Category Archives: Homeschooling

3 Reasons Why Homeschooling Rocks

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1.  It’s not boring as all get out.

I spent the first 5 and a half years of my education in public schools. There were, of course, times when I enjoyed learning things and talking to my friends. On the flip side, though, there were long stretches of monotony and boredom. And that was just grade school! I can’t even imagine what it would have gotten like in middle and high school. I vaguely remember a class I took in 6th grade before I began to be homeschooled. “Conflict resolution” they called it. It was an entire class we had to sit through for 50 minutes a day on how not to get in a fight. Instead of teaching us something useful like math, history or science, we had to sit and learn that getting in a fistfight wasn’t good for anybody.

I think it goes without saying that homeschooling was far more interesting. I was either doing something and learning, or I was enjoying my free time. I never had to sit through extended periods of monotonous lectures or stare at a chalkboard while a teacher catered to the slowest student in the classroom. I was able to learn at my own pace and enjoy it.

2.  No one gives you wedgies.

Unless, of course, you have an older sibling and then you might get more wedgies than you can handle. One of the fantastic things about being homeschooled is that there is no awkward social structure that you have to fit yourself into. Unless you live in a very complicated family, there are no bullies, no drug addicts and so forth.

Again, the advantage is more than what you don’t have to deal with, but also in what you do get. Being homeschooled enabled me to develop much stronger relationships with my parents and my siblings, and I did find a variety of friends through our homeschool group and church and so forth. I found that when I got to college I was able to comfortably communicate with everyone from the older students (some who were even grandparents, coming back for their education) to the younger students and even the professors and staff. None of these people ever gave me a wedgy.

3.  Odds are your teacher will probably like you.

I didn’t personally ever have issues with a teacher that didn’t seem to like me or treat me well, but I do know that those experiences are out there. The odds increase, I think, as you get into high school that you might run into a teacher that you either don’t like or who doesn’t like you for some reason. I wouldn’t say that it’s anything personal, just sometimes there are personality clashes.

On the other hand, I think you benefit from homeschooling because you’re able to develop a much deeper relationship with your parents. Instead of coming home from school and simply telling them what you did (if you can even remember all the details) you live it with them.

Benefits Of Homeschooling

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Why let Tim and Lisa learn at home than send them to school? Well, first of all, you don’t have to wake them up at 7 every morning and bundle them off to school with umpteen numbers of instructions, and wait with an anxious heart till they return. Homeschooling gives you more control over the influences that affect your child. The growth and development of your child is removed from the realm of the unknown. You, and you alone can decide what your child needs to do or learn. Tailoring the curriculum to suit the needs and interests of the child is one of the most obvious benefits of homeschooling

Individual attention is another salient benefit of homeschooling. For instance, if Lisa needs more time to learn Math, then she can reduce the time for her English lessons. There are no fixed hours of learning per subject. This means that a child has the advantage of assigning more number of hours to the subject that seems tough WITHOUT any additional pressure. The amount of time needed to learn each subject will depend on the abilities and interests of the child.

The schooling of the child becomes an extended family activity. Parents get involved in every step of the learning procedure. Field trips and experiments become family activities. Thus, the child receives more quality time with his parents. The entire family shares games, chores and projects. Family closeness becomes the focus here. The child is also free of any negative peer pressure while making choices and decisions.

Competition is limited when it comes to homeschooling. The child does not need to prove his ability with regards to other children. His confidence remains intact. Since parents have a deep understanding of their child, they can plan the learning program to pique the child’s interest. It is also possible to intersperse difficult tasks with fun activities. A tough hour with Algebra can be followed by a trip to the nearest museum. Learning becomes fun. Parents can also tailor the curriculum to suit the learning style of the child. Some children learn through reading, while others need to write, and still others need to see objects in action.

Homeschooling allows parents to take control over the moral and religious learning of the child. Parents have the flexibility to incorporate their beliefs and ideologies into the child’s curriculum. There is no confusion in the child’s mind either because there is no variation between what is being taught and what is being practiced.

Lastly, more and more parents are getting disillusioned with the public school system. They believe that their children are being pushed too hard or too little. Other worrying issues pertaining to discipline and ethics also make the school system less welcome. Many repudiate the educational philosophy of grouping children solely on the basis of their age. Some parents themselves have unhappy memories of their own public school experience that motivates them to opt for homeschooling when it comes to their own children.

Homeschooling is the best way to teach a child if you have the time, the ability and the interest to follow through with his education. After all, nobody can understand or appreciate your child more than yourself.

Getting Ready To Home School

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When it comes to your children, you want the best.  Home schooling is your chance to shine, as not only a parent, but as a teacher.  By keeping your child at home, you are able to conduct their lessons in a timely and efficient manner and help you child to stay on track with their education.  To make sure your child’s home schooled education is successful, there are several things you can do.

