The Ups and Downs of Homeschooling: A Newbie’s Perspective

More than one million children are being homeschooled in the United States, and it seems that number is growing. While the motivation for homeschooling varies from one family to the next, there’s no doubt that it is becoming more common, and more accepted.

I have a son in kindergarten that is lucky to be at one of the best schools in the district. However, as our experience with the public school system grows, we are leaning closer to the decision to homeschool in the fall.

So what are the benefits and disadvantages of homeschool? As I dig deeper into my research I find that the biggest disadvantages are determining curriculum, cost, and socialization. Here’s what I’ve discovered about the disadvantages:

1. Deciding what curriculum you’re going to use can be tricky. If you’re new to homeschooling, the first year can be confusing. There are independent study programs you can participate in that are offered through some school districts that help develop a curriculum for you, or you can choose to find you own books through educational resource sites that offer structured curriculum. Some people choose to go completely on their own and develop their own curriculum. Developing your own can be a lot of work, but may be worth it if you have specific educational goals you are working towards.

2. It can be expensive. You are responsible for purchasing all of your own curriculum resources and learning materials. You can be creative and use blocks and other manipulatives for math, and turn to the library for free use of the books and computers. But beyond that, you are on your own for much of the other materials you might need for conducting proper homeschooling.

3. You can feel isolated. As a homeschooler, you will spend a lot of time alone with your children. But you don’t have to be alone all the time. Reach out to homeschooling groups and seek out homeschool resource centers in your area to connect with other families. You can create group activities, go on field trips, or schedule playdates during after school hours. You can also join organized groups like Boy Scouts or 4-H that will give you and your children the opportunity to engage in activities with their peers. And don’t forget sports. Basketball, soccer, swim, and karate are all excellent ways to fulfill the physical education requirement while also providing opportunities for socialization.

So, what are the benefits of homeschooling? In my opinion, there are many, but I find that the choice to homeschool is personal and varied, so the benefits may be different depending on your perspective. Here are just a few that I feel are pretty universal:

1. Educational materials and lessons can be tailored to suit your child. My son will be in first grade next year. He still needs work on his motor skills, but he reads at the third grade level and his knowledge-base is beyond the average six-year-old. I can create first grade style activities while providing instruction and content that is more complex than the average first grade assignment. If you’re homeschooling for religious reasons, or your child has special needs or a learning disability, you too can provide your child with tools and resources that help them learn effectively, and you can teach at a pace that is comfortable for your child.

2. You can provide a safe learning environment. Call me overprotective, but schools are scary. With all of the violence in the news some days I dread dropping my son off. The prevalence of bullying, rough play, and negative behavior also factor in here. Sure kids need to learn to deal with conflict, but things too often get out of hand these days. I’m a SAHM. I’m home, why shouldn’t he be?

3. The teacher-to-student ratio is excellent. With you as the educator, your child is getting one-on-one (or close to it) instruction, while in a traditional classroom setting you’re lucky to get 1 to 15, and that low number implies that there is an aide present. Lots of schools today have 30 kids in a room with 1 teacher. With the homeschool ratio, students can ask more questions, get more answers, dig deeper when they are interested, and move on when they’re ready so the learning can be much richer.

If you are considering homeschooling or are interested in learning more, visit https://www.hslda.org/ or https://www.lds-nha.org/. Follow my dive into homeschooling at heidideal.blogspot.com.

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