Pros and Cons of Homeschooling

When I look at homeschooling books and websites, I'm struck by homeschoolers' passion and conviction. While this is generally a good thing, it can be off-putting to parents who are considering homeschooling. As one mother who was thinking of homeschooling put it:

 

Unlike all the homeschooling articles and websites that I read, I am not sure that homeschooling is a great idea. I'm just a parent who has run out of school choices and so I'm looking into homeschooling. I'm thinking of homeschooling out of necessity, not passion. I'm simply trying to problem solve and do what would be best for my child But when I read the websites, I fear that I am about to enter a world of people who were born to homeschool, not accidental homeschoolers* like me.

 

Time4Learning gets a lot of phone calls and emails from parents who feel this way. Many express a feeling that they are different from "real homeschoolers", they are doing it out of necessity, not desire. We believe that half of today's homeschoolers did not intend to homeschool and started by putting their children in a traditional school. Elise's story epitomizes the reality that many start down the homeschool path somewhat accidentally.

 

I never envisioned myself as a homeschooler until events unfolded in such a way that there didn't seem to be any other choice. I'd say that I started as an Accidental Homeschooler, a category that also describes the start of many of my friends. In my case, I had always assumed that my children would go to school, although I recognized that I might have to pay for private school. And indeed, this was the first route we took when our daughter entered kindergarten. Click to read the rest of her story which continues with: Problems at School - Confronted with Socialization Issues.

 

To respond to these concerns and to help new homeschoolers get off to a great start, Time4Learning provides the following:

 

1. A free Introductury Guide to Homeschooling written with extensive input from experienced homeschool parents. The question that we asked experienced homeschoolers to answer is "What do they wish that they had known when they first started to homeschool?" From their answers, we compiled an empamphlet which we make available to everyone. Click to download Welcome to Homeschooling for free.

2. A series of case studies (ie stories) by parents of why they considered homeschooling and how they started. In collecting this information, one parent commented: "I had forgotten that long ago I was unsure that homeschooling would be a good idea. Until I looked back, I had forgotten how I use to be so full of doubts. But now that you mention it, I was confused and sometimes panicked about the decision."

3. An online homeschool forum where parents discuss the reality of their homeschooling questions. The discussions range from broad questions about homeschooling strategies involving the internet to specific questions about organizing days and use of different resources.

4. And mostly, Time4Learning provides a unique service that both novice and experienced homeschoolers appreciate. The self-running educational system, the engaging interactive lessons, the timer, the reports, the low cost, the responsiveness of the member service group, and the useful tools such as detailed lesson plans and online help make Time4Learning a great partner.

    

Homeschoolers appear to be in a world of their own. Those who are thinking about homeschooling their child can feel marginalized since it appears on the web as if all the homeschoolers were sold on the idea from the beginning. The reasons for choosing to homeschool a child can be so varied but in many cases, parents put their children in schools and had no thoughts or intentions to homeschool. After some problems in schools and maybe a school switch or two, some of the parents consider homeschooling as the best approach for their children. These "accidental homeschoolers" usually come to homeschooling somewhat later, and not necessarily out of choice. They might have made the decision to homeschool because of one of the following reasons:

• Poor child-school fit
• Inadequate school resources
• Child's need for one-on-one guidance
• Individualized program for a child with special learning needs or giftedness
• School safety concerns
• Health problems
• Frustration with school staff or curriculum

 

Of course there are probably as many reasons for homeschooling as there are homeschoolers! But those families who are forced to make a sudden decision to school their child at home may feel inadequate to the task at the beginning. You may have hit some initial homeschooling bumps that even made you ask, "What was I thinking?!" Maybe it wasn't too long before you discovered that this was the first of five stages of homeschooling:

 

1. Homeschooling Denial and Isolation I'm not like those other strange homeschooling families. I'll only be doing this until things get better.

2. Homeschooling Anger If I have to look at another curriculum catalog, I am going to scream! I didn't sign up for this! He never talked to his teacher this way!

3. Homeschooling Bargaining If you will just do this one worksheet, we will go for a nature walk after lunch.

4. Homeschooling Depression I didn't major in special education . . . I'll never be able to teach her what she really needs to know.

5. Homeschooling Acceptance I can't believe how well he is doing in math now. He has come up two grade levels in two months. I guess this homeschooling thing is really working!

 

The most interesting thing about arriving at the last stage of the process is that you look back and begin to realize you don't even recognize that person from stage one. In fact, you realize you have become one of those strange homeschooling families - - those families that plan their lives around their homeschooling schedule, that brag about their favorite curricula, that get excited when a used homeschool book sale is coming to town. Somehow that whole homeschooling world that seemed so unfamiliar and scary collided with your own world and merged into a new comfortable daily rhythm.

 

Time4Learning is excited to be a part of this homeschooling adventure along with you. Why not try us out and see how fun and effective a multimedia homeschool curriculum can be?

 

*Accidental Homeschooler is a term created by Time4Learning to describe how many parents feel when they first approach homeschooling.