General Homeschool Questions

Some homeschool families have also found a happy medium with Charter schools that offer school-at-home options. Charter schools are a form of public education, so there are no costs associated with enrolling in them. Because they are public schools though, students of Charter Schools may be subject to annual testing and other education requirements of the No Child Left Behind legislation. For these reasons, many homeschoolers have avoided these forms of public education.

We have seen a couple of companies that do a great job of keeping the costs low, providing excellent curriculum, and don't attempt to intervene on a parents right and responsibility to educate their children. Our readers have nominated one of them, Global Student Network, as a "best-in-class" provider

Whatever curriculum materials you opt to use, don't forget about the many learning opportunities found in your community, such as museums and trips to interesting places

There are so many reasons to homeschool, as many as there are homeschooling families. Families choose homeschooling for the academic, social, moral, and religious advantages it offers. Others choose homeschooling for their children's health and safety. Most families cite a combination of these reasons--or all of them.

Homeschooling means different things to different people. For some, homeschooling means duplicating school at home, complete with textbooks, report cards and regularly scheduled field trips. For others, homeschooling is simply the way they live their lives - children and adults living and learning together with a seamlessness that would challenge an observer to determine which was 'home' and which was 'school.' If you think of a kind of homeschooling continuum, with 'school-at-home' at one end, and 'learning and living completely integrated' on the other - you would find homeschoolers scattered along that line with every possible variation of what homeschooling could mean.

Advantages:

* Parents know their children better than any teacher could. This knowledge helps parents to provide a custom-tailored learning experience. Your children's interests, abilities and learning styles can be accommodated.

* Homeschooling gives a family more time -- to be together, to strengthen relationships, and to share values and ideas. Many families find that learning at home takes less time than learning at school. There is a lot of wasted time in traditional education systems that rob children of their most valuable commodity: time.

* Many children find traditional school systems difficult with the noisy, crowded environment. We have heard many complaints of physical illness that disappear in the homeschool environment.

* Beyond the traditional subjects taught in school, children can obtain life skills, such as managing money, cooking, and carpentry, by participating in real activities required at home.

* Home schooled children are better socialized; they are not confined to the artificial same-age-only relationships of the school setting, so they have more experience in getting along with people of all ages.

* Many families like the flexibility homeschooling provides both parents and children. Children are able to pursue their learning interests, and their learning can be more individualized to their developmental stages than in traditional classrooms.

* Vacations and outings can be planned for around the family's schedule. Often when the crowds are smaller or the costs are lower.

* Children can learn about the "real world" by being a part of it - no artificial settings to "provide exposure." Children can receive a superior education attuned specifically to their own needs, learning styles, personalities, and interests - at far less cost than that of a private or public school.

* Finally, and the bottom line for many prospective homeschoolers: homeschooling offers a degree of safety that no school system can provide.

Disadvantages:

Homeschoolers can expect to experience some disadvantages too. Based on your personality or circumstances, you may or may not consider the disadvantages insurmountable or even significant.

*The awesome responsibility for education rests squarely where most homeschoolers believe it should rest on the family's shoulders. Many people may be unwilling or unable to assume the responsibility, and would prefer that it be left to others.

* The increased "togetherness" is a bitter pill to swallow for some. Fortunately, many find that homeschooling is a positive, relationship-healing process. Over time, both the children and parents change, relax, and come to enjoy being together in a way that is not possible for those families who are can only spend leftover snippets of time together.

* Homeschooling takes more effort than sending children to school. In addition to basic subjects, energy is required to stay informed about and engaged in activities and opportunities, legislation, and homeschooling methods and ideas.

* Although homeschoolers are a growing population, it is still a minority. Lack of understanding about learning and homeschooling may cause others to doubt your ability to provide an excellent education for your children, and you may doubt yourself.

Children learn very efficiently with the custom-tailored approach that homeschooling offers. Learning at home is not restricted to a certain period; it happens throughout the day and evening and is often unplanned. It takes an observant parent to recognize and notice this natural type of learning that happens through the course of the day and year.