Why you don’t have to give up on homeschooling your kids after a divorce

For thousands of parents across the country, homeschooling their children is a rewarding and fulfilling experience. Homeschool by itself comes with its fair share of challenges. Divorce almost always makes these challenges worse.

You may think that your divorce spells the end for your homeschooling ambitions. Without one spouse working to provide for the needs of the household while the other dedicates the time necessary to instruct the children, it can seem impossible. However, even in a post-divorce situation, there are ways for you to provide your children with a satisfying homeschool experience.

You can still make homeschooling a collaborative effort

Hopefully, you will be able to negotiate your divorce settlement in a fair and level-headed manner with your ex-spouse. During the negotiations, make sure to include the children’s homeschooling schedule as a principal factor to discuss.

The flexible nature of homeschooling means that children are not bound to the typical 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. schedule of traditional school. You can teach lessons and have your kids do their homework at any time. If you work different shifts, see if it’s possible to come to an agreement with your ex-spouse in which you teach the kids for half the day, and they take over the instruction in the evening after work. That way, you are both freed up to work while the other is teaching the kids. This arrangement can work even if your ex-spouse lives far away from you, through the use of video calls and other technology.

Alternately, you could request additional alimony to cover your living expenses so that you can teach your children full-time without having to worry about finding a job. Hopefully, if your ex-spouse shares your vision of the importance of homeschooling, they may be willing to make this sacrifice in order to provide that opportunity for your children.

You can homeschool while still making time to work

Maybe the above strategies just don’t fit your situation. If you find that you need to hold down a full-time job, there are other ways of making sure your children get the homeschooling experience you want for them.

The North Carolina Department of Administration’s Home School Requirements & Recommendations allow children to be homeschooled even if it is by a private tutor hired by the parents or as part of a group effort with other homeschooling parents. This means that you can hire private tutors for your child, and still allow them to follow your home school curriculum.

You can also get involved in a local group of homeschooling parents who all pitch in to provide their children with a group learning environment while a different parent instructs them each day. This would free up your time to work on the days that are not your turn to teach.

Homeschooling can bring amazing learning experiences to the life of a child. Even though your marriage ended, there are ways to help ensure that your homeschooling dream doesn’t.