The first, while it may be obvious to some, is the most important.  You want to make sure that you and your child are on the same page.  You’ll need to sit down with your child and explain the steps that will be taken to ensure their education is successful.

Setting up a scheduled time for their education is important.  Just because they are receiving their education at home does not mean they do not have a schedule.  In fact, with home schooling, it is very important that your child does have a schedule and it is up to both you and your child to stick to the allotted time.  Before you start, talk with your child and discuss what is the best time of day to start.  Some children are best right after breakfast and others do better at learning after they’ve been awake for a couple of hours.  The wonderful thing about home schooling is that you know your child and how their personality and disposition will work throughout the day.

Once you have planned out a schedule for your child, you’ll also want to get organized.  Make sure you involve your child in this, as well.  If you have an area of your home or a room that is relatively quiet and relaxed atmosphere, this will work best for your child.  Setting up a designated area for your child’s schooling will help your child to understand the difference between school time and play time.  When you have picked out the area, you and your child should make sure it is furnished properly.  Your child should have a comfortable desk and chair, as well as all the items necessary to complete their home schooling, such as paper, pens, pencils, and anything else you may need.

By knowing when and where their home school will be, your child will be more successful in taking care of business when it is time.  Having all the necessary items your child will need can take the edge off, as well and the more you involve your child in the planning and organizing of their school day, your child will be more apt to participate in their learning.

Getting Started with Home Schooling

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As a mother of a two year old, the thought of “school” crosses my mind more than occasionally. I have to admit, I don’t like what I see. Schools these days have many problems. Violence is growing. The standards aren’t high enough to make sure our children are learning. Many parents are not taking their child’s education seriously enough or just aren’t getting involved. And unfortunately there are teachers and school administrators out there that are more interested in numbers, politics, and money than they are in the welfare of their students.

All of these things and other considerations are making more and more parents look into home schooling as an option. This allows parents to spend more time with their children. It also allows them to be actively involved in their child’s education to make sure their child is succeeding.

But, where do I get started? I’m not a teacher. Where do I get the materials? What do I teach them? Is there some guideline to home schooling that has been successful for other parents? Where can I find more information about Home Schooling? In this article I will do my best to help you find all of the information and resources available for get started with Home Schooling.

First of all, home schooling is not free. There are a lot of materials you will need. Depending on the age of your child, there are specific requirements and specific subjects they must learn as well as standardized tests they must take. This is all set up to be sure parents who take their children out of school are actually home schooling them.

The first thing you will have to do is find out what the home schooling laws are in your state. Open a new browser window so you can keep this articles open and copy this link and put it into the address bar of your new window. http://www.hslda.org/laws/default.asp There you will find out what the laws are in your state. Some states do not require you notify them and others do, so make sure you study up on your state’s requirements.

The next thing you want to do is talk with people you know that are already doing home schooling. They will be able to offer you valuable home schooling advice. Try your local church or social group if you do not know anyone doing home schooling. You can also search at Ask.com for “Home Schooling Support Groups.” These are groups of parents that share their information and experiences with home schooling.

You can buy complete home school curriculums for children of any age by searching for “Home School Curriculum.” Many come on CD-ROM with workbooks and everything you need. You can buy everything at once or you can pick and choose the subjects you want to teach first. You can also find curriculums that incorporate your religious beliefs. There are many options!

There is also the theme method of home schooling where you teach your child everything at once by using a theme. You pick a theme your child likes like “The Old West” or “Outer Space”. Then you combine teaching them math, geography, history, language skills, etc. based on using their favorite theme.

Children learn very fast when things are interesting to them. Theme-based home schooling is one way to keep your child interested and also a great way for both of you to have fun learning. If you combine this theme-based method of home schooling with field trips or vacations that go along with it, you will find your child really interested in learning more. For instance, a field trip to the space museum or observatory if you are using the space theme. A vacation to a ghost town on the western theme would work as well.

If you are considering home schooling, you will also want to make sure your child has ample opportunity for social activities. You may be able to provide them with the highest standards of academics, but children also need to socialize with their peers. This can be done through organized sports, music classes, and many areas actually have home school “community groups” that get together. Once you are able to connect with other home school parents in your area, you will be sure to find an abundance of activities for your child to participate in.

The bottom line is this. Do not be intimidated by home schooling your child even if you did not do well in school yourself. You can learn together. The benefits of home schooling can far outweigh the disadvantages. If there is a day where it is just not going to work out, don’t worry. Don’t force it. Be creative and make learning fun for your child. If you are committed, you will succeed. Best of luck!