How to Balance Life and an Early College High School Student

The day my daughter's acceptance letter to the early college high school arrived, I was overwhelmed with emotion. My daughter was about to embark on a five-year adventure in education that required hours of studying, an alternative high school schedule and classes held on a college campus. After the excitement faded a bit, I began to wonder how the early college high school experience was going to fit into everyday life. With careful planning and excellent time management skills, our family will survive the next five years.

Make study time a family experience. With four children, keeping the house quite while my eldest daughter is studying for one to two hours a night is a difficult task. Instead of fighting the other kids and constantly reminding them to be quiet, I designate study projects for each child to complete at the same time. My youngest are in 1^st grade, so they study spelling words, read and create unique works of art. My 12-year-old reads over current textbook lessons, practices new math concepts and reads books from the teacher's selection list.

Multi-task whenever possible. I run a home-based business, so free time is mixed in with family time on most days. During study time, I promote by home-based business on social media networks, research new business leads and prepare for the following workday. If one of the children must attend a school or extra-curricular activity, everyone picks up a notebook and a few pencils. This is the perfect time to write out family menus and business schedules, for me. My children make lists of things to do, write letters to family members or complete study assignments like writing out high-frequency grade-specific words or spelling words.

Plan meals ahead of time to free up family time. I cook the week's meals every Sunday. I bake muffins and cook pancakes for breakfast. These are stored in the freezer until needed. I bake fresh bread, including rolls and loaves of slicing bread. Bread is also stored in the freezer. I cook large batches of rice and pasta and divide these into five plastic containers with lids. Vegetables are added to rice and pasta with spices and / or sauce, if applicable. The containers are sealed and a description is attached to the top of the lid. I grill out on the weekends, so I cook extra meat and store in the refrigerator for the following five meals. Sometimes beans take the place of meat for a healthy source of protein. In just four to five hours, I have completed 10 meals for six people and the only preparation needed daily is a quick reheat in the oven.

Take up studying as a hobby. Have you ever wanted to learn something new but could never find the time? Use designated family study time to learn something new, maybe a second language or a new business technique. I research social media avenues to promote my home-based business and new promotional search engine techniques.

Parenting a child attending early college high school is no simple task. With a lot of planning, time management tools and a family team attitude, everyone can benefit from higher expectations and advanced study techniques. Just remember, it takes a village to raise a child and I plan to utilize every member of my village for the next five years.