One misconception that both homeschool moms and entrepreneurs have in common is that they need to do everything all by themselves. The truth is that doing everything by ourselves can lead to overwhelm and burnout and that’s not good either for business or homeschooling.
How do you prevent this then? By outsourcing.
What is Outsourcing and Why You Should Do It
In business, we typically outsource tasks for many different reasons. It could be because it’s cheaper, we don’t have the time to do them or we don’t know how to do them properly or efficiently. Delegating these tasks to others can be the most practical and logical choice for our business, and you can do the same in homeschooling.
Maybe there’s a subject that you’re not comfortable teaching. Maybe you’ve tried teaching it but your child is still struggling with it. It can also be because your child is advanced and can benefit from more challenging instruction. The different seasons in our lives, such as childbirth, death or peak seasons in our business can also be valid reasons to outsource.
Outsourcing certain parts of your homeschool can benefit you as a Homeschool CEO because it helps ensure that you’re not spreading yourself too thin. It also helps preserve your relationship with your kids because there will be less stress and overwhelm. Just talk to your kids and figure out which parts of your homeschool you can outsource and how.
How to Outsource Your Homeschool
You can outsource your homeschool in a variety of ways such as:
- Using technology.
Some parents are not so keen on letting their kids use gadgets, but they can actually be useful if used judiciously. There are many different educational apps for all ages and for different subjects. There are even educational shows on Netflix and YouTube. Now that the world is experiencing a pandemic, there are even tons of online classes available. As long as you set guidelines for gadget use with your kids, using technology can be beneficial in your homeschool.
- Enlisting help from family members.
You don’t always need to look that far to find homeschool help. If you have relatives who are experts in certain subjects, ask them to teach your child for you. They can also teach a specific skill that you know nothing about like woodworking or sewing. Having a family member mentor your child can be a good learning experience and also a great bonding opportunity as well.
- Hiring a tutor.
If you don’t have relatives who can teach, that’s okay. You can hire a tutor instead. There are many private teachers that can teach a variety of subjects. Just ask your local community or college for recommendations.
- Joining a homeschool co-op.
Homeschool co-ops can be a great way to get to know and learn with other homeschool families. Aside from that, you can also take advantage of the other homeschool parents’ teaching strengths. There are co-ops that require parents to take turns teaching the kids as a group, while others opt to hire experts or professional teachers instead. Just choose one that is the best fit for your family.
- Outsourcing the extra-curriculars.
If you only have the time to homeschool the main subjects at home, then just outsource the electives and other extra-curricular activities. For example, enroll your kids in sports for PE, painting workshops for Art or piano classes for Music. This will alone will save you time and allow you to focus on what’s most important.
Homeschooling definitely allows us parents to direct our children’s education as we see fit for them. However, it doesn’t mean that you have to it all alone.
Outsourcing can be a good way for you to delegate some of the homeschooling responsibilities to someone else so that you can have time to do other important things too. There’s no shame in asking for help when you need it.
