7 Things To Consider Before Homeschooling Your Child
Public or structured schooling is obviously the most established method for learning for kids, however, many parents are beginning to consider that homeschooling may be an excellent alternative hiding in plain sight the whole time.
With the recent realities brought on by the ravaging Coronavirus pandemic causing the forced lockdown of schools globally, the birth of homeschooling as a type of social movement may be imminent. Even parents who have not heard or thought much about homeschooling their kids will now probably give it some thought.
But first, what is homeschooling and what are the five most important things to consider before you take on the path of homeschooling your kids?
What is homeschooling ?
Homeschooling is an educational method situated in the home rather than in an institution designed for that purpose. The overriding goal of homeschooling is to provide education just as in public or structured school systems. Schooling your child at home has its many benefits, including that homeschooled children are largely free from peer pressure and that each child’s education can be tailored to his or her unique interests, pace, and learning style.
7 Things To Consider Before Homeschooling Your Child
1. Homeschooling Takes Work
Homeschooling is not perfect and will demand its own fair share of effort and hard work- this is a truth many parents can already picture in their mind’s eye. When you begin to give homeschooling a thought, it is important to be prepared for the work ahead and to remember that it will get easier but not in the beginning.
Homeschooling your child successfully will require commitment on your part, ask yourself if you are ready and have the time, mental and emotional patience to stick to your educational goals for your home-taught child. Take your time, do your research and be sure you are ready before you start on the path. Ultimately, educate yourself about what this unique journey may entail for you and your child; then start when you are ready.
2. Are You Qualified To Homeschool Your Child?
To allay the fears of self-doubting parents who worry that they cannot count on their own organisational skills and consistency to pull through homeschooling, general opinion from parents who have successfully schooled their children at home as well as other stakeholders insist that literally, everyone CAN homeschool.
Of course, this exempts parents who have to earn income working strict schedules, or parents who may be having a difficult relationship with their child for some reason.
If your worry is only in terms of your own ability, then you should put your doubts aside and know that you can successfully homeschool your child, no matter what your own education was like, or what personal deficiencies you have.
Your patience will be tested your organizational skills will improve, you will learn along with your child! Homeschooling will help you and your child to grow together!
3. Investigate Your State’s Homeschooling Requirements
Homeschooling rules and regulations vary from state to state. Visit the library, read books, and talk to people who homeschool — contact or join a local homeschool organization.
Educating yourself about the various routes you can take is the best way to define why you are making this decision and what you hope homeschooling will accomplish for your family. Just don’t get frustrated if you don’t understand everything you read or hear- you’ll still do fine.
4. Homeschooling Space
Do you have homeschooling space? Will you be conducting your classes at the dining table, or some other conducive area of your home? How about empty wall space to post schedules, calendars, completed work, and illustrations? Do you have a computer and ready access to internet? These are definitely simple yet basic requirements to get you started, so you may want to invest in creating an enabling environment first.
You can improve your organization by purchasing storage cabinets and bookshelves for holding textbooks and workbooks. Baskets are also useful for keeping loose supplies tidy.
5. Specific Homeschooling Goals
Homeschoolers enjoy the advantage of proceeding at their own pace, however, it is still important, especially in the first year, to consider what you want to accomplish.While, academic progress is all that important, there are other components of a child’s education. For example, how will your child get physical activity? When will he socialize with other children?
Consider the importance of extracurricular activities; network with other parents — homeschooling and not — to find the best activities. Also check local community centers, houses of worship or children activities within your estate.
6. Homeschooling Pitfalls
Homeschoolers say there are three issues that often face beginners. First: feeling isolated. Make sure you have a relationship or network with other homeschooling parents – perhaps, a Whatsapp group.
Even though, socialisation is more critical for kids, homeschooling parents also need to connect with like-minded adults.
Another potential problem is committing to a curriculum too early. Some new homeschoolers purchase an expensive packaged curriculum right away, only to find that it doesn’t suit their child’s learning style. Best to stick to advise number two above.
Finally, know that you’ll need to learn as you go. Adjusting to the freedom and flexibility of homeschooling is a challenge. There are so many ways to approach your task. Remember that you’ll be defining — and constantly redefining — yourself as you go.
7. A Clear-cut Mission
Certainly, you can’t take your child’s education in your own hands for sheer fun or experimentation. Consider what your goals her, short term and long term, commit to them.
Your mission will include defining schedules and outlining your goals. Have a plan book and consider how you want to break up your child’s academic schedule and each subject you want to work on.
Consider how you want to spread your learning week by week, make time for field trips and visits to the library. And remember, flexibility is one of the key appeals of homeschooling. You can always adapt your schedule to your child’s evolving needs.