Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Is homeschooling right for you?

Should every family homeschool? The answer is no. There are some people who shouldn’t homeschool.

So here’s my little check list:

1. Are you mentally healthy? Would the stress of homeschooling exacerbate an existing mental instability? Do you have healthy boundaries? Parents, who are living vicariously through their children, produce neurotic children. Of course, parents with kids in school can make them just as crazy, but the child at least has less exposure.

2. Do you have a stable, safe home environment? If there is abuse or addiction in the home, children may be better served some place else. Prolonged exposure to bickering parents does not increase a child’s feeling of well being.

Note: It is important to have a clear picture of how a good parent behaves. Our society has a much distorted view on parenting. Many adults don’t have the basic skills for good parenting. If you were raised in a way you would not like to repeat, have you taken the time to educate yourself on parenting? Under stress, we usually revert back to what we saw as a child. Homeschooling is a great practice ground for becoming a better parent. You can’t do that unless you have a vision of where you want to go.

3. Do you, as a parent, love to learn? Or are you willing to learn? Are you excited by documentaries and museums?

4. Are you flexible? Parents who are able to “roll with the punches” do a great job educating their children. They are able to adapt to the changing needs of there children. (Note: when trying new curriculum, buy it on ebay.com or one of those types of websites. If it doesn’t it work for your kid, sell it and move on. Or check with other homeschoolers to see if they have the curriculum and are willing to let you check it out.)

5. Are you willing to work hard? This doesn’t mean homeschooling is a joyless drudgery. It means that you must put in consistent effort. This is not for the lazy.

6. Can you color outside the lines? If you are a conformist, then homeschooling would be very stressful. Homeschooling isn’t about keeping up with the crowd or pleasing others. It’s about meeting the needs of your child and family.

7. Can you handle rejection? Homeschooling is a process of trial and error. Some times your best efforts will not be well received. Kids don’t always like what they need. It's ok if your in-laws don't like it.

8. Do you love your children?

If you answered yes to these questions, then homeschooling is right for you.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gee, if I accept your checklist, homeschooling _should_ be of interest to everyone . . .

You are rascally at that!

Janine Cate said...

I'm not sure what that means.

I do think it would be of interest to most involved parents.

Anonymous said...

You forgot to add...If you think the public school system is going to hell in a hand basket and you do not want your child to grow up being taught that there is no place for love (especially the love of G*D) or independent thinking (except when it concerns them being taught that there is no G*D) in everyday life, then you should home school.

St. Marks Academy said...

Interesting Post! St. Marks Academy is an online high school that offers an excellent curriculum for those kids that have been home-schooled or that have passions like music or sports and need the time to work and learn at their own pace.

Check us out at http://www.stmarksacademy.net/befree to learn more!

Jennifer said...

: ) I just sent this to my husband's email : ) This is really an accurate description of what to look at before you decide to homeschool. I agree- if you think PS is going to hell in a hand basket- soooo true! This article really describes me : )
I laughed when I read #3 because I do get excited and #6- soooo me!!! Oh, and I guess #8 too : )grin/ lol

Jennifer
www.blessedfamilyofflowers.wordpress.com

ShawnaEAnderson said...

Nice post! I like the imfo!

Shawna Anderson
www.YourBestMindOnline.com
Your Brain Search & Rescue Program

Worksheet Factory said...

Public School is getting rough these days. Thanks for the info it helps push me towards my decision.

Henry Cate said...

Good luck. I think in general most children will benefit from homeschooling.

ShawnaEAnderson said...

School is getting rough these days. Its scary what I hear from parents about what is going on with their kids in public school still. I read a chapter in a book about "Can School Make my Child Ill?" and it is crazy what happens physically, & mentally! School is great for auditory extroverts, but what about visuals of kinesthetics, and introverts!

Shawna E Anderson

www.QuickestWaytoInsanity.com
Making the Most Fun of Your Homeschooling Journey

Henry Cate said...

Shawna, you are right, it is crazy out there. That is part of the reason more and more parents are turning to homeschooling.

Free Spirit said...

Thanks for the information. This is a subject that has crossed my mind since my oldest child was in grade school (he's now 26!) and even more so now with my two younger (12 year old special ed son and soon to be 14 year old daughter)who daily tell me different things their teachers and other students say and do throughout the day. Scary!

arj said...

I am a mother to an amazing four year old little girl. I have been struggling with the decision to homeschool her. She is currently enrolled into a local pre-school, which she enjoyed for the first four days. Since, she has not had any interest. In fact, she gets upset and cries just talking about school in the upcoming days ahead. She hasn't brought any specific issue to my attention. She just doesn't like it, she misses me. We have discussed homeschooling as a family. It has been an interest of mine since my daughter was just a baby. I have been reading nonstop upon pros and cons and such. I plan to search within my surrounding community tomorrow for extra-curricular activities, if you will. Any advice, or any input is very much appreciated in this trying time for me. I hope to continue blogging here. As I have never blogged anywhere before. I am ready to take this step in my life, to reach out to other parents who love their child or children as much as I love mine, and to be able to have others to turn to in times of concern.

Henry Cate said...

arj, I apologize for not responding sooner. Life has been pretty hectic this last month.

I think you would find Better Late than Early by the Moores very helpful. To summarize research has found that it doesn't help to push academics on children until around ages eight to ten. For example Finland, which has a high literacy rate, doesn't send children to school until age eight.

Have you found some local support for homeschooling?

home for school said...

God explanation to answer whether homeschooling right or not for a family. but I think last point is too general reason to encourage any parent deciding homeschool. usually Every parent must love children, though they love children, for certain reason, they send children to public school