Home Schooling

Reasons for Home Schooling

Home education is more than just an educational choice affecting the children within a family. Choosing to educate at home means selecting a whole lifestyle which affects every member within a family. There are many reasons why families choose the home school lifestyle, but most reasons fall under two categories: problems with the available school system, or religious reasons. Many families feel that they can best instill their particular religious beliefs and values by home schooling. Many families choose to home school using only Christian materials and Christian-based curricula. Other families have experienced problems with the available public system, live in an area with a notoriously poor school system, or feel that the public system can not meet the special needs of their children. The decision to have school at home should not be taken lightly. Parents need to be well informed, have reasonable expectations, and recognize the demands and challenges of taking on the responsibility for the total education of a child.

Benefits of Home Schooling

If considering the lifestyle, one should examine its many benefits:

• Parents have more control over what children learn, how children learn, and what they do not learn.
• Parents can also have more choice in the people their children will spend time with.
• Parents can move at a pace that fits the needs of the child.
• Parents can appeal to a child’s interests and strengths.
• Parents can utilize creative teaching methods, hands-on learning methods, and field learning far more than a teacher who is responsible for a large, diverse group of students.
• The family is able to create a unique family bond.
• The family has more time together.
• Parents can work within a more flexible schedule and usually can cover materials in much less time than a classroom teacher.
• Children can be in greater control of their own learning experience.

Drawbacks of Home Education

• In most cases, it requires a loss of income for the parent responsible for teaching.
• Home-based learning can be expensive as educational materials need to be purchased, curricula can be expensive, and there are no tax breaks available (except in Minnesota.)
• The primary educator in the home spends a great deal of time with the children and can feel stressed. The responsibility of your children's education can feel overwhelming.
• Children may not be able to participate in extra-curricular activities as easily as children in public education. (Many states are passing laws to allow at-home learners to participate in the public school extra-curricular programs.)
• Every social event needs to be arranged. Socialization can be a concern if families do not seek a support group or if there are very few homeschoolers in the area.

Neither of the lists of benefits or drawbacks are all-inclusive or would be seen as such by every family. When making this important decision, one should make similar lists and then address any concerns.

Getting Started

Read and Research

The first thing a parent should do when considering the lifestyle is to read broadly about the subject. Check out web sites like Homeschool 101 or A to Z Home’s Cool. There are numerous books and videos on home learning to be found at your local library or through Amazon.com. One book that covers all the basics of home-based education is The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Homeschooling by Marsha Ransom. Another great resource book is ABCs of Homeschooling by Caruana. There are also magazines available which offer insight into the experience. One example is Home Education Magazine.

Network with Others

It’s essential for the success of your educational experience that you reach out, share, and interact with like-minded families. No one should embark upon teaching and learning at home without first building a support system. Connecting with others is not hard. Log on to About Homeschooling.com to learn about regional, national, on-line, and religious or cultural associations. Check out Local Homeschool.com to find a list of groups in your area. Ask your librarian about local groups too, as many at-home educators work closely with the local libraries and librarians. Try visiting a group meeting before making a commitment. Look for a group that meets frequently to share ideas, teach group lessons, play sports, take field trips, and socialize.

Know the Law in Your State

Find out what your state requires from home educators. Some states require nothing more than an affidavit stating your intention to teach at home, while other states require detailed record-keeping. Most states require nothing before the child is 8 years old. To find out what your state requires, visit The Homeschool Legal Defense Association.

Choose a Method

There are many different educational methods ranging from traditional, which utilizes a curriculum to create a classroom-like environment for learning in the home, to unschooling, which utilizes a child-driven, curriculum-free approach to learning. Studying different philosophies like Montessori, Waldorf, Unschooling, Traditional, Classical (Dorothy Sayers), Charlotte Mason, and the Unit approach will allow you to choose the philosophy that is most like your own. Many people choose to use elements of many different styles in their home school experience. The more you understand the different methods of home teaching, the better you can tailor your program to meet the needs of your individual learners.