How Can I convince my partner to homeschool?

Question

I really want to homeschool my two children, but obviously i need their dad to agree to this before going ahead. I've discussed this with him and, although he has said he will look into it, he's quite resistant to the idea. Any advice?

Answer 1

i have home schooled my two children and i think that it has been the best decision i have ever made..and all the abovee is absouloute nonsense,

thats like saying all the mothers with babies from 0-5 never socialise or have their children interact??

when we grow up and leave school we dont all go into the playground to play at lunchtime after we have left school do we?

peoples views can be so narrowminded if anything when your child is at home you are able to give them one to one attention to enable them to excel their abilities and focus on their strengths.

you can spend more time answering those valuable questions about life

theres less stress over school runs, peer pressure, knives, guns, drugs etc...

children are still able to interact if not moreso weekends, after school clubs, day trips, on holidays (as you can teach your children abroad!) neighbours, family and their friends etc and also there are groups you can join that will tell you about other homeschooled children in your area or world wide, as my children have also learnt to interact with other people worldwide with webcams with foreign students to improve their languages etc.....the opportunities are endlesss with less government restraints and expenses when you are homeschooled.

also some of the most successful people who have contributed significantly to the world such as isac newton, albert einstein, natasha and daniel beddingfield were all homeschooled, mozart and a lot of american presidents and families from wealthier backgrounds often choose to home school to fit around their lifestyle and your children mature quicker and are often much brighter, more wordly and independent thinkers. they grow up not just to follow the sheep. Anyway good luck, go to some of the websites such as home education otherwise, and heas, they have some good advice.

after 17 years my eldest daughter is now doing a uni degree earlier and my youngest daughter of 10 will be starting her gcses soon so they will be spread out over the years, so as not to pile on the pressure later on.

There is so much books, help, support etc and sometimes with the help of tutors there is no need for school especially considering the poor levels of education in the uk.

surely it should tell you something that the above people are only willing to send their children to school for a social life?

WHICH DOES NOT STOP WHEN YOUR ARE HOME SCHOOLED!!!!!!

goooood luck x

Answer 2

You havent told us WHY you believe your children shouldnt be schooled in a normal environment.

So how can we advise you when we dont know the situation.

I would oppose my child being deprived of having a social network of friends as well.

Answer 3

He's right: Your children will miss out on interaction with different people of similar age to themselves, and will consequently find it difficult to form friendships & mix in wider circles.

I have 2 kids, I would have liked to teach them at home purely because the level of education in this country is so poor, but I can top up their knowledge out of school, and they don't miss out on friends & a varied social life.

I'd be interested to know your motives for wanting them to be home schooled & what qualifications you think you have that are relevant to being able to do so.

Answer 4

Some of The Pro's

Control what your children learn , both when and how they learn.

Custom design your teaching and curricula to fit in with your child's strong / weak areas, skills, interests and ability.

Protect your children from negative and bad influences in teaching, not excluding bullying.

Prepare you children for the "Real World" seeing mum and dad earn a living and dealing with real world day to day issues.

Develop bonds with your children that is without the "Tear Away" pressures and strain of schooling which often include peer pressure, unwanted behaviours, poor examples and inadequate teaching.

In an age where school standards are dropping globally homeschoolers are effortlessly exceeding the minimum standard.

Some of the Con's

It is hard work and a big responsibility providing home education for you children, but that is also the secret and key to homeschooling, you are responsible for you children, and not any other person school or organisation. If you don't think this is important find out what God has to say about children and education.

Spend big money on the family, since the kids are with you all the time, you find yourself doing and buying things related to education.

Homeschooling may affect the family income, it will put full time employment out of the house.

It can be difficult, because each person is different and if dad falls ill or circumstances change it can put a great deal of pressure on the family but that is life! and we are in the business of teaching life skills.

It is easier to become shy as a homeschooler.

Answer 5

I suggest you consider the children's best interests before your wishes.  

Schooling children is not an amateur undertaking and their development and learning relies on interacting with more people other than their mother, particularly with peers.

I do not think home schooling should be a lifestyle choice to indulge your desires.  

Its about THEIR education NOT your needs.

I suggest you find something else to do which will fulfill your own needs and perhaps help them out with homework and support the work they do at school instead.

Sorry if this all sounds harsh!

Answer 6

Get more information on it for him to read.  Once he has the info it will be easier for the two of you to come to a decision together.

Answer 7

I can understand your Husbands reservations, simply because your children would miss the social aspect that going to school would provide!

