Making the Decision to Homeschool

Homeschooling your children is a major decision, and any family considering it must carefully consider many things in making it. Are you capable of teaching? Do you know enough? Do you have the time to invest? Are you disciplined enough? Will your family and community support you in this decision?

Although your initial reaction to these questions might be, "No!" (or even, "OhmygoodnessNO!I could never teach trigonometry! Why bother starting with Kindergarten!") - for most families, the answer is actually, "Yes."

Surprised? Don't be.

The public school system has done a fine job of indoctrinating parents into believing that the government must be responsible for education. This is a ridiculous assertion. Parents, whether you send your child to public school, private school, or homeschool them - YOU are the one who is ultimately responsible for their education. Don't be fooled by the "system" saying that "they" must educate your child - ultimately, Mom and Dad, even if you place your child under someone else's instruction - you are educating them.

Can you educate your own child? Are you capable? Most parents of average intelligence certainly are. You do not need to know Trigonometry in order to teach Kindergarten. In fact, you do not need to know higher maths in order to teach them. My own experience bears this out. My daughter is now a senior in the public school system. We home-educated her through the eleventh grade, and then she asked to attend the public school so that she could take two classes that would give her real-world experience as a teacher (her career goal). Math and I do not get along; in fact I have someone else balance my checkbook. Using self-teaching curriculum and a friend from church as a tutor, Kayti completed Honors Algebra II and is taking what amounts to Algebra III in her high school. With effort, persistence, and good curriculum, you CAN provide your child with an excellent education.

The laws regarding home education vary from state to state, but homeschooling IS legal in all 50 states. In North Carolina, where I live, one must have either a High School Diploma or GED in order to teach their children. Other states require a college degree. A few have pressed for teaching credentials or supervision by a certified teacher. International law varies even more widely, and in a few countries it is currently illegal to homeschool. The best resource to find out what your local regulations are is Homeschool Legal Defense. I strongly recommend that you visit their website for up-to-date information, and if you decide to homeschool, please become a member. If you have any questions along the way, or if your local authorities give you any difficulties, they are just a phone call away and are a tremendous help.

One major concern many parents have is, "Do I have enough time for this?" After all, the public schools work kids for 6-8 hours a day, and then send them home with even more work to do! Rest assured, homeschooling does not have to be "school at home"!

Most families spend more time with spontaneous and hands-on learning activities than they do with structured busy-work. As children grow, it becomes more important to have them sit down to do actual "work" - but for most kids, an hour or two a day is more than sufficient. Many families use creative approaches to learning, such as unschooling or unit studies, where the children can absorb information from a wider range of sources than what we'd ordinarily think of for school. For example, a unit study on Biology might include a trip to the pond to collect tadpoles, a trip to the aquarium store to purchase supplies (giving the student opportunities to interact with adults), research online about various pond animals, microscope work, dissection, Bible study about creation, reading about the history of biology or biographies of famous scientists, even fun food science! Kids learn so much more by getting out in the world and doing than by sitting and making marks on paper with pens.

Even in high school, the amount of time needed for homeschooling does not have to be overwhelming. I chose a relatively structured program for my college-bound daughter, and a less structured approach for my learning-disabled son. Kayti worked on book-work and projects for 3-4 hours a day with a great deal of independence. When she needed help, she came and asked. She turned in her papers and I graded them (I grade hard, too! She was surprised when she got to public high school that her new teachers were easier than me!). We used a tutor for math, which took about an hour a week. Bobby worked for about two hours from books, used a computer program, and sometimes incorporated audio learning. I had him working with life skills, art, and drawing more than high algebra, and he did well in school. To make sure we'd covered all the bases, he took a GED practice test before I issued his diploma. He passed with flying colors - even the math. (Which answers another concern some families have: yes, you can home-educate children with special needs!)

We chose not to focus on a lot of "extra-curricular" activities - each of the kids had a couple of things they did, but my philosophy has always been that too much stuff in your life produces stress. Homeschooling families tend to fall into the trap of, "Well, we must socialize!" It is true, you must. Find a good church, find some good friends, and have your kids pick one or two activities where they'll be involved with other kids. Re-evaluate those activities yearly. My kids did puppets at our church for a while, then decided they'd rather be Junior Firefighters instead. As long as you don't have your kids locked in the house 24/7, they'll find good outlets for play and socialization. They don't need public school for this. I promise.

I realize that for some readers, income will be a huge concern. If Mom quits her job to stay home with the kids (or, these days, if Dad does!), how will the light bill get paid? It is abundantly possible for most people. There are a number of websites and books regarding how to live on one income - make a plan and a budget and stick to it for several months; bank the second salary as an emergency cushion, then start homeschooling!

Are you disciplined enough to homeschool? That is a tough question. Most states require a certain number of days or hours to be considered a legal homeschool. A companion question involves organization. You have to be able to keep some sort of records, no matter where you live. Some states require extremely detailed accounts of what you did every single minute of every day! (Check with HSLDA for what your state requires!)

The best way to deal with both of these questions is to assess yourself honestly. If the answer is a resounding NO!, then pray about whether God wants you to change. If the answer is "yes" or "maybe", then set about making a plan. If you're new to homeschooling, your plan must be flexible. You will change it a dozen times - maybe your first day! Do some reading before you get started. Find out how experienced homeschoolers manage. You should come up with an overall plan for each subject for the year. Then break it down by semester and/or month. Make a chart for each child, each day, each subject. While you're at it, plan how things like household chores will get done and meals will get cooked. Some families don't get this detailed (I wrote up a plan for the year and targets - so much done by Christmas, so much by February, etc.) - but when you're getting started, it helps tremendously to know what you're going to do, when, and then do it!

A last consideration is whether you'll have support from family, friends, and community. In some families, the husband and wife cannot agree on home education. If this is your situation, please pray TOGETHER and seek the Lord regarding what He wants for your family. Be willing to give. It's not about you. Often, though, a family will begin homeschooling and the Mother-in-law will say, "Woah! Wait a minute! How will little Johnny get into Harvard?" Your answer: "Harvard is actively recruiting homeschoolers!" If you are prepared with some of the common arguments against homeschooling and how to answer them, you can almost always defuse these situations. If you can't, then smile and go on with your plans. As people see your happy, well-adjusted children grow by leaps and bounds, they'll change their tune!

As you can see, there are many things to consider before you take the leap into becoming a home educator! Take your time, pray, list all the pros and cons, talk to families who've homeschooled their kids, and get the facts before you decide!