Meet Heather Khodadadi | Educational Blogger, Homeschool Mom, and Former Public School Teacher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Heather Khodadadi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Heather, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
Last year, I remember feeling terrible for all the public school families and teachers trying to figure out distance learning. As a former teacher, I could imagine how difficult that was for all involved. I knew several parents were frustrated with the setup and were opting to homeschool instead. These parents never intended on homeschooling their children. They were doing it out of desperation. I wanted to help these struggling parents. I was acting almost like a liaison between these public school parents and homeschooling. I remembered my transition into homeschooling my children and how I struggled with it because I was trying to duplicate the public school setting at home. I was failing miserably. I wanted to share my experience with these parents to help them have a successful year. If they had a successful year, then their child was successful. It is all about the children… period.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
First thing you need to know about me is that I am not tech savvy. When I first started out, there was a huge learning curve (and still is!) I am still learning all the ins and outs of social media. I am the type of person who doesn’t like to select things from a predetermined list. I have an idea of how I want things to look and try my best to make that happen. When you look at my site, you see me. All of the posts are my words. All of the clip-art are my creations. All the activities, lessons, printables are all little bits of me. This didn’t come easy and took a long time to build. I thought blogging would be easy, but it isn’t. There were times last fall that I was working 80 hours a week! I know that sounds impossible, but I did. I would wake up and go to work. I would teach my children which was actually testing out whatever I was putting on my blog. After school, I would work again. I even had difficulties sleeping because I would lie awake with so many ideas for my business. I often compare my business to having a baby. You work hard, are exhausted, and wonder if you are doing everything right. You are completely spent, and then your baby meets these milestones that help keep you going: first smile, first step, first word, etc. My business has followed the same path. I worked hard, was exhausted, and didn’t know if I was doing things right. Then my business met small milestones that kept me going: first Facebook follower on my business page that wasn’t a friend, reading my first review, and seeing my first resource being shared. All of these and hearing feedback from my readers and followers have helped keep me going. I enjoy knowing that someone is finding my suggestions, activities, lessons, or printables helpful. It all goes back to helping parents be successful. I know if I am helping parents then I am helping children.
The biggest lesson I have had to learn is work-life balance. It has been a challenging re-entering the workforce after being a stay at home mom for so long. My children have depended on me so much. I have had to learn to let some projects go or put them on hold because I needed to be present for my family. I have learned that I can’t be a “Yes” person and find or create resources for everyone. That was chipping away at my own family’s happiness. Finding that balance is challenging.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
As a mom of four children, I haven’t had many “adult” outings in the past nine years. If my best friend was to visit, we would probably visit family friendly venues. As a family hosting another family, we would want to take them to:

The Atlanta Zoo- It is an absolutely beautiful zoo with a well thought out layout. I like how they thought of children while creating spaces. There are a lot of animals to view and observe but also lots of opportunities to play. They have balanced larger play structures with smaller play opportunities (i.e. the tunnels into and out of the naked mole rat exhibit)

Fernbank Museum of Natural History- I love how they have a rotation of exhibits, special events (i.e. pirates’ day), a hands-on science exhibit, an indoor play space, and a beautiful outdoor play space and exploration.

The Fox Theatre- This theatre is absolutely beautiful and has wonderful shows! My children love any type of live performance.

Centennial Olympic Park- Being that it is an unconventional year for the Olympics due to the pandemic, I would want to take the opportunity to visit the Centennial Olympic Park which was the official site of the 1996 games.

Stone Mountain Park- In the past, my kids have enjoyed taking the Swiss cable car to the top of the mountain and exploring all the activities the park has to offer. This park alone could take a few days to enjoy all it has to offer.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My success wouldn’t be possible without the love and support of my family. My husband has been incredibly supportive of this new endeavor by shouldering more responsibilities with our home and children. My children have thoroughly enjoyed helping me create this business. They have their own ideas of projects we can do and enjoy helping me take photos. I love that my business can truly be a family business and include even our smallest member.

Website: www.thelifeschooler.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.lifeschooler/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heather-khodadadi-7089861b1/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thelifeschooler