I was thinking of homeschooling my 12 year old DS but I work full time.  I was wondering if there are other full time working mothers who homeschool their children and when do you find the time to homeschool. 

I have been at home most of the time I've homeschooled my daughter, but a couple of years ago I worked a temporary job while my daughter was in junior high.  By that age, my daughter did most of her work independently, so she did her schoolwork while I was at work.  I had to make sure I was organized enough that her assignments were clearly blocked out so she could move ahead without me, and that I made time at home for questions and reviewing.  (I wasn't very good at making time to correct math tests--but that's an ongoing problem..)  :)  During the day, my daughter had no internet access, so I didn't have to worry about her frittering away her time on Facebook or someplace. 

I think the key was that my daughter knew homeschooling was her "job."  In a traditional classroom, it's the teacher's job to make sure students cover material.  In college, it's the student's job to figure out what they need to learn from the text and the teacher.  Homeschooling high school (and to a lesser degree, junior high) looks more like the college model than the traditional high school classroom model.   Understanding that will make the transition easier for your son.  (Actually, my daughter gets more work done when I'm not home.  It's so hard for me to not bother her!)  :)

Homeschooling implies that you will be teaching your children at home. I had a member of my support group that worked. She would take her son to her mother's home in the morning and pick him up during lunch and bring him back to work with her. She would teach him and give him assignments while working. In 4 hours they managed to cover the work for the day. She would also teach on Saturday and Sundays. She would never leave her child at home alone. You also need to check the work she is doing, How can you give her new assignments without knowing if she has gotten the concepts of the previous lesson? May I suggest planning a time in the evening when you can check/grade the work? Her education is your primary job as a homeschooler. 

I would not suggest leaving your child home alone. I volunteered as the homeschool coordinator for our county and I always told moms that wanted to school but worked that unless they planned on being there for their child they should look at a different option. Keeping your child home alone while you work is against the law in my state. You may want to check that out in your state. A good option for you to  look at is calling your local community college and finding out at what age you child can attend and do dual enrollment. In my state that varies from county to county. In my state once the homeschoolers takes the college placement test, and passes, that child can attend and take one class or more. Make sure your child is ready for a college level course. Your child can also attend full time if they are ready. That means the child gets free college credit and fulfills her high school education at the same time! That would be my recommendation for  you.  Your high schooler would benefit from your family being a part of homeschool support group with teen activities and field trips, They usually even have a prom for homeschoolers. State based homeschooling organizations in some states offer a high school graduation ceremony in cap and gown. Contact the HSLDA (Homeschool Legal Defense Association) for the organizations in your area. Their website is hslda.org

Daisy, I think 12 is a fine age to stay home.  It's the minimum age in my state.  The ability to stay home and do work is different for every child.  My son is 11 and is completely independent from me with his work, which includes courses from 8th grade to college level.

Renee, I don't work for pay, but I do barter work & volunteer work.  Since my son is independent it works well.  All of my work is from home, which helps, but if I have to leave for a couple of hours, he stays on task.

You don't have to do school from 9-3 ;-).  You can do it in the evenings, on the weekends, on your days off, whenever.  For that age, school should take about 4 hours per day, but you shouldn't have to be with your child that whole time.  There will be a transition period where you both will have to "find your groove", but after that things should be fine.  Your child may need time to "deschool" also.

I'd start with your state regulations and state HS'ing group.  Unlike what Daisy said, don't *just* check with HSLDA.  They *only* list their affiliated groups, not all the groups.  HSLDA groups are Christian based and support their agendas, which aren't all related to HS'ing.

Homeschooling doesn't have to mean a parent schooling their child at home.  It can be another HS'ing parent, a private tutor, or even a virtual school.  All fall under "home education".  Actually a virtual school might be a great option for you.  Or an online curriculum.  Then you could log in from work (if it's outside the home) and check on, or help, your student.

JC

7+ year HS'ing veteran

I'm a stay at home mom. I also have a lot of chronic illnesses that keep me up & down with my health. There are times I just feel awful for months.

I'm not an early riser & my kids sleep in too. So we usually are up by 10am. I get up around 9:30 & have bible time then get the kids up.

After eating breakfast, having my morning workout then we start school. This can be around 11-11:30am. I know a lot moms who start around 8am which makes me feel lazy. lol But I have tried to be to wake up early but it just doesn't work for me. 

Hi,

It's nice to see how flexible homeschooling can be. There are so many ways do accomplish educational goals. I really do respect the homeschooling culture. This is my first year homeshooling. I, too, have a chronic disability and suffer from dibilitation pain. Homeschooling has been an inspriation for me. There are times that I forget about how bad I feel, I'm so into the day.

Elona