Homeschooling advice?

Question

What are the benefits that homeschooling has as opposed to traditional schooling?

What does it take or the requirements to home school a child through grades K-8, and what are some downsides to it?

Answer 1

Homeschooling is nice because you have more one on one attention, some find it easier to understand, they are not exposed to some of the bad things in public schools, and more. The down side is kids don't get as much socialization, sometimes they feel stuck inside the house, they get board and stop doing well in school. I really depends on the kid. some kids were made for home schooling some were not.

Answer 2

the benefits are that you get to be in control of what your child's education will consist of...the downside....if you aren't qualified to educate your child with the equivalency that other children are being taught. which can put your child way behind...and that will definitely affect his/her future as an adult. also...the social aspect...there are so many different people in the real world with different personalities and different ways of doing things...your child needs to learn interpersonal social skills...staying at home doesnt give the child the opportunity to mix and mingle and develop these skills. whatever you decide...make sure you get a lot of research...go to the library...find out what the teachers in public school are teaching...and keep your child in social activities...like the scouts...best wishes!

Answer 3

Lots of benefits depending on how parents go about it. I'll share what comes off the top of my head:

*Academic*

-tailored to the child: goes his pace, meets his learning style, may even incorporate his interests

-parents can add in things that may not be usually covered in school (like grammar!!)

-fewer children around means the child can get more help, if needed

-fewer children around also means there are less interruptions and distractions and you can get more work done in less time

*Social*

-child has the opportunity to do things with a variety of ages on a regular basis rather than just sitting in a desk with same-aged peers

-child can get more guidance in social matters

-child doesn't have 25 other kids the same age functioning as role models for social behaviour

-child has more freedom to interact with others since there's no requirement to sit quietly in a desk

-child has a greater opportunity to be out and about in the community

-child tends to have less peer dependency (worry about what they think about their clothes, music, etc.); I've found this to be dependent on how young the child was when s/he first started homeschooling (those with considerable public school experience tend to have a hard time shaking the dependency completely, especially if they don't really develop friendships with other homeschoolers and stick with their public schooled friends)

*Family*

-homeschooled siblings tend to be closer than public schooled siblings

-homeschooled kids tend to have better relationships with their parents (I have yet to see a homeschooled kid be embarrassed about their mom hugging them in public)

*Other*

-usually fewer desires for the latest gadgets and clothing

-elementary-aged kids retain their childlike innocence much better and don't strive so hard to look like miniature teens (who are trying to look like adults)

-it's usually a less stressful lifestyle than being in school (high stress is BAD for adults and even worse for kids)

-the more relaxed lifestyle allows for kids to have more time to pursue interests and to just be kids, have fun, be creative (my one 7yo nephew doesn't get why my kids don't watch videos or tv each day, because that's part of his after-school routine while his mom or dad makes supper; my kids have all kinds of other things going on and have had their time with me so don't need to be distracted or kept busy by me)

Lots, lots more!

The requirements depend entirely upon where you live. Most parents who want to homeschool are fully capable of homeschooling. (This doesn't mean that most parents are capable of homeschooling.) A recent study done in Canada showed that the education level of the parent doing the instruction didn't even seem to have an effect on how well the child did academically--even if the parent didn't have a high school diploma. It's parental character (combined with student aptitude) that makes the biggest difference.

The biggest downside to homeschooling is the existence of the many misconceptions and ignorant, judgemental (and hateful) people. They think homeschooling means staying at home all the time or that it means being sheltered or they think that you are only capable of teaching a child something if you have a teaching degree or they've met a few where they live and assume that ALL are like that.

One potential downside is that homeschooled kids may not fit in super well with public schooled kids. This, however, is not a bad thing when you consider that the reason they don't fit in as well (and I'm thinking mainly teens, here) is because they aren't as caught up in image and superficial or questionable things the way many other teens are. Frankly, I'd prefer that my child not fit in if having a sense of morality and being more mature in outlook is the cause. I know one homeschooled teen who has a few friends at her sports training but many of them, while somewhat friendly to her, have really rejected her. Why? Because she's never stolen anything, because she's never snuck out, because she thinks it's stupid to be drunk or stoned, because she's the "oh, poor you" because she can't sneak out of school for the day... This girl was previously in public school and didn't fit in because she was her own person and the other girls didn't like it. She's very glad to not be in school and having to live with that type of immaturity on a full-time basis.

Other parents have found personal downsides (not enough "me time" for the parent or the cuts in budget because only one parent is working, personality clashes, etc.) but those are personal things, not widespread homeschooling things.

Answer 4

The requirements to homeschool vary from state to state and obviously what is important in homeschooling varies from person to person.

To me, education should be individualized for each child, and the purpose isn't just for memorizing facts, but for making information relative and meaningful. It's more important for my child to learn HOW to learn, not just what to learn.

Glurpy has mentioned the benefits. For us, it has been higher standards, both academically and behaviorally. It has allowed them to develop emotionally and cognitively at their own pace, rather than providing an attack on self-esteem by being put into an environment with unrealistically high or low expectations. It's built a stronger family, we have more time together. it's allowed my children to make friends from a much larger portion of society. Rather than just kids from our neighborhood, (which for many people is very segregated by socioeconomic and racial lines) they have friends from every continent, rich, poor, big families, single children, etc.

Negatives? I haven't seen any in two years of homeschooling.

Answer 5

Glurpy's answer is perfect.  The others obviously know nothing about homeschooling.

Answer 6

BRAVA, GLURPY!!!!!!!

She has the best answer here!