So your child has told you they want to homeschool? Maybe you have decided that school at home is best for your child. Or it could be that this was something you've always planned on doing prior to having children. There are endless reasons why a parent chooses to homeschool their child. Thank God that we are blessed to live in a country where we can freely choose how we want to educate our children.
Choosing to homeschool after your child has gone to public school can be a difficult task. Once your child has attended school they've already set up certain expectations of what school is and how it operates. This perceived thinking can cause some setbacks when transitioning to home. Many people set the standard of what they think school should look like based on their own experiences. When you're raised in public school as a child, you can only assume that this is the only way to get a good education. After all, it's only the weirdos that homeschool right?
Once you educate yourself on what homeschooling is, you will learn that it's actually not strange at all.
Growing up in the 90's, it was rare that I heard of someone being homeschooled and when I did I just thought it was really abnormal. I couldn't understand why a family would choose to homeschool. Most of the kids I knew went to public or private schools. There really was no in-between. It's funny how having your own children can change your perception of things. Over the years, homeschooling has become increasingly popular and we are learning more and more about this lifestyle.
After all, it is a lifestyle.
It's doing life together.
If you're like me, when you first started contemplating the idea, your first thoughts may have been this is scary. I'm diving into a world I don't know much about. You may be thinking, I'm not qualified. I'm not smart enough. I don't know everything about English, Math, Science, Social Studies, History, etc. How could my child ever get a better education from home than being taught by professionals in all of these subjects?
The truth is..........
You don't have to be an expert in any of these subjects.
When it comes to education, there is a perception out there that parents are not qualified teachers. This is the furthest from the truth. Most of the things your child will be learning, you will be relearning with them. Everyone is capable of teaching someone and you don't need a degree to do it. Every day we are learning. It is a cliche to say that you can't learn without a qualified teacher. Especially in this new world of technology. We can literally learn anything from anywhere. However, if your child is planning on becoming a doctor, lawyer, engineer, etc. they will need a college-level education at some point. That's when you will need the experts to teach your child. There are also tutors out there for those subjects that require an expert. Until then, you can teach your child from home everything they need to know to set them up to be lifelong learners.
When you choose to homeschool you are in control of what your child is learning and the environment in which they are learning. This means that if your child is interested in engineering at a young age, you can customize his education to include subjects that will benefit him the most. It also means that if your child wants to be a pilot you can spend time at airports showing him how planes land, and how they take off. You can plan field trips to museums that are specifically geared toward his interests. There is no one-size-fits-all homeschooling. We all have our strengths and weaknesses in certain subjects. If you're worried about a learning gap, the truth is, every child will have a learning gap in some area. There is no way that your child will know everything about everything. That goes for public students also. Unless he or she is just a baby genius. And we all know they're out there. Let's set that aside for now.
Homeschooling is so much more than academics.
It is a commitment that you make to raise your children in an environment that is full of opportunities to increase their love of learning. They can study at their own pace and they can do it under your love and care. You as the parent are in charge of their learning and control what they are being taught. You're able to teach them in the way that they comprehend best. We all learn in different ways and when you spend more time with your child, you not only get to know them better but you also pick up on their learning styles and what works best for them. You can cater their education to their needs which will create a rich environment for learning.
This also means you don't have to worry about what your child is learning in school, or the bad habits and behaviors they may pick up from other children. You can teach them those special character traits and qualities that are important to you and your family.
Let's also mention all the benefits that come with it such as strengthening family bonds by spending more time together. The average student spends forty-plus hours a week in school. More if you include after-school programs and activities. This means that your child spends more time with influences outside of the home than in the home. The most crucial part of a child's upbringing is in the first years of life, creating and locking in on those family bonds. Children at a young age learn best through play and engaging in the world around them. Teaching your kids from home is not a one-size-fits-all type of education like the public school system. It is providing an environment in which your child learns best and teaching them in a way that creates a love for learning.
When it comes to educating your child at home, there are certain requirements that have to be met. You can find those here based on the state you live in. You must also understand that teaching your child at home requires a lot of effort from you the parent. This includes finding a curriculum and activities for your child, and planning and scheduling their days. If you're going for a more relaxed way of schooling without a curriculum you still must be very involved in what your children are learning. This is very important!! It sounds like a lot, and it can be at first, but there are many resources out there that can help you get started.
Everyone has their own reasons for why they want to homeschool their children and every homeschooling family will look different. As I said above, there is no one size fits all.
Homeschooling is not as scary as it sounds!!!
Check out How to Start Homeschooling for a quick and easy start guide on how to start educating your children from home.
I hope you enjoyed this post and at least received some sort of input on what you were looking for.
Thanks so much for reading!
