Thinking About Homeschooling?

As homeschooling has shifted further to the mainstream, many parents are considering it as a viable possibility for their families. Those starting out may feel overwhelmed with questions and excitement. Here's what you need to know.

It's Not Just For Those Crazy Fundamentalists Anymore.

Sure, homeschooling became big in the 80s because of its popularity with Fundamental Christian groups who wanted to live in the woods, shielding their children from condoms, evolution, gays and blacks, and waiting for Jesus to return. But these days, you'll find that the split between religious and secular homeschoolers is about even. Parents are doing it because public education is getting worse and worse, and private education is getting more and more expensive. Parents are doing it because they can more efficiently teach their children than a teacher with twenty to thirty students can.

The Socialization That Occurs In Schools Is Creepy.

More than any other question you will receive from the general public, you will hear, "What about socialization?" and it's sub-questions, "How will he learn to share?" and "How will he learn to live in the real world?" Your homeschooled child will actually have an edge on kids his own age socially, because as a part of the every day real world, he will interact with people in a meaningful and realistic way. Nowhere in the "real world" do we group people together by age and assign them to rooms where they must interact with people they don't like. Adults are free to leave situations where they don't feel comfortable. Children in schools are not. This does not prepare them for real life at all.

You Will Burn Out If You Get Too Gung-Ho.

You might have a thousand ideas about all the neat learning experiences that you are going to create, and all the fun places that you are going to take the children for excursions. You might be imagining yourself as this infinite wisdom guide, and your children as eager sponges, soaking in every interesting lesson that you bestow upon them. It may turn out this way, but most likely, you will frustrate yourself and your children if you have such high and inflexible expectations. You will be better off taking a few months of no plans whatsoever. Go to the beach or the park all day. Watch spy movies all day. Let the kids play outside or in their rooms all day. Let them cook. Give them a table full of art supplies and let them have at it. Remember, you can teach them in about an hour what they'll learn at school in a whole day. You can take time off and not worry that your kids will suffer for it. The freedom they experience will renew that curiosity and desire to learn.

Make a Plan A, Then Make a Plan B. Repeat.

You might discover a genre of homeschooling that really appeals to you. Your child may not feel the same way that you do about that type of program. Or, your child may not like it at first, but may come back to it later. When I started homeschooling my daughter, I was very attracted to the literature-based Classical Education. I had a schedule all planned out, and I was very excited about it. But my daughter would roll her eyes and complain when it was time to do schoolwork. I realized that she hated it, so I stopped. We just didn't do anything for a while. A few months later, she started asking me to read the books to her. Later, she decided she wanted to learn math, and she picked up the math materials I had purchased for her. We ended up finishing a year's worth of materials in just three months. I'm positive that it would have taken much longer if I had forced her to learn when she didn't want to learn. And she actually retains what she learns, because she's genuinely interested in it.

People Say the Darndest Things. Ignore Them.

Not everyone will think homeschooling is as great of an idea as you do. And they'll tell you so. They'll tell you how you're ruining your child's education and social life. They'll tell you that you cannot be qualified to teach your child unless you have a certificate that says so. They'll tell you that your child will be weird. They'll tell you that your child won't be able to handle a real job in the real world. Just ignore them. I've often felt like saying, "And what school did you go to that taught you how to insult the parenting choices of strangers?" or, "You send your kid to public school? Don't you want him to learn anything?" But I actually just raise my eyebrows and say, "Hmmm...interesting."

Do Your Research!

You should start researching your state's home-schooling laws. Homeschooling is legal in every state, but the regulations vary from state to state. Most states require some sort of notification and periodic testing. See the resources at the end for more information. You should also research homeschooling methods and materials. There are several different styles of homeschooling, and you can use one or more of them, or create your own! Go to your local library and check out books about homeschooling. The more you research, the more confident you'll be when you actually make the plunge.

Good luck, and congratulations on making a wonderful choice for your child's education!