{photo by Olu Eletu}
Greetings! Today we are bringing you a new series where we hear from SLOCA parents who have another job outside the home – balancing homeschool, home life, and an additional job on top of it! Don’t you always wonder how people do it?
Or maybe you ARE a parent who is doing it – or “working on it,” as we like to say, because not one of us has this down perfectly, and we all have to find the right balance between school, family, chores, meals, friends, activities, and sometimes a job as well. We know it’s not easy to do SLOCA and work a part-time or full-time job, but there are parents who have chosen to, and we want to share with our readers why and how they make it work (or are at least working on making it work)!
Today we’ll hear from Heather Tucker, who is a 6th year SLOCA parent. Heather and Taylor Tucker have 2 kids on Track A, Kyra (LMS) and Kyan (Intermediate). We interviewed her to learn more about how she balances SLOCA and a job:
Q: What is your job outside the home?
I’m on the EMS Faculty at Cuesta College.
Q: Are your kids on the 2-day or 4-day track? Do they attend Friday Foundations and/or Academy Classes?
They are on the 2-day track, but last year and this we have done full-day Friday classes (Friday Foundations and Academy Classes). We haven’t always done the Friday classes and we still managed to make it work, but the Friday option is great – my kids love being able to see their Track B friends on Fridays, and they’ve enjoyed interacting with other teachers in those classes.
Q: How many hours a week do you work? What is your work schedule?
I am full-time faculty at Cuesta and average 50 hours a week with about 30 of those on campus. I teach an online section and also have students out at hospitals and on the ambulance depending on the semester. My typical week looks like this: After drop-off on Monday and Wednesday I go to work until pick-up. I sometimes go back and teach evening classes after I get the kids settled. Those evenings I do course prep, emails, grading etc. Tuesday and Thursday I homeschool in the morning and go in to work about 3 pm and teach the evening classes. Friday I drop the kids off for Friday Foundations and head to campus for classes and/or meetings.
Q: How do you fit in the homeschool piece?
In addition to the above we do anything left-over from the week over the weekend. We also sometimes read the evening before a homeschool day if it works.
And what everyone really wants to know…
Q: How do you (or do you) keep your house clean?
This has been the hardest part for me personally. I have had to learn to let go of certain things and some of the day-to-day gets ignored until the weekend. I use school breaks for deep-cleaning and organizing.
Q: What do you do for dinners?
I’m supposed to feed them too?!? Just kidding… I try to plan ahead and use the crockpot, pressure cooker and simple prep meals for nights I'm not home (that's quite a few) and the kids are starting to help in this area and have several meals they can prepare/help with.
Q: How much does the other parent in the home help, with homeschooling and house work, etc.?
Our other parent has been a full-time student and also worked part-time for the past 5 years. So we are stretched pretty thin. But we know this is a season in our kids’ lives and we are sacrificing other activities (for ourselves) knowing how much it benefits our kids now as well as later.
Q: Do you have a strong family network that helps with care of the kids, meals etc.?
Yes! Our local family has been a true blessing to us. Both of my sisters are a part of the kids' weekly life and help with meals, dishes, spending time with them and occasionally overseeing homeschool. Just today my brother in law did spelling dictation with both kids. And yesterday another SLOCA family (the Dows) who have kids in the same classes homeschooled the kids so I could attend a mandatory training. Friends and family members have been so supportive, and it’s important for us to have that backup system in place. It takes a village!
Q: Do you have any advice for someone considering SLOCA who works, and is worried that they can't do both?
This is our 6th year at SLOCA and I have always done both. Easy? No. Possible? Yes. But you have to be willing to give up other things (in addition to your sanity sometimes) to make it work. And you have to go into it knowing that, so you don’t get bitter. It's difficult to engage as much with the SLOCA community when you work, and you really have to find your niche. The kids and I complete volunteer hours at Fred & Betty's every week and love our SLOCA connections there! It allows community, volunteer time and time together.
Thank you, Heather – this is so inspiring! We appreciate your honesty, your sacrifice, your perseverance, and your cheerful smile and attitude! Plus you shared some really great and helpful ideas…
Parents, can you relate to this? Leave a comment below!
If you’re a SLOCA parent who works another job as well and would like to be a part of this series, please email Down Home and let us know.