Would it not be possible to compromise, and perhaps send your children to school as usual, but have them tutored at home as an extra. Whilst I have nothing against home schooling, I just feel that children need to mix with other children, learn to work together and develop friendships. I understand that the downside could possibly be that there are many distractions, but it would be up to you as parents to teach your child the importance of learning and how to avoid this. Good luck in whatever choice you make!

Answer 8

Many people don't consider home schooling thier children, because they are afraid thier children will miss out on socialization. According to the U.S. Department of Education, it is estimated that 1.7 percent of all students participate in a home schooling program. A greater number of parents are turning to home schooling as an option for educating their children.

This concept once only included the idea of parents assuming the responsibility of educating their own children. Today, the modern home school has evolved to include the use of computers and other technically-advanced equipment. Although home schooling has the predominant form of education throughout history, many people consider it to be a new concept.

Why are parents choosing home schooling more and more? There are many benefits. You can customize your curriculum (just as k12 does). Home schooling enables students to participate in a curriculum that is tailored to their needs. They can focus on specific areas of interest or other areas that require extra attention.

You can use different learning methods, so students don't have to sit at a desk all day. They might go on a field trip to a historical place, explore nature at a park, or visit a science camp.

Most home school based curriculum is self-paced, so if students require extra help on an assignment or want additional challenges, they can learn as fast or as slow as they choose. In a traditional school setting , the teacher can't always slow down and go over an area that a few students may not understand as well as the rest of the class. This is how so many kids today "get lost" and are left behind. A situation like this is easily avoided at home.

Having a flexible schedule is a great benefit. Home schooling provides students with more options than a traditional classroom. Students can set their own schedule and learn at any time. If they want to take a test at night, they have the freedom to do so. They are learning on their own terms.

There are fewer social distractions for children at home. Home schooling allows students to learn without the worry or interference of social distractions. They are not faced with the social pressures of regular school. They can focus on their work and not what another kid in the class might be saying or doing. You don't have to worry about bad influences that your child might have at school (drugs, alcohol, the wrong crowd etc). If you teach your child a certain set of morals and values, they will not learn something entirely different as they may have in a traditional school setting.

Home schooling enables students to get one-on-one attention from their teacher. Whether they are learning from a parent or online teacher, they can get immediate attention for all of their educational needs.

A home schooling program can provide students with choices. It gives them an alternative to the traditional classroom. Whether they choose home schooling for academic, safety or social reasons, they can be in charge of their education. It enables them to create an individualized learning experience.

For many children this is definitely a good option. A student needs to be self disciplined enough to do the school work daily. If a student is dedicated to being home schooled and can appreciate it, they can be successful !

Most online charter schools will also provide you with a computer, printer, books and everything that you will need for free. Options depend on where you live

Answer 9

There are some really ignorant answers on here.

Your child will not be socially deprived.

Your child will not be made shy.

I can't believe there is still such ignorance in today's modern society.

Public schools are full of drugs, date rape, crime, violence...

What your child will get being homeschooled is a sense of FAMILY.  

Family because the main focus.  A focus society has long since forgotten.

Homeschooling will provide your children with a sense of security and strong bonds as well.

Homeschooled children are overall smarter and test better than their public school peers.  The general public is very threatened by the idea.

There are so many homeschooling groups now with their own clubs, activities, and sports, your children will make new friends and have a better chance at a secure future.

You taught your child to toilet train, walk, talk, eat.. you can teach them to read and write too.

By the way.. my son is 20 and a junior in the 3rd ranked private college in the USA.  He's there on scholarship money getting an awesome degree.  He was homeschooled.

My daughter is 16, yes, 16, will be 17 soon, and just ACED her SAT, and is ranked HIGHER than the national public school average.  She's enrolled in a local community college full time for this fall.  Guess what, she was homeschooled, and one of the sweetest, well rounded girls you'd ever want to meet.  She never spent one day of her life in a public school.

Other people are threatened by  homeschooling because it's a reflection on their parenting.  Ever hear someone say "I can't wait for school to start"  so their kids are out of the house??  I have heard this 100s of times literally at soccer games, baseball games, etc.  Why did these women BREED in the first place?  It's our job to raise our children, not society's, not a community, not a village, not public school.. it's the parent's responsibility.  While homeschooling is clearly not for everyone, there are so many children who would thrive being home full time as opposed to the pubic schools that crush the thinkers and yet have every program and opportunity for the thugs.

Answer 10

Wow, from some of the answers above, you can certainly tell that the public schools are out for the summer!  

     They do have something right though...you do need to look at the situation in a practical way.  You need to do a good bit of reading and investigation.  

1.  Go to the library and read every book you can find on "beginning" homeschooling.  

2.  Find a "Getting Started" meeting that could possibly be held in your area.  Many state, county or local homeschooling groups offer such meetings to provide information to those considering this educational option.

