Pros & Cons of Homeschooling

[KiddieCahoots]

I've been thinking of homeschooling my little guy (6yrs.) and wondering what this would entail.
My two youngest children are extreme introverts, have anxiety that leads to upper GI issues, go to therapy to practice "mind over matter", etc., and just overall struggle with performing in large groups.
I'm still trying to figure out what would be more beneficial....sticking it out in school, or homeschooling?
In the meantime, can anyone give me heads up to what I'd have to accomplish with homeschooling?
Any advice on the pros and cons would greatly be appreciated.
Thanks

[DaisyMamma]

Not sure if this would help, but perhaps a school with a smaller environment?
My DDs go to a Montessori elementary school, which has 18 children in the entire elementary program.
It's a great program. Self paced too. Very loving atmosphere. My older DD went to public school for 3 years. She says that going to this school is like being home schooled.

[LysesKids]

As a momma that homeschooled my 2 youngest kids thru High school, I can say this... each state has it's own rules, some stricter than others, so you might live in a place that requires you have a BA before you can even consider it, or you might be in a place where you just legally pull your child from public school and just go about your business without state even knowing ( a non registration required like IN or MO).

Knowing where you live will make it easier to point you to some good starting websites. Small private schools are ok, however to expensive IMO... you can homeschool on a budget. I homeschooled in 5 different states, so learned quickly, which was easy and which weren't

[craftymissbeth]

As a momma that homeschooled my 2 youngest kids thru High school, I can say this... each state has it's own rules, some stricter than others, so you might live in a place that requires you have a BA before you can even consider it, or you might be in a place where you just legally pull your child from public school and just go about your business without state even knowing ( a non registration required like IN or MO).

Knowing where you live will make it easier to point you to some good starting websites. Small private schools are ok, however to expensive IMO... you can homeschool on a budget. I homeschooled in 5 different states, so learned quickly, which was easy and which weren't

She lives in Utopia, so I can on,y imagine that the homeschooling laws are awesome there

[Play Care]

In my state if I were to home school my now SA kids would count in my ratio. I'd have to let dck's go.

ETA: I'd do it in a heartbeat if I felt I was qualified to do a better job than the school. Our district has been pretty awesome with our kids, both of whom have ADHD and need some extra supports.

[MrsSteinel'sHouse]

Let me preface this by saying this has been my experience and my observations, they of course do not hold true to everyone and may not be the majority opinions. I know there are good schools out there and good teachers, I just paid thousands of dollars for my dd to attend college and get her teaching license so I am not in anyone blasting all schools or teachers. I do believe that our school system is quickly falling apart but that is another discussion.

I have homeschooled for the past 15 years and will finish in June when my ds graduates and as previously stated I have a dd that just graduated college that was hsed from 3rd grade on.

Pros-
I am very close to my children. I think that learning together gives us a unique bond.
They got to explore their interests and talents.
Ds is a competitive shooter and he could not have kept up with this schedule without being hsed (He is currently in Spain shooting the World Championships!)
It was easier to shape them morally and keep them away from things that I considered them too young to be around.
I have to say it as a provider- I always have an extra set of hands around. I will miss ds! The kids sometimes respond to him in a different way than they do to me.
We got to stay home. My kids are content at home. They have learned to occupy themselves.
No one put down their interests. My dd could still play with dolls at 12. My son could spend time teaching himself to juggle.
We could delay some of the "techie" stuff like cell phones and computer access.

Cons-
You must have a strong discipline system in place. Your children must listen and obey you.
You are taking full responsibility for their academic success.
If one way of teaching them doesn't work, you must be willing to explore other ways (tutor, community college etc)
paperwork- documentation
It is a HUGE commitment.

If you have any specific questions on how we did it etc. Just ask.

[LysesKids]

Let me preface this by saying this has been my experience and my observations, they of course do not hold true to everyone and may not be the majority opinions. I know there are good schools out there and good teachers, I just paid thousands of dollars for my dd to attend college and get her teaching license so I am not in anyone blasting all schools or teachers. I do believe that our school system is quickly falling apart but that is another discussion.

