Sometimes, parents opt to keep their children out of the formal school environment and have them taught at home instead. This was something that many people couldn’t fathom a while back, but in recent times, the idea has taken its place firmly alongside the formal school arrangements.
Homeschooling is considered for a number of reasons, some of which could be:
But in spite of these concerns that a number of parents might have, not everyone has been brave enough to take the next step – withdraw their child from school and school them at home.
Why is this the case...? Could it be that even though homeschooling has become more acceptable, there is still some mystery surrounding the benefits and practicality of this method of schooling - to the point that some parents might question whether homeschooling is the right way to go?
Perhaps it might be best to explore some of these reasons - not in a bid to convince anyone, but just to shed more light on this schooling method.
Bonding
Parents might decide to take on the task of teaching their child themselves, as a way of spending more time with them, establishing a great relationship with their child and getting really involved in their academic endeavours. Of course, this would only work if one had the time to do so or was able to reorganise their schedule to make this arrangement work.
Special Circumstances
In some cases, the child may not be able to keep up with the curriculum in school for various reasons e.g. a child with ADHD could be more likely to experience problems with writing and might struggle with the written tasks. The homeschooling arrangement would enable them work at a pace more suited to their situation. This solution has been confirmed by parents of children with ADHD, to be quite a life-saver as it has helped to ease the stress.
The lessons would be customized in a way that suits the learning abilities of their child.
Peer influence
Some parents do show concern about the adverse influence other children in school could have on their child. Homeschooling would take care of that.
Flexibility with the curriculum
A complaint amongst some parents is that children are being taught some things that aren’t really necessary in life. With homeschooling, you could create your own curriculum and decide to focus on the topics you feel matter most, as well as adding other topics you feel your child could benefit more from.
Part of this approach could mean more focus on learning as opposed to testing.
Organised socials and many other opportunities
Contrary to what some may think about the possible lack of social contact, there are numerous opportunities for your child to have social contact and take part in extracurricular activities. There are the normal after-school activities as well as the more structured activities for the homeschoolers. Many more opportunities are constantly popping up as this method of schooling becomes even more widely adopted.
Needless to say, with the pros, there will always be the con side of this approach and this blog wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t highlight them.
Homeschooling can be time-consuming and as already stated earlier, you will need to rearrange your schedule to be able to accommodate it successfully.
If you do dedicate your time to homeschooling your child, your household will be one income source down, so something to think about.
Much as we love our children to bits and want the very best for them, we do need to take some time out from parenting and if you are homeschooling your child, this will mean parenting round the clock almost. Homeschooling also requires planning and preparation.
You may feel that you have taken the right route by homeschooling your child but there will be days when you might question your decision to do so.
The good news is that this isn’t a journey you need to take alone, as the homeschooling community is growing and you should keep in touch with them for advice, updates etc also keep in touch with your local education authority. Always a good idea to supplement your efforts with a tutor on board as well, to help you proved a more objective structure to the schedule and curriculum.
Leaders are Readers can provide you with extra assistance in some areas of learning.
Above all, make sure you think it thoroughly through before withdrawing your child from school, as homeschooling is a very big commitment and your child’s education will be at stake. But if you are prepared and committed, give it a go!
