Why bother homeschooling?
Why bother? Well, if you’re thinking it’s a bother, you might reconsider your decision right there. Homeschooling your child is not a hassle, but a wonderful and highly rewarding experience that benefits both you and your child. Therefore, remove the word “annoying” from your vocabulary if you would really like to have such an opportunity. Yes, this is your chance and your son’s chance.
If you are a stay-at-home mom or dad, then you have the opportunity to have wonderful learning experiences by homeschooling your child. In most states, homeschooling is legal, a legal option. There are some guidelines, rules and regulations that you have to follow, but after that, everything is great! (In some states, there are a certain number of days you must notify the Board of Education that you intend to homeschool your child.)
You can’t just keep your child out of school and decide to homeschool him. You must almost always notify the School Board or the Board of Education. You can find out the rules and regulations from your government officials or through wonderful homeschooling magazines and literature. Once you figure out the rules and regulations, you’re good to go.
Are there benefits to homeschooling?
Time, balance, growth and union
When homeschooling is done properly, your child will have a fully balanced education and become a well-rounded student. The rewards are immeasurable. First, one of the benefits is that you both spend more time together and pay more attention to each other. The average student sees her parents probably a few minutes a day during the week, or at most an hour or two. However, the average homeschooling parent/guardian sees her child regularly for a few hours a day (when that parent/guardian is teaching). They will learn together! That is one of the biggest and best benefits of homeschooling. The teacher and the student learn from each other. They grow together. And you can look back on this experience for years to come and both of you will be happy with your choices and decisions. Children can spend more time with their siblings, and the younger ones will learn while the older ones learn too.
They will have more time for each other. You can make virtually any life lesson an education lesson. Going to the supermarket or going to a department store is a lesson in shopping, shopping, finance and product comparison. Going to a fast food restaurant is a lesson in food, health, shopping, and even customer service. The fast food process teaches kids valuable marketing lessons. So things in everyday life add to your homeschooling experience.
Good education
Another benefit is a great education. You see firsthand what your child is learning without the need for PTA meetings and without the need for outsiders to report on your child’s progress. You choose your child’s education. If you want to teach your child spiritual lessons, you can. You can teach religion as history and history as religious lessons. (Look at all the Christians in history and see the impact they made on our land.) You can teach fun science lessons and math lessons. A trip to the bank and ATM will be a great lesson in business math.
You can even take a trip to the Treasury building and other related places. Your child will benefit much more first-hand from seeing and doing rather than relying primarily on book-based education. (Yes, she needs books and uses books, but she doesn’t depend solely on them as her only educational tool.) Socialization occurs just as easily with home-schooled children as it does with children who attend school in school buildings. Many times when we do TV shows we invite home school kids, parents and guardians to come to our studio, take a tour and be on the show. So your options are open and your world is your education. Another benefit is a focused education. You are the teacher; You’re in charge. That gives you a lot of options and a lot of opportunities.
What are the problems related to homeschooling?
There are few problems with homeschooling, and here are a few:
Your child might miss classmates if he started with regular education and now switched to homeschooling.
How do you solve those problems?
The way to overcome this is to have your child interact as much as possible with children from other schools. Invite children (with parental permission) to join you on a few day trips. Or invite them over after school. Have your child sign up for a hobby he enjoys. (Children learn piano, bowling, or art, and in these hobbies children make new friends and interact with children their own age.) Use your own imagination and you will find ways to get your child to interact with other children and still be homeschooled.
Evidence
Most school districts require specific tests for students who study at home. But the tests are no more difficult than those given to children of regular school age. So, get ready for the tests. They also usually require a licensed teacher to observe or perform the tests. All this can be fixed. If you are determined to study at home, there is nothing stopping you from at least giving this education option a try.
Stigma
Years ago, there used to be a stigma attached to homeschooling. Years ago, most of the time farmers, poor people and migrant workers studied at home. Sometimes kids and even adults made fun of homeschoolers. But today, all that has changed remarkably. And this was especially noticeable when one year, the home-schooled girl won the National Spelling Bee on national television, proving that she was the best speller in the nation. Even after that, many appeared on television saying that they had been educated at home and were now attending college or graduated from mainstream universities.
What if you change your mind? If you change your mind about homeschooling, you have the right to have your child attend public school. Check with your school district. More often than not, in most cities, every child is entitled to a free public education, and you most likely live in such a city or town. So don’t worry about changing your mind if you think homeschooling is impossible for you.
Where can I get supplies or books if I homeschool my child?
Watch online! Do a search for all things homeschooling. There are entire companies that focus on nothing more than school supplies, books, and videos. There are plenty of companies out there to educate you on homeschooling. You can become a homeschooling expert if you want to be.
For art lessons, contact the Pearl Paint Store in New York City. They also have a mail order company and you will find all the items you need for whatever art or arts and crafts lessons you choose to give. For math and business and finance, write to the Treasury department, to the consumer department, you’ll be surprised what’s available for free. Write to Pueblo and request the catalog of government information. This catalog is a hub of wonderful ideas, books, brochures, and pamphlets, many of which you can use at your school.
Should I homeschool my child?
This is the hardest question you ask. The answer is obvious. Only you and your child know if you should home school your child. Know that this is hard work, mixed with lots of fun and good times together. Therefore, you must be ready for hours of hard work if you choose homeschooling. If you are ready for it and if you have time for it, then you know what to do.
Our experience
In the past, I homeschooled all three of my children (before they were school age), each of them going to school well before class. By the time a boy was in second grade, that boy was tested and it was found that he could read college magazines. So homeschooling works, even when it’s an “unofficial” homeschooling. The tools I used were all around me. . For example, before my children learned to read, we would both walk down the street and come to the stop light. The traffic light was marked with the word “STOP”, and that, for me, was and is a lesson in reading. We read all the words we passed as we walked down the street. I was doing house-schooling while my son and I were walking down the sidewalk. That was “Reading 101.”
As simple and fun as it was: this reading game, this was the game that got my kids into school reading years before their peers learned to read. So homeschooling, even basic homeschooling, does wonders in children’s lives.
You’ve probably read about homeschooling and perhaps you’ve talked to other parents or guardians who have homeschooled their children. But no matter what she may have heard, homeschooling is about more than just reading. When you check with your local school boards, you’ll have the details on government regulations (and there are many) regarding homeschooling. When I first thought about homeschooling, my
second son was in the older grades. I thought about it a lot because the school was contaminated and had to be closed temporarily. We went back to conventional education after the building was almost rebuilt. My son and I learned a lot just by observing nature and visiting parks.
Your experience
Only you know what your own experience will be like. You know yourself and your child better than anyone. So decide based on your needs, desires and lifestyles and your schedule. Only you know the answer to whether or not you should homeschool. Some homeschool out of temporary necessity; perhaps a child has a broken leg and cannot attend the local school. They start homeschooling and find that both the parent/guardian and child like the experience, so they apply for homeschooling regularly and everyone is happy.
One thing is for sure, don’t let anyone make this decision for you, and don’t let anyone make you have negative feelings about homeschooling. If this is what you want, this is what you should do. Try it, you will like it. And if you don’t like it, or if you feel it’s too much responsibility, then it’s up to you to change your mind. You will never know unless you try. You might want to give it a try during summer break or while on vacation. This offers you the opportunity to educate your child, and yet neither of you miss out on regular school or regular work.
You should try homeschooling if you have the time to do so. And you? So, what are you waiting for? Now is the time to do your research, prepare, and start homeschooling your child if that is what you both want to do.