I just joined this site because I am trying to figure out the best thing for my daughter. She is 13, in 7th grade. She has high anxiety, and while doing great on daily work assignments, fails tests miserably. She failed the 5th grade Math STAAR twice. I also have 2 boys, one in 7th and one in 4th. They do not want to homeschool. My daughter has been begging me to homeschool since 4th grade. She has had many issues with bullies, and just started getting bullied again. I’m afraid that, even if the school does finally decide to step in, that damage is being done to her psyche. The problem is that I am a single mom and work M-F 8-5. And we do not get along very well, as far as me trying to teach her things. Anytime I try to help her with anything we end up in an argument and she storms off to her room. How can I homeschool her with that tension? How do I do it with my work schedule? How can I homeschool one child with the other 2 staying in public school?
Yes, you should homeschool the one child. And you can. First, can your daughter stay home unsupervised and get her work done independently? If she can, then great. Give her a list to get done while you’re at work. If not, or if she’ll need help for certain things, think of it this way–you help her with homework after dinner, don’t you? Maybe some subjects could be done then.
Another option is to find another homeschool mom who might be willing to step in to help with math. There are online and video-based options, too.
I work outside the home (part-time) and have always homeschooled. So I know it can be done. The most important thing is to just be willing to do it. Then be flexible. Get rid of the “school has to start by 8” mindset. Working out a good schedule will take time. And not every subject has to be done every day, especially while you’re figuring things out.
Sorry if I rambled a bit. Hope it helps.
Karen
Thank you for responding. I appreciate your insight.
You should absolutely homeschool her and in you doing that for her I’m sure your relationship will start to blossom. She needs to feel safe and she don’t feel safe at school. I have a 15 year old daughter who also suffers with anxiety and pulled all 3 of my kids out as well, however I do not work outside of the home. But it can be done the work does not take near as long as public school and there’s websites such as K-12 that offer free online curriculum all in one. Maybe start her in counseling as well for anxiety, my daughter has done a lot better since being homeschooled, although she does suffer with panic attacks from time to time. We just started counseling for her and it’s helping as well, these kids are going through something else in this world that we weren’t raised around we have to protect them by all means and listen to them when they ask for help. Hope this helps momma I’ll be praying for y’all.
I, too, am a single mom of 5! My oldest is a college graduate and on his own. I never HS’ed him. My second DS was in school and homeschooled for 5 years and then I put him back in public school in 8th grade. My 3 youngest have never been in school and are still home. They are in 5th, 6th, and 7th grade. At first it was an adjustment having one in school and 3 at home but we have a nice groove going now!
I believe that you can accomplish homeschooling and work. It’s definitely a challenge. I cannot sugar coat that LOL. BUT, it is worth it. I work from home, which is a blessing, but at the same time that has it’s challenges too. A schedule is a must! Perhaps exploring an online public school is an option. She will be home and have teachers to be accountable too. Also, may I suggest the two of you have a heart to heart. If her desire is to be home then some boundaries and rules must be put in place and enforced. That can be VERY hard for us single moms. We get so exhausted and have no support, sometimes it’s easier to just allow them to slide with undesirable behavior.
Your work schedule is an entire separate matter. A former neighbor of mine who worked full-time along with her husband and they cyberschooled their son who was in 7th grade while the other 2 went to school. He did wonderful! It can be done 
Creative and not so typical scheduling would work. Is your job flexible? I know funds are always a burden we carry but there are also other schooling alternatives. This year my children are doing 2 subjects that I do not teach, one online and one at a co-op. That has freed me up and they are doing quite well!
Honestly, these teen years are just plain difficult! I believe more so for us. Trust your instincts! Listen to your daughter! You CAN do this! Feel free to ask me anything! Hang in there!
I think you should try it (just with her, not with her brothers). I wouldn’t judge how you would homeschool on how you do with things after-school YET, because after school learning is learning when your child has already been in school ALL DAY. It’s different when you get them fresh.
So, my son was younger when I homeschooled him (and I just homeschooled my youngest, not my older two). He wasn’t bullied but was still miserable at school and making no progress. When he was in school I tried working to help catch him up after school and it DID NOT WORK. But homeschooling did work. Wasn’t that he never cried over schoolwork or that I never got impatient, but when he was fresh it was easier and I over time I learned better how he learned and how I best taught and how to problem solve the difficulties.
One thing I learned was just to back off when our emotions started to get in the way, let everyone cool off, and then come back to it. And even though you don’t have all day home with your kiddo like I did, you still have a good amount of time (especially since your daughter is a teen and she can handle a later bedtime).
PLUS, your child wants this! That’s a huge plus for motivation to have her actually do work. You can let her know that if you’re going to do this you need her all in as far as getting her work done and being patient with YOU as you learn how to teach her.
You should be able to teach her in less than 2 hours a night (with her doing extra reading, writing, and practice work during the day while you’re gone–wouldn’t need to be the full 8 hours). You could call her during your lunch break to check in on how she’s doing.
I would also look into a co-op or homeschool PE class (or after school sport…though I’d be concerned about squeezing your night time family time too much, so I’d look into homeschool stuff first)…and see if you have family who could take her, or maybe pay someone to drive her to those activities so she doesn’t feel isolated and is getting some exercise.