Are you thinking about homeschooling your child? Homeschooling has gained a lot of popularity in the last few years. It became even more popular when the pandemic was in full swing.
Many parents decided that homeschooling was right for them at that time. Now that children are back in school maybe you are still wondering whether or not homeschooling will be the right choice for you and your child. Here are some questions you should ask yourself before you decide to homeschool your child.
Why Do You Want to Homeschool?
One of the main questions you should be asking yourself is why you want to homeschool your children. The reason must be a solid one. If it isn’t you will quickly become frustrated.
Do you feel that your child’s health is being compromised or maybe their safety? All of these are valid reasons to start homeschooling your child.
Maybe you feel that your child is not getting a quality education at the school they are going to.
If this is the case, you may want to consider sending them to a private school that has a good reputation or try online schooling. There are several online schools available and online tutors as well.
The bottom line is that you should make a list of reasons why you want to homeschool your child and decide whether or not they are valid before proceeding.
Do You Have the Time?
Look at the time and schedule for homeschooling. Whether you work from home or you don’t work at all you still need to look at whether you will have the time for homeschooling.
Homeschooling requires you to spend a lot of time planning lessons as well as delivering them. Whether you have a traditional job or one that you work remotely it can still be difficult to know how to manage your time well.
Homeschooling usually works best when one or both parents spend a significant portion of their time at home. This way it is easier to work it into your schedules. Consider too that when you homeschool your children you will be spending 24 hours per day with them.
You need to think about whether or not you can cope with her having to be with your children for so many hours throughout the day. You will be parenting and teaching non-stop and this can become exhausting.
The best way to make sure that it doesn’t is to ensure that your children have extracurricular activities outside of the home just like they would if they were going to traditional school. This way you can balance your time with them and still get time to rejuvenate yourself.
Is Your Child Falling Behind?
When you’re looking at homeschooling you need to understand how your child learns. Some children strive in traditional classroom settings. They learn no matter what the circumstances.
Traditional classrooms often have over 20 children and only one or two teachers depending on where you live. If your child is thriving in this environment, homeschooling may not be the right choice.
However, there are those children who do not strive in settings like this and they fall way behind. If your child is not getting the educational support that they need from a traditional school then homeschooling may be the right choice. You’ll be able to give them individual attention so that they can learn.
Can You Handle the Costs?
One of the things that most kids love about back-to-school time is that they get a lot of new things. They might get new shoes from places like The Iconic, as well as school bags, and new clothes from local stores. All the stocking up on your items is exciting and it is usually the only cost that parents incur as they prepare their children for the new school year.
However, while you may not have to buy new shoes and clothes for homeschooling, there are a lot of costs that come with homeschooling that you will be able to avoid if you stick with traditional schools.
For homeschooling, you will need to buy curriculum materials and books.
You may also need to spend money on supplies for specific lessons. For example, you may need to spend money on lab equipment to do science experiments. If you’re willing to handle all these costs then homeschooling can be a good option for you.
Do You Have the Patience for It?
You need to ask yourself whether or not you have the patience to teach your children. Sometimes the hardest students to teach are those closest to you.
You will still need to establish rules for your children to follow while they are getting their lessons. Balancing this with all the rules you have to implement as a parent can be overwhelming.
You will be wearing two hats and you need to make sure that you are prepared for it. If you’re not and do not see yourself exercising a lot of patience, especially in the beginning as you and your child navigate this new normal things can get frustrating fast.
Bear in mind that everything has a learning curve and eventually things will smooth out as you develop a routine. If you’re not willing to navigate what could be a bumpy transition then homeschooling may not be right for you.
However, if you feel like you and your child are ready for the challenge then go ahead and start your homeschooling journey.
Make the Right Choice
Making the right choice for your family when it comes to homeschooling is important. There are several pros and cons to homeschooling and you need to look at them carefully before you make this decision.
At the end of the day, you have to do what is right for your child and your family. If once you have looked at everything that has been discussed here, you find that the pros of homeschooling are way more than the cons then you should go ahead and do it.
If you find that the cons are more than the pros then you should find a way to address the current issues you are facing with traditional education.
