This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: Working Moms: Homeschooling Your High Schoolers.
Can working moms homeschool high school successfully? Absolutely. Homeschooling high school while working may look different from family to family, but it is completely possible with the right mindset, realistic planning, and flexible expectations. In this episode, we’re sharing practical encouragement and real-life strategies for working moms who want to homeschool their teens with confidence.
an episode from Homeschool High School Podcast
Working Moms: Homeschooling Your High Schoolers
Every single homeschool mom is a working mom!
If we are homeschooling, we are working at it, juggling our kids’ needs, growing, and managing households. Many of us also hold jobs outside the home (or inside the home) to bring in extra income for the family.
As most of our podcast listeners know, Vicki worked as a licensed professional counselor while homeschooling her kids through graduation. It helped pay the homeschool bills, and besides, it was her calling.
If you’ve ever felt unqualified, this encouragement on how to homeschool high school when you don’t know everything may help.
Encouragement for being a homeschool working mom with teens
It can feel intimidating and tiring to hold a job and homeschool high school. Vicki wants to encourage you that you can do this. Remember: There’s not ONE right way to homeschool. Homeschooling for working Moms can look many different ways! You can do this and your teens can do this!
Include your teens in the planning and process
When you are facing high school with your teens, sit down with them. Talk about your priorities (yours and theirs). What are the most important things that you need from them? What do your teens need out of their high school experience?
Remember: you are homeschooling high school in the way that is right for your family. There’s no right or wrong set of priorities.
Some priorities will include:
- Meeting their graduation requirements
- Completing high school in four years (for most teens, although some graduate early and others need extra time due to illness or other complications)
- Doing some career exploration
- Clarifying or discovering what their gifts, interests, or their talents
- Building their transcript with lots of electives in their interest area
- Being prepared for college, for a vocation, or the military
- Discovering the best-fit resources for curriculum, courses, electives, and extracurriculars
- For asynchronous (self-paced) courses, check out 7SistersHomeschool
- Live courses are offered at FundaFunda Academy (the online school sponsored by our fellow podcasters at Homeschooling with Technology)
- Looking for good-fit service and volunteer activities
- Learning self-directed study skills like using a syllabus
Think about your career and personal needs
Make sure you define your own career priorities and goals. Do you:
- Need to advance up the career ladder?
- Want to maintain the status quo in your career?
- Pay off some bills?
- Are you caregiving for an aging relative or for a member of the family who has a chronic illness?
- Do you homeschool multiple children?
Remember: there’s no such thing as a Pinterest-perfect homeschool
Perfection is only in Pinterest photos. In real life, you are a real human, and your whole family is full of real humans. Real humans are messy, busy, and complicated! So, do what you can with the best heart you can.
Let go of “perfect”.
You may feel like your teens are not receiving the world’s most amazing homeschool education. However, if you all stay aligned, if you stay together on this, they will get the education they need. And you will get through it.
And, you may be tired, but motherhood’s all about tired.
Someday, they will be all grown up and out of the house. You can sleep in on those days.
Don’t forget to pray
Remember to pray because we need God in on this. (That’s not cheesy.) 7Sisters Kym always says,
“Pray first, last, and always.”
Then you start planning. Check out 7SistersHomeschool’s useful blog post: Authoritative Guide to Planning Homeschool High School.
Find your community
We homeschool working moms need community as much as anybody:
- Church community
- Family community
- Homeschool community (digital and/or in person)
- Join Facebook groups like our friends at Simply Homeschool or Homeschool Mama Self-Care
Don’t forget to join 7SistersHomeschool Facebook Group. Ask questions. You matter! We will get this done.
You may need to be working to bring in some income. That’s not a bad thing. If this is what God has given you to do, then it’s the right thing. You can work the process in the way that works for your family. Community can happen in the homeschool world, in digital forums or in person. You can communicate with your teens. They will get educated and be well-prepared well for the next phase of life.
Thanks to Seth Tillman for editing. Hey, would you go to your podcast network and leave us some stars and/or a review? THANKS!!
Keep Listening
- How to Homeschool High School When You Don’t Know Everything
- GPA on the Homeschool Transcript
- 5 Ways to Earn Credits in Homeschool High School
- Homeschooling College-Bound Teens
- First Resume for Your Teen’s First Job
- Character Development in Homeschool High School
- How to Start the Homeschool High School Year
FAQ: Working Moms and Homeschooling High School
Can I homeschool high school if I work full-time?
Yes, many families successfully homeschool high school while one or both parents work full-time. High school students are often capable of more independent work, flexible scheduling, and self-directed learning.
Is homeschooling high school harder than homeschooling younger kids?
In some ways, yes—but in many ways, no. The material may be more advanced, but teens can usually work more independently, which can actually make homeschooling easier for working moms.
How many hours a day does homeschooling high school take?
Homeschooling high school often takes less time than traditional school because it is more focused and efficient. Many families complete academics in 3–5 hours per day, depending on the student and course load.
What curriculum works best for working homeschool moms?
The best curriculum is the one your teen can use consistently and independently. Online classes, video-based lessons, self-paced courses, and open-and-go resources often work especially well.
Can homeschooled high schoolers still prepare for college or careers?
Absolutely. Homeschool high school students can earn transcripts, complete dual enrollment, prepare for trades or college, and build strong real-world skills along the way.
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