Trying to determine if homeschooling is right for you? Here is an honest look at the pros and cons of homeschooling your children.
Homeschooling is a big decision in the lives of both parents and students. If you are looking to home school your children there are a few things to consider.
Knowing the homeschooling pros and cons that come with teaching your children at home can assist you in making an informed decision on if home schooling is really right for your family.
The Pros
Flexibility – Home schooling allows for a great deal of flexibility when it comes to teaching. You can choose the time, the place, and how you are going to conduct classes. You can also decide what you are going to each and when you are going to teach it.
Customization– Every child learns differently and one of the advantages of homeschooling is the fact that you can customize the lesson plans to fit with the needs of each individual child. There is no rush to complete activities to run to the next class. Lessons can last as long as necessary.
Real world learning activities – Learning out of a book is great for some things and unfortunately for traditional schooling for the most part learning out of books is all that is available.
They have neither the time nor the funding to handle practical applications.
Home schooling allows for practical application of the lesson through activities. It gives the opportunity to learn how to use the information rather than just learning what it is.
The Cons
Reduced social interaction – The need for social interaction and how to deal with people is something that is important and can be somewhat lacking when it comes to some home schoolers.
There are, however, ways around this. There are a number of organizations and home schooling support groups that provide social functions, field trips and classes to allow children the chance to interact and socialize.
Financial – If you go with a traditional homeschooling or correspondence learning course you could end up spending a large sum of money.
They have benefits such as textbooks, lesson plans, even school supplies but you pay a premium price for them.
There are also concerns with work, especially if the your home necessitates two incomes.
If possible have at least one parent or family member work from home or stay in the home to act as a tutor. Lessons can be handled before work, at lunch times, and after dinner.
Constant Interaction – Home schooling takes up a lot of time and leaves little time for breaks for parents.
Traditional schooling gives parents a minimum of eight hours five days a week where there are no children in the home.
Home schooling, however, eliminates that…so there is constant interaction with children.
While on some levels this could be viewed as an advantage of homeschooling, there are also a number of levels that it can be considered a negative aspect to home schooling. (When mom needs a break!!!)
Only You Can Decide
These are just some of the pros and cons of homeschooling. Each family is different and it is certainly not for everyone. There are some cases where traditional school is the better option.
However, if you love interacting with your children, then home schooling is definitely something to consider seriously. The rewards can be great!
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