3.  Find your local or state level curriculum fair.  They are everywhere during the summer.  You can usually meet and greet others who have been living the homeschool life for years and those who are just starting.  They often have classes available to give you a flavor of what sort of curriculae and support and resources are out there to support your homeschooling efforts.

4.  Find your local homeschooling community and talk to some of the families.  During the summer, you and your children could probably join with them on field trips, co-op activities, or other organized activities.  This way you will get to know the people with whom your children  will be interacting  because, you see, contrary to popular and uninformed opinion, homeschooled kids ARE normal and DO have friends.  If you ask most adults who have occasion to interact with them, homeschoolers tend to be extremely social and are able to move in intergenerational and other mixed social groups much more effectively than their traditionally schooled counterparts.  Please be aware that when a family homeschools, public schoolers living in their neighborhood do not magically disappear.  They still live in the same houses, play on the same lawns, go to the same  libraries, malls and movies and pools, and your children will be allowed to speak to them!  Your children, homeschool not being contagious,  will even be permitted to be in the same scout troops, go to the same camps and churches and join the same community sports teams and Taekwondo dojos, etc.  News flash to above:  Greater society does not engage in the organized practise of "shunning."   And, if you find the occasional person  who may offer their unsolicited opinion or criticism of your decision to homeschool.....that speaks to THEIR lack of proper socialization, not that of your children.  You will find that those who preach most loudly of the "open-minded" philosophies taught in public institutions of standardized learning practices are the very ones who demonstrate intolerance of those who do not think the way they have been taught to think of education.

Finally, you need to do some HOMEwork.  That is, you need to consider the impact this decision would have on your personal family life.  You need to sit down with their dad and look at the financial impact this may have.  Many times, homeschool families need to live on one full time income.  This in itself runs contrary to modern practise.  It often involves lifestyle changes and attitudinal changes.  But this is generally an education in itself.  Often, you will discover, that many homeschooling families are probably less negatively impacted by the current economic downturn than their more traditional counterparts.  Homeschool families that I know grow gardens (a learning experience), may run small family and home based businesses,  and the kids do not need or desire to keep up on all the "latest" trends.  Homeschoolers were recycling, reusing and renewing when it wasn't even cool!!!!!!!!

You need to make sure that your children are given opportunities to become aware and involved in their communities.  You need to make sure that you are "plugged in" to the local homeschooling community so that you have a support system in place when you begin.    And if you want to do this well....you need to make the committment to your family.  You can read in Yahoo Answers! , everyday, people who think they can pull their kids out of PS and "homeschool" them without changing one thing in their lives.  They are so used to having others raise their children that they think the education will magically occur.  It won't.  It is a lifestyle and committment to life long learning, to guided learning opportunities, to fostering a natural curiosity about the world and modeling investigational behavior so the child can begin to "learn" and not simply "be taught."  Without an involved parent, homeschooling will not likely have the results you desire.  Like all educational options, homeschool can be done well or it can be disasterous.

Answer 11

Have him read "dumbing us down" before opening the conversation. Look up local groups in your area. Have him name all his close friends, how and where he met them. Remind him that it's not until high school that community sports end and most of the time not even then.

Answer 12

Ok, first off, I just finished answering another question about socializing in which I stated that I homeshcooled because it allowed me to have more social time than if I had gone to school.  The same is true for many of my friends.  Homeschooling gives you so much more time for socializing it's not even funny.  And to all the socialization freaks out there, I'm sorry but I would not send my child to school to socialize, I would send them there to learn.

  If you really want to convince your husband that homeschooling is right for your family then make a list of pros and cons.  Research curriculum that you are interested in, find homeschool groups in your area, figure out what your state's laws are regarding homeschooling, and talk to other homeschool families.   Maybe even meet with some homeschool families (bring your hubby along) to talk about their homeschool experiences.  The more info you have about homeschooling the more likely your husband will be to consider it.  Check out eh following website for your state's laws, research on homeschoolers, and other interesting homeschool stuff.  Good luck!

www.hslda.com

*edit*  Just read that someone said it's easier to be shy as a homeschooler.  I work with kids ages 7-18, home, public, and privately educated and the public schoolers are always the quiet ones.  I am outgoing, not hard to talk to, and make friends with people pretty easily.  So if the public schoolers are not shy they are either being rude or they don't know how to talk to adults.  (And I'm not even an adult by much.)  Homeschool students have to take the time to make  friends, to hang out with friends, and they get to choose their friends.  They aren't stuck with the people at their bus stop or in the people in their home room class.