Homeschooling can be a wonderful option for people looking for an alternative to traditional school. However, homeschooling is not for everyone and it might not be the right choice in a number of circumstances.
Homeschooling: Requires Time
Homeschooling requires time. Homeschooling is a full time job, and if there is not an adult in the home that can dedicate full time to homeschooling, then homeschooling will be difficult to achieve. Homeschooling becomes a lifestyle, not just an educational choice. Of course, there is the possibility that two adults in the home could share homeschooling responsibilities and also maintain their jobs outside the home but it will require work and dedication.
Some states allow homeschooling by people other than parents, and if you live in one of those states it is possible to employ someone to home educate your children. Homeschooling rules are different in each state, and you should research if your state allows others to home-school your children.
Homeschooling requires a fair of time to plan lessons, and in record keeping. This time is in addition to the actual educational time. While it is not required to participate in field trips, time should be allowed for those also. Every opportunity that can enrich a child’s education should be taken advantage of, but travel and actually participating in field trips does require time. In reality, if you cannot home-school with the idea of providing your child with a better education than he could achieve in traditional school, then perhaps homeschooling is not for your family.
Homeschooling: Responsibility
Homeschooling is a large responsibility. As the homeschooling parent/teacher, you are taking on the responsibility that is normally handed off to a teacher and an entire traditional education system. As the parent/teacher you will be responsible not only for planning the lesson, but for teaching the course work, and grading the course work. You will be responsible for keeping the academic records, and recording progress.
Additional there is the fact that as the parent/teacher you will be required to make sure you and your child are in compliance with state and local education requirements. This responsibility also comes with a time commitment. Research must be done to determine the legal requirements to home-school in your state. Ignorance of the law is no excuse, and this is never more true than when determining how to stay legal with your department of education when homeschooling.
Homeschooling: Not all students thrive
Some students actually thrive in the traditional school setting. They need the competition aspect of having other students around them. These students are driven to do their best by having others around them to fuel their climb to the top. Homeschooling might not work for these students because homeschooling, even in a co-op setting is generally aimed at the individual student and does not generally include other students. Even when there are other students in the home, they are usually not in direct competition with each other.
Homeschooling might not be for students who require a lot of special assistance or have special needs. These students might need reading labs, or occupational therapy, or speech therapy. Sometimes it is possible for students with these types of needs to get assistance at a school because of the requirements that public schools provide for these needs.
Schools can sometimes provide this for much lower cost than private therapies because the services are provided for more than one student, or in group settings.
Homeschooling: Everyone on Board
Homeschooling requires a lot of time, responsibility and flexibility. It also goes much more smoothly if the entire family agrees that homeschooling is the right answer for the family. If one parent is for homeschooling and the other is not, then every bump in the road becomes a point of contention. Every setback can become a reason to stop homeschooling.
Homeschooling is individual for each student. Sometimes more than one method must be tried before the right method is found. It becomes necessary for both parents, even the whole family, to understand that setbacks happen, and one setback does not constituted failure. If all members of the family are not in agreement then minor setbacks can be used to declare homeschooling unsuccessful.
Homeschooling might not be for every family, or every child in every family. However, if you have looked through the items mentioned and decided that they do not pose a problem for your family then homeschooling might be for you. There are many positives to homeschooling, but each family should go into homeschooling knowing that it is still not considered mainstream, that there will be obstacles to overcome along the journey, and that it is not for everyone. If you think you can overcome the obstacles listed, then go ahead and consider homeschooling. It just might work for your family.
