Help Deciding to Homeschool or Not

Making the Decision Whether to Home School Children - Ideas & Tips

Aug 3, 2007 Janienne Jennrich

Thinking of homeschooling? Read helpful home education information about resources, laws, teaching, curriculum, socialization, support and financial & time commitments.

Making the decision to homeschool children can be difficult. What about socializing? What will be taught? How much time will homeschool take? How much does it cost? Is homeschooling legal? Where can information about home education be found?

Below find information regarding these questions and help with the decision to homeschool.

Socialization and Homeschooling

Today an estimated 1.6-2.0 million children are being taught at home by their parents, according to Brian Ray's Worldwide Guide to Homeschooling (Broadman & Holman Publishers, April 2002). Homeschoolers are rarely lonely.
Most communities have homeschooling groups and classes, as well as scouting, 4-H, and other clubs. These can be found online, at the library, etc.
Homeschooled students have plenty of time for volunteer work, apprenticeships, sports and other activities offering social opportunities.

Curriculum in the Home School

There is an amazing variety of homeschooling material available and lists of what "should" be taught when (but developing family opinions based on family values is important as well).
Find workbooks, science supplies, lesson plans, computer CDs, and more online on homeschool sites and in educational stores.
Real life is full of educational opportunities such as zoos, museums, and cultural events.
For more help, the local library will have or can order many homeschooling books.
Look for homeschool conferences in your area.
Advice from seasoned homeschool parents is a important resource as well. Check out aabc_homeschooling online for ideas, lessons, games, & resources.

Time Commitments and Home Education

Time commitment can vary widely. In some ways, homeschooling takes far less time than driving children to and from school each day and being actively involved in volunteering at their school. Then there are homework assignments, projects and other class-related activities as well. A family might get finished homeschooling in far less time.
Children are able to learn more quickly at home because there are minimal distractions and far fewer kids with which to deal.
Homeschooling can also be made to fit a family's lifestyle better. There are many styles of homeschool learning and each family must find the way that works best for them.

The Cost of Homeschooling

Families can homeschool as frugally as they like or spend thousands of dollars on homeschool curricula and technology. The library and the Internet are terrific places to find free educational resources such as lesson plans, worksheets, and field trip ideas.

Legality of Teaching Students at Home

Home schooling is legal in all 50 states in the U.S. Some states, however, are more homeschool "friendly" than others. In the United States, check the HSLDA (Home School Legal Defense Association) web site for the homeschooling laws for the state involved. If in another country, search the Internet for more information.

Don't Ask School District Folks For Homeschooling Information

Quite often school folks are uninformed or unenthusiastic about homeschooling. Let's face it... home education is their competition. Try to find a homeschooling group to talk to in the area instead. Ask at libraries, search the web, or run an ad in the newspaper if necessary.

Making the Homeschool Decision

Everyone asks himself or herself "Can I really do this?" from time to time. But like everything else involving parenting, home education is a slow moving, learn-as-you-go process. Parent-teachers do not need to know everything overnight. There is time to grow, change, and learn with the children.
Consider some Pros and Cons of Homeschooling.
If you have an older student, try reading Should You Homeschool High School?

No one can tell a family if homeschooling is the right decision for them. It is not necessarily right for everyone. It is, however, a perfect fit for many families and a lot of home educated children flourish.

So, when making the homeschool decision, the best advice is to relax, become educated on home education, and put the children first.

The copyright of the article Help Deciding to Homeschool or Not in Homeschooling is owned by Janienne Jennrich. Permission to republish Help Deciding to Homeschool or Not in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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