Homeschooling -do you have what it takes?

The homeschooling trend

Home-schooling has become more and more “mainstream” in the US. It seems to me that the public perception of homeschooling has grown from something that’s frown upon, into something for the seriously committed families. Homeschooling has gained an enormous credibility lately and the number of homeschooling families are constantly growing. No wonder, when -time after time- the public school system has been proven to fail so many students. In education there is no such thing as “one size fits all”.

And just look at all the famous Hollywood stars, presidents and sport professionals who are, or have been, home-schooled! It just must be “the right thing to do”, right?

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Is homeschooling right for everybody?

No. I must say I really admire people who home-school their kids full time. I am lucky enough to have the opportunity to home-school my children one day a week. Please remember -I didn’t write this post to discourage you, because I do believe homeschooling is the right thing to do. BUT you need to think it through and be prepared. I would just like you to understand it might not be as easy as it looks. While I really truly believe homeschooling is THE ultimate choice of education you can give your kids, there are certain things you need to ask yourself before you start this adventure.

But should I homeschool?

Start by asking yourself these questions to make an informed decision.

Do I have the patience?

I would like to start with this one, as this is probably what I lack the most -patience. It’s rather common for moms who have several kids (5 or more), all different ages, to home-school. I don’t know how they do it. It’s one thing if you have one or maybe two kids, but if you have more, you’ll need lots of patience. I know you love your kids, but do you have the patience to spend ALL your time with them at home?

Am I good at multitasking?

This is something every parent has put some practice into. Just get used to it -when you have kids you have to multitask. Just because you are homeschooling it doesn’t mean you don’t need to clean the house, cook or pay the bills. If you are really good at it, you will succeed to make everyday chores a part of your homeschooling. Please keep in mind that if you have several children they’ll be at different ages and levels. This is one of my biggest challenges when we home-school on Fridays. I find it really difficult, almost impossible, to work with all three of my children at the same time. Especially with the younger ones who need me to sit next to them and help them most of the time.

Am I committed to the work?

Homeschooling is hard work. You need structure and planning. When you decide to home-school your kids, you need to know it’s not a vacation. You actually need to work with them. I once knew someone who supposedly was “homeschooling” her kids, but instead of really teaching them things, she would just let them plan their own day, which mostly ended up in front of the i-pad. Her children were “self-schooling” without the help of a parent.

Do I have plan?

Homeschooling certainly gives you a lot of flexibility, but you still need to set a schedule. You pick the times and HOW you’d like to teach your kids, but try to follow your schedule. You can take them to the museum or for a hike to watch the nature or get some steam out, but you might also be able to do some follow-up teaching on what you saw on your trip. If you went for a hike, teach them about the animals or plants you saw.

Do I have support?

It might not seem important, but it is. First of all, the decision to home-school needs to be agreed upon between both parents. Is your spouse helping and supporting? Second, consider to join a home-school support group in your area. When the going gets tough you’ll have your group to ask for advice. Third, you might need to purchase and follow some kind of curriculum. You can find several tips for that online. Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool is a free curriculum you might want to check out. Tiffany at Homeschool Hideout also has some really good tips for homeschooling. Because we only home-school on Fridays, we have all the curriculum and support we need from the school. Our school also offers a home-school program. The students are educated independently according a personalized learning plan.

Conclusion

As I already mentioned I don’t want to discourage you to home-school. Rather the opposite -I would like to encourage you to make an informed decision on whether you will home-school or not. Even if you answered “no” to some of the above questions, I’m not saying you shouldn’t home-school. By pointing out these questions, I would like you to be honest with yourself when you decide if homeschooling might be for you or not.

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