Home Schooling - the Pros, the Cons, the Choices

Compulsory Education laws began in the United States in 1789. Since that time, education has taken huge strides to conform to the needs of the time. Online educational providers have experienced insane number increases on a yearly basis. Conventional schools, sometimes referred to as brick and mortar schools, have resisted this growth for years, and continue to resist it as you read this article. Conventional schools, legislators and even parents are convinced that there really isn't a thing such as "home school" or a benefit to this type of education. But if you flip that coin around, you will find many parents who have home schooled their children for years, believe in the benefits that only an education such as this can provide and will vehemently argue the finer points of educational system based strictly in the home.

Parents who have made the choice to adopt this style of education will point out every advantage as well as disadvantage from the obvious to the not so obvious. They make the concious choice to put themselves into the spotlight with their friends, family members, acquaintenances, total strangers and with the public school system. They dedicate themselves to taking a larger then life roll in the success and failures of their children's education. As a parent who chooses this route, you can expect to be badgered with questions such as "What about socialization?". You will routinely hear that your child will grow up to be unsuccessful, failures in the working world, criminals and worse.

The fact is that your child will grow up to be a well-rounded, independent individual who not only knows his facts and figures, will most likely read at higher then average levels, and will be secure in their abilities to care for themselves. Your kids will know how to manage their house, their finances, do their own laundry and make their own beds. Most likely, they will choose to follow in your footsteps and home school their own children.

Home schooling has become the wave of the future. There are many choices involved when looking into curricula, systems and even cyber charter schools. Know that as a parent facilitator, you will be more involved in your child's education then you ever thought possible. You will know their grades, their homework assignments, what areas they need help with, the things they totally do not understand and better yet, you will be able to help them with the learning process like you never have been able to do before with a traditional school. Whether you choose to do it all yourself or to use a cyber charter school that will provide you with a set curriculum to follow, the information is at your fingertips and readily available.

The public school system will grudgingly help you with finding the correct school setting for your child. They will also fight you every step of the way. By choosing to use your tax dollars in a way you see fit to educate your child, you are removing those tax dollars from the school district. They will, because they have no choice, allow your child to compete in organized sports activities, join school related groups and participate with the community.

Know that with this decision, you are opening a world of opportunity. You are also opening a smaller world full of dismay. Your "quiet" time will be gone as your children will be home day in and day out. It will be affected by the time you must spend to prepare lessons or review the days classes from cyber school to ensure that your child has completed their work. It will be a time period in your life where you will spend time defending and supporting your choices. It will also be a memorable time that you can look back on and know that you did the best you could for your child.

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