Working from home is harder than most people think. There are so many things around the house that distract me from getting the actual work done that by the time the kids come home from school I get completely bogged down. By then, not only do I still have my work to get done, but I have to look over assignments and try to keep my kids organized.
With school back in session, these stresses have become a very strong reality. But I got it all figured out (I think) already, and I wanted to share my wisdom with other mothers who suffer from the same malady.
Time Management Tips
I won’t go into this part too much. Instead I will just point you at another post about this topic: Time Management Tips and Skills for WAHM’s. It gives a few great basic pointers to help keep your day organized.
Now, let’s consider how to keep up with the kids, since you are a pro at keeping up with yourself.
Teacher Organization
Okay, so this isn’t something you have a lot of control over (unless you homeschool your kids). The good news is, you don’t have to. More and more schools are converting to using an online database to show current assignments, missing assignments, and individual student progress. These assessment tools for teachers show them what they need to know about your child’s academic progress before they walk in the door. Thank you teachers! Just slot in about 5 or ten minutes a day when the kids are on the way home to look over each of their reports and voila: instant knowledge.
I love using online information because then I don’t have to waste time playing the guessing game with the kids when they walk in the door. I already know the scoop. It also means my kids can’t get around telling me the truth about their progress. Remember the days when we had to bring home bad assignments or grades to show our parents, get them to sign it, and take it back to school? Not anymore. Thank you technology!
Student Organization
We were all kids once. The only fun thing about school was going and seeing our friends. Okay, so maybe everyone wasn’t like that. There were a handful of kids that truly enjoyed school. The point is, without encouragement (and a little bit of parental pushiness) kids are not going to jump into homework when they walk in the door. That’s why it’s important for parents to keep kids organized. Here’s a few hints as to how:
- Know what’s due tomorrow before they get home.
- Sit the kids at the table with their homework right away.
- Give them a snack to help keep them charged while they work.
- Remind them that the sooner the work is done, the sooner they can play.
- Check the homework over yourself before letting them get away.
- Make sure that the assignment is ready to turn in (either electronically or on paper) and in the backpack for tomorrow.
If you kept your own day organized before the kids came home, you can dedicate more time to them and their schoolwork when they walk in the door.
If you need a little more assistance, Kids Health has some great tips to help keep kids organized both for school, and for life.