Entrepreneur and Homeschool Mom

In 2008 my youngest daughter Bela was in first grade. She was extremely smart but got bored in school easily. To make matters worse, she had an incredibly fast metabolism, leaving her starving by the end of the day. My oldest daughter was in high school, dealing with bullying on the bus and at school. I wasn’t very happy with the school district, but we lived in rural Colorado, so it was the only option.

On one pivotal day, Bela was sent home early due to an ear infection and fever. As I was giving her baby Tylenol and making her some soup, she told me the nurse didn’t like me. WHAT??? She went on to explain the school nurse checked her health records, realizing Bela was never vaccinated. (That’s another post altogether)

Apparently, the nurse was NOT happy. She proceeded to tell my daughter “Your mom is stupid for not immunizing you.” At that moment, I decided to homeschool. Once I recovered from the shock, I called the school district and made an appointment with the Superintendent. Making myself clear that NO ONE had the right to tell my child that I’m stupid, I withdrew her from public school.

Within a week we were set up with an online accredited public school. My coaching business started in 2000, so I had a good flow with working at home already. Having Bela do the tough subjects first made the process easier for both of us. Except for algebra in junior high, I didn’t have to help her much.

Fast-forward 2022….

Bela graduated with a 3.83 GPA from a correspondence homeschool program. She is one of the smartest, mature, well rounded young ladies at 20 years old. She has an incredible work ethic, is a talented artist and knows how to have fun.  My oldest finished high school 10 years earlier in the same program as Bela.

This morning my oldest called to ask for support with my granddaughter who will be moving from public school to homeschool when they relocate here. I’m thrilled they get to experience that together. With COVID numbers still peaking, it’s a great time to switch. My entrepreneur daughter was telling me how much she wanted to create the same type of experience for her daughter that her sister and I had.

While homeschooling seems like an overwhelming proposition, I found it to be one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. Bela and I worked independently in my office for years. She did her schoolwork while I coached clients. Most days, she finished school by 11 am, 1 pm was the latest. After her school was finished, she did art, played games, or read books.

If you’re considering homeschool, here are my best tips:

• Create a schedule that includes subjects, snacks, and breaks.
• Be flexible with the day-to-day subject order
  • Some days your child may not be focused enough to tackle the hard subject.
  • Rather than forcing and fighting, move all assignments for that subject to another day.
  • There were weeks we completed each subject; reading, math, writing, science on a separate day. By the end of the week, all assignments were done.
• Reward your child for progress and accomplishment.
• Plan play dates and field trips with other homeschoolers. (Tons of groups online to meet other homeschool parents)
• If your child isn’t up for school in the morning, start in the afternoon. Each child is different, when we honor their needs, we provide the best environment for learning.
• HAVE FUN! Don’t forget to take breaks and play with your kids. The best memories and bonding were the silly things we did to shake off the stress of learning.

If you are an entrepreneur mom that wants to homeschool or already homeschools, what questions or tips do you have? Put them in the comments, I’m doing a research study project on Successful Entrepreneur Moms and would love to hear from you.