How to Decide Whether to Homeschool

It is that time of year. Children all over America, and in many other countries, are telling their parents how much they dislike the schools they attend. They beg their parents to try homeschooling. They live for the day they don’t have to go back to school.

Are you going to be one of those parents who tries homeschooling?

Homeschooling is a wonderful, loving thing to do for your children. All too often, however, homeschooling parents give up before they get started. They may try homeschooling for one school year, decide nothing was learned, then send their children back to school.

I knew one family that claimed to be homeschooling, but they never took time to learn their state homeschooling laws. They weren’t doing it legally and nothing educational was planned, not even unschooling. When a family tries to fool the school system by pretending to homeschool, it hurts everyone. The irresponsibility of one family could be used against other homeschoolers who want to do it legitimately.

If you’re going to be homeschooling, take the time to find your state’s homeschooling association. You can Google “homeschooling” with the name of your state, and the right links should be at or near the top of the search results. Learn the homeschool laws in your state and be prepared to follow them. I highly recommend that you consider joining the homeschool association in your state; it can be very helpful to band together with other homeschooling parents.

Another homeschool mother I knew enrolled her son in a charter school. The curriculum forced on the boy didn’t match his needs, and his mother couldn’t get him to do it. Because of this failure she gave up and made him return to school. A few years later she took her unhappy son out of school again and homeschooled him successfully – that effort is ongoing.

If you’re going to homeschool, have a plan. While you’re at it, make a Plan B just in case your first plan doesn’t work out. A contingency plan could see you through the rough spots as you adjust to the homeschooling life.

Don’t give up too easily! The second year of homeschooling is where the best experiences usually begin because you will relax into the roles of parent-teacher and child-student. You’ll find the methods that work for you and eliminate those that don’t work in your situation. Let the situation mellow. Let the children relax and learn to enjoy learning again. It takes time…

While you’re at it, think about the different types of homeschooling. What appeals to you?

Unschooling is also known as child-directed learning. It means that your child will be free to explore the world and find topics that inspire him or her. Then you will help by providing more experiences and learning materials that contribute to that fascination.

Perhaps you’d prefer something more structured, with you leading the show. Eclectic homeschooling allows the parents to choose a variety of learning materials for their children. You can get as creative about it as you want.

What I did was a mixture of unschooling and eclectic homeschooling. I watched to see what my children were interested in and encouraged them to develop their unique talents – plus I provided learning materials and read lots of novels of my choosing. Of course the novels were chosen with their interests in mind.

The most restrictive type of homeschooling is to purchase a fixed curriculum like Calvert or Abeka. The curriculum tells you what to study and when. I never tried this but I’m sure for some children and their families, it works great. Don’t be disappointed if you sink a lot of money into this project and it doesn’t work for you. Just be prepared and know in advance that if you do spend money on a curriculum program, it may or may not work out.

If you’re just now considering whether or not to educate your children at home, you might want to take a look at Andrea Hermitt’s suggestions in Please don’t jump into homeschooling blindly. She gives five great suggestions to help you make your decision.

One thing Andrea Hermitt suggested in her article was that prospective homeschool parents read books about homeschooling. Here are a few suggestions for books that may help you learn enough about homeschooling to make a decision that will be best for you and your children.