I would a client. But not just any client, but an important client. Think about how you manage a key client.

Regular Catch Ups — You ensure you have regular catch-ups, keeping an open dialogue. So do the same with your kids. Put in multiple slots in the day, outside of lesson times, to just ask how it is going. Make sure the kids know this and soon they will learn to store up questions for when you go and talk to them. This is so much better than getting disturbed on an ad hoc basis
Put meetings in the diary — Even if you're not attending them, you should always have key client meetings scheduled in your diary. This way you are prepared in case you are needed last minute. Do the same with lessons. Build the times for the lessons in your diary and even if your kids are ok doing the lesson without support, you are ready, just in case. Plan to do jobs that can be disturbed during these times
They get priority treatment — No one likes to openly admit it, but some of your clients get quicker responses than others. Sometimes its because you like them but normally its because they pay you a lot more! For them, you drop last minute to answer questions. You manage that and still continue with your working day, so the same with your kids. It’s a mentality thing, getting disturbed is not that bad if you are prepared and even expect it

Treat Your Kids Like a New Member of Staff

If you don’t have clients, an alternative is to view your children as a new member of staff; they will ask annoying questions, forgot things and need support at random times. But they are very important and deserve your time and patience.

When somebody new starts at work, it is essential to spend time with them and be available when they want to ask questions. This is the same with your children. When you have a newbie starting, you should always to put them first, they come before other work you are doing, to make them feel wanted when they arrive.

By taking this approach, I’ve become much calmer when I get disturbed by the kids for different problems they have. Take the attitude you would in the office and you’ll find it much easier to deal with the constant interruptions.

Plan the night before

A practice I swear by in my day job and has been invaluable in homeschooling, is never go to bed without a plan for the next day. This has so many benefits.

You will sleep better, I promise. Never go to bed thinking about the next day. If you have a plan, particularly for how it will start, then your mind will rest easy overnight
The day will start well and that is so important for the rest of it. Being able to get going quickly is vital when you have added responsibilities
This approach really focuses you on good planning, putting key lesson times into your diary and generally get on top of your teaching and work

Flexible Time

9–5 is no more, hasn’t been for a while, but Lockdown has really helped cement that. Most businesses will have differing start times, they’ll allow people time off if they have to work late. So let's apply that to homeschooling.

For example, on my birthday I had a meeting from 10.30 to 1.30 and then 2 to 5 — glamorous life I lead! So I knew I wouldn’t be able to spend much time with them during the day. I chatted with the kids and we agreed on a new schedule for the day. We’d start an hour early, cut-out breaks and get most of the work completed before 10.30, particularly the tough English class.

I felt bad about it, but the kids thought it was great. They loved the idea of working to a different schedule. Homeschooling is a lot more flexible than school and the kids are ok with that. In fact, they prefer it. I worry when they go back they will struggle to settle back to regular times!

Give Yourself a Break

It’s a motto I live and work by. You will make mistakes, things will go wrong.

Your kids will annoy you (it’s ok to admit that), you’ll have days when you won’t spend enough time with them and they don’t get all their work completed. They might watch a little too much telly. It’s ok.

Give Yourself a Break

What we are all being asked to do is beyond reasonable. You’ll have moments at work when too much is expected. At times like that, you do what you can do and then keep going on. Homeschooling is no different. You are not going to be perfect. Accept that and everything else gets a little bit easier.

That’s how I’ve managed to make homeschooling part of my working life, meaning my children are getting a decent education whilst I’m able to keep my business going and all without losing my mind.