All You Need to Know If you are Thinking about Homeschooling
Your child is getting to the age of going to school and you and your husband are seriously considering homeschooling.
Do you think you have all it takes to teach your child everything they need to know before you start teaching? Do you feel you have the patience? In addition, how do you feel about the lack of socializing that your child will be missing? All public schools offer art classes, music and other classes that homeschoolers can attend if you chose to teach your child some subjects at home. You as parents have to look at the pros and cons of sending your child to school or homeschooling them. Does this fit into your lifestyle if you are both working parents? Some states have laws about homeschooling classes of children in neighborhoods. In addition, there are papers that parents have to file with their state saying that they are homeschooling and check to see what the school districts offer that your family can’t afford the supplies for so your child ends up with a well-balanced education.
Homeschooling can be a life changer because there is a bond your child and parents will develop during the course of the programs. Parents find out if they are still as smart as they were in school when they were younger while you teach your child and help them understand their lessons. You as parents will find homeschooling rewarding and also will give your confidence a great boost.
If you love to read books to your kids, then you are absolutely destined to be a homeschooler and a good one. If you enjoy every minute you spend with your child, watch life through their eyes, enjoy watching them experience new things and love them unconditionally, you are ready to homeschool.
All kids love to learn new things and this is very natural and important for their development and growth.
Their brains are like little sponges and they enjoy exploring and looking at the things that interest them. One interest leads to many interests and this is the way all people have learned throughout time. We learn things when we are babies, then we grow into children and learn and this takes us into adulthood and beyond and we never stop learning. Humans are lifelong learners.
Homeschooling is actually legal in all 50 states, and the laws do vary from state to state. There are three important categories for homeschooling children and this is homeschool education laws, private school laws, and equivalency laws. A local support group in your state is the best way to find out what the state laws are in the state that your family resides in. You can go online and look up a representative from your state, and the easiest way to find them is to contact a list of local homeschooling groups. These groups know all the laws and can help assist you in any question and who to contact.
You don’t have to teach six to eight hours of school a day when you are homeschooling. Children wait around quite a bit of the day at a regular school so you can create a curriculum and plan that works for you and your family and make sure you are prepared to change this plan many times. You might not be satisfied with the first few plans or even the first ten plans, so create a plan that works and is legal in your state for homeschooling your child. If you are going to become impatient and find yourself miserable teaching, don’t take away the happy moments your family once shared because you feel like you have to succeed at this. Families homeschool many different ways, so find out what works for all of you.
If you worry about the socialization aspect that will be missing from homeschooling, this doesn’t mean your child will end up with an antisocial personality disorder. This is usually the opposite because parents are responsible for teaching their children social manners, behavior, etiquette, and respect for others at home. Other children are not responsible to teach your children these behaviors. It’s sad but unfortunately, children pick up bad behaviors from other children at school not always at home. Children that are homeschooled usually have great relationships with people of all walks of life. This includes neighbors, the elderly, store owners, groups, clubs, etc. They also have wonderful relationships with their parents.
Parent’s don’t have to teach the subjects they aren’t sure about like certain forms of mathematics. For instance, if you decide you can’t teach calculus, it’s really not necessary to teach this subject to a tween. If your child is interested in exploring science then he or she and yourself should look at the requirements for the subjects they need to get into college and this is when you both can figure out a way to do calculus. Your spouse might be a genius or you can hire a tutor or both work on it together using different books. Homeschooled children have learned and used math daily during their years of homeschooling, so teenagers are advanced enough to teach themselves how to do algebra, trig, geometry calculus, stats, etc. Don’t fuss over something when they just hit the double-digit years, but keep it on the back burner.
You probably will second guess yourself enough and this is normal when you first start to homeschool. You can always find a homeschool friend online to help each other with support. If you both feel you didn’t get much accomplished on a certain day, talk to someone in the field but don’t beat yourself up over it. You both still learned something on that particular day because every day in life is a learning experience.
You don’t have to live in poverty to homeschool your child. Many families that homeschool are able to earn the finances they need and homeschool their children at the same time. There are many ways to be creative when it comes to both parents working. You can work from home, start your own family business online or talk to your boss about the job you have and see if you can have some flex time so you can be available to fit the needs of your family. Parents usually have to take jobs that fit around their families needs.
Trust your child completely in everything they do. They have learned so much already in life and they completely get and control the tiny universe they created before they are ready to start school. Your children will always continue to grow, learn, love and respect even without a traditional school setting.
