Every educational system provides excellent opprtunities for children to gain new knowledge and skills, as well as to discover and develop their own individual characteristics and interests. There are advantages and disadvantages to homeschooling, just as there are to public school, private school, charter school, unschooling, and other educational models.
In previous posts, we discussed "What is Homeschooling?" and "Top Myths About Homeschooling," as well as other topics related to the benefits of homeschooling. In this post, we will discuss "How Does Homeschooling Work?"
Homeschooling entails a significant change in one's way of life.
One of the first things to consider is that homeschooling represents a significant change in one's way of life.
As you are probably aware, if you decide to homeschool your children, you will be responsible for both the duties and responsibilities of a teacher and an administrator. You will be responsible for implementing lessons, planning field trips, coordinating activities with other parents, and ensuring that your homeschool is in compliance with state and local homeschooling regulations. These responsibilities are in addition to your regular responsibilities as a parent.
In addition, there are the additional financial costs associated with homeschooling. However, while there are numerous free resources available, many homeschool supplies, including textbooks, books, paper and art supplies, computers, software, and other homeschool tools, require monetary investment. It is possible to reduce the financial burden of homeschooling, which is a welcome relief.
Examples include homeschooling programs that can actually help parents save money by bundling resources into a kit that includes classroom-tested materials, detailed lesson manuals, textbooks, reading books and math manipulatives as well as science kits and online tools all designed to empower parents to be successful teachers.
You cannot, however, avoid the fact that by devoting more time to teaching your children at home, your family may experience a decrease in income. If you are a single parent, the difficulties are magnified. If you plan to homeschool your children, you will need to be very careful with your money and have excellent time management skills.
Furthermore, because your child will no longer be in a public school environment and all learning will take place in the home, the family's lifestyle and pace will change as a result of the transition. Homeschooling will receive more attention as a result of this change. Daily chores, errands, doctor's appointments, and other typical household routines will need to be scheduled in conjunction with your homeschooling plan to ensure that everything runs smoothly.
Another significant difference is that, whereas most parents spend a significant amount of time with their children, homeschooling parents spend even more time with their children. The amount of time required to homeschool is a significant lifestyle change that has an impact on many parents' decisions about whether or not to homeschool their children. Despite the fact that there are numerous ways for parents to carve out time for themselves, it is important to remember that you will be spending significantly more time with your children than you do now.
Homeschool Socialization Is Not the Same As Regular School Socialization
A second topic to think about is socialization in the homeschool setting.
Undoubtedly, one of the most widespread myths we dispel is the notion that homeschool socialization does not exist, or that homeschoolers are all strange or do not know how to interact with others. The truth of the matter is that there are advantages and disadvantages to homeschooling as a social experience, just as there are advantages and disadvantages to public schooling. Every child's socialization experiences will be unique, but the most accurate way to describe socialization in a homeschool environment is to say that it is different.
What is the difference between homeschool socialization and traditional socialization?
For starters, homeschoolers are not subjected to the same levels of peer pressure and bullying as their public school counterparts, both of which are associated with lower academic performance and lower self-esteem.
Parents frequently choose to homeschool their children because they do not want their children's values to be defined by their peers, or because they do not want their children to be subjected to social ridicule or bullying. In either private or public schools, there can be a great deal of pressure to "fit in" or achieve a perceived level of social status among classmates.
Homeschooling also means that a child will have less daily interaction with large groups of children in his or her own age group. Furthermore, homeschoolers may find themselves spending less time each day participating in organized sports and activities with their peers as a result of their educational choices.
However, this does not imply that homeschoolers have no access to their peers, or that they are unable to participate in sports or socialize with others outside of their immediate family members.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, homeschoolers are more involved in their communities, are less sedentary, and socialize with a broader range of adults (particularly professionals) than their public school counterparts.
In part because of its adaptability and emphasis on one-on-one / personalized learning, homeschooling includes more field trips, real-life experiences, and hands-on activities than traditional schooling. Sporting activities such as recreational leagues or homeschool sports classes offered in their local communities are popular among homeschoolers. A number of students who are homeschooled do so because their athletic or artistic abilities enable them to participate in sports and activities at a higher level than they would otherwise be able to.
Homeschooling allows for greater educational independence.
A third aspect of homeschooling to consider is the academic freedom you will have and the impact this will have on both you and your child as a result of your decision.
One of the most significant advantages of homeschooling is the degree of flexibility it provides.
If your child is having difficulty with a subject or a specific concept, you do not have to skip over it and move on to the next subject. Instead, you can work with your child until she or he has mastered the subject matter at hand. Homeschooling allows you to spend as much time as you need with your children to ensure that they are learning. Furthermore, if your child is ready to progress, there is no need to waste time on redundant or repetitive lessons. Children who are homeschooled have the ability to progress through educational materials at a faster rate than their peers.
In a public or private school with 20 or more students in a class, a teacher must address the learning styles and paces of each student in the class. When the majority of the children are ready to move on, the remaining children are left behind. For the most part, however, if your child is ready to move on to more advanced material, she or he will have to wait until a sufficient number of students are ready. In both situations, many children are left feeling bored, frustrated, or a combination of the two.
Another advantage of homeschooling education is that it exposes children to a broader range of experiences than traditional schooling. Parents and children frequently express gratitude for the encouragement provided by homeschool curriculum to get out of the house and learn about science, art, math, and history in the real world. Experiences outside of the classroom are often more engaging and result in greater absorption of knowledge and skills than learning in a classroom.
Of course, increased responsibilities come along with increased educational freedom. As previously stated, parents are now required to work as teachers and administrators. While we are firm believers that every parent is capable of being the best teacher their child will ever have, it is important to emphasize that planning and scheduling are critical components of the homeschooling process. Take this into consideration when deciding whether or not to homeschool your children.