More and more men and women are deciding to head back to school. You will find that continuing your education offers you many new benefits and opportunities. However, going back to school is not always as easy as it looks, especially if you are already managing a family. The challenge is that both family and work are greedy institutions. Both want your full commitment, and just at the time you are trying to build your career, your family obligations are likely to be most demanding. Also, most of you are likely to be partnered with or married to someone who is also committed to a career. So, your challenge will not simply be to balance family and your career, but to balance family and two careers.” Mukaneza Judith is a student and a mother of three kids. She goes to Kigali independent university as a third year law student. “It is important for anyone who is heading back to school to define their goals surrounding their education. However, goal setting is particularly important if you also have a family at home to manage. By setting definite goals, not only will you be able to better work towards achieving your aspirations, but your family will also be knowledgeable about what it is you want to achieve. Moreover, goal setting can help you to cut back on activities that aren’t contributing to your family or education”. She says. As she says that it’s always good to organize your time when you are managing a family and juggling schoolwork, it can often seem like there isn’t enough time in the day to get everything done. By creating a timetable, you can be sure to get the time needed to do your schoolwork and have time leftover to be with your family. When creating your time management timetable. She revealed. Nyinawumuntu Angel is a student at the same time a mother. She also gives a tip of how to manage your family and Education. “Learn to be flexible, no matter how much you plan. Sometimes things are going to come up out of the blue. Learn to accept these unforeseen events and try to plan around them. Get studying done ahead of time, in case an emergency comes up before a big test or exam. Try to arrange flexible daycare, should you be unable to look after your children at certain times. Talk with your employer about working different hours or working from home” she says. Also Steven who is a father and a student at KIST advises on setting aside family time. “It can be hard for even the closest of families to find time to spend together on a regular basis. And if you are going back to school, you might not have very much free time left. “ He added that it’s always good to learn sharing tasks, “Even the most ambitious of people can’t take on every task on their own. You may find yourself bogged down in work responsibilities, household chores, and schoolwork if you try to do everything yourself. To avoid burning out, be sure to delegate responsibilities to those around you”. He also advises parents to always ask their children to participate in household chores. “Be sure to assign chores that are age-appropriate and explain to your children why it is important that they help out.” Learn to say no. Refer to your goal chart and only agree to do those activities that will help you achieve those goals. Share school with your family, even though you are the one going back to school, it doesn’t mean that your family doesn’t want to be involved in your education. Be sure to share information about your school experiences with all family members. Ends