I have homeschooled for the past 15 years and will finish in June when my ds graduates and as previously stated I have a dd that just graduated college that was hsed from 3rd grade on.

Pros-
I am very close to my children. I think that learning together gives us a unique bond.
They got to explore their interests and talents.
Ds is a competitive shooter and he could not have kept up with this schedule without being hsed (He is currently in Spain shooting the World Championships!)
It was easier to shape them morally and keep them away from things that I considered them too young to be around.
I have to say it as a provider- I always have an extra set of hands around. I will miss ds! The kids sometimes respond to him in a different way than they do to me.
We got to stay home. My kids are content at home. They have learned to occupy themselves.
No one put down their interests. My dd could still play with dolls at 12. My son could spend time teaching himself to juggle.
We could delay some of the "techie" stuff like cell phones and computer access.

Cons-
You must have a strong discipline system in place. Your children must listen and obey you.
You are taking full responsibility for their academic success.
If one way of teaching them doesn't work, you must be willing to explore other ways (tutor, community college etc)
paperwork- documentation
It is a HUGE commitment.

Some of our pros were my kids got jobs earlier than their friends
They could sleep in and still get their assignments done
I could count field trips to museums as part of the classes
I could travel more and at different times than When kids were in PS
Loved the fact we could learn in non traditional ways

Cons...
always documenting EVERYTHING especially for Highschool years (inc sports)
Getting the kids their drivers license in states that didn't offer classes
Sports... you need a good support team if the kids have cometitions and you can't travel

[BrooklynM]

I've had friends that have homeschooled, but their kids were very socialized. They played sports, had big families and had lots of friends over, went to friends houses, etc. I think socialization is extremely important. If they are already introverted, maybe that may make it worse? Then again, you don't want to push them too much either. I would seek out advice from some professionals to see what their advice may be. It's a personal decision and you have to do what is best for your child to raise them up to be independent, capable adults so just do whatever is best for them and what is healthiest for them. I'm sure there are expert child psychologists that could assess them and offer suggestions?

[Laurel]

I've been thinking of homeschooling my little guy (6yrs.) and wondering what this would entail.
My two youngest children are extreme introverts, have anxiety that leads to upper GI issues, go to therapy to practice "mind over matter", etc., and just overall struggle with performing in large groups.
I'm still trying to figure out what would be more beneficial....sticking it out in school, or homeschooling?
In the meantime, can anyone give me heads up to what I'd have to accomplish with homeschooling?
Any advice on the pros and cons would greatly be appreciated.
Thanks

I haven't done it but if you go for it and you don't think it is beneficial you can send them to school again. So it might be worth the effort to try.

I had a part time assistant in my childcare for a few years (she started at 12 since she was home schooled and worked with me off and on till college). She was behind in her studies and needed extra help. Her parents tried a private school and it really didn't help so they home schooled her. It was great for her because she couldn't get as much one on one as she needed to succeed. Her parents brought her up more than a grade level each year until she actually surpassed her grade level. Her confidence shot through the roof. She chose to go to traditional high school though and did very well. She is now a teacher (she said because of me which was so sweet).

The pros that she told me were that she didn't feel like the 'dumb' kid in the class anymore. She was so grateful for her parents for catching her up. She is an only child with a mother that doesn't work outside the home so you would have an added challenge with daycare.

The cons she told me were that sometimes her parents got on her nerves, . That is why she decided to go to traditional high school. In other words, once she was more than caught up it was too much togetherness. She did tell me that her parents had to be very organized and disciplined and that it wasn't always easy for them.

Laurel

[Wubby]

Have you looked into a charter school or virtual school like Connections academy or k12. We have been doing virtual school for 8yrs. I have 4 kiddos doing k12. 2 ar my own and 2 are dckids.

[Michael]

We homeschool/ed both our children. Yes it is a commitment but we are so glad we did. There does come a point where tutors were needed for certain subjects. As they get older they can be assisted by the internet for their curriculum with educational sites like www.k12.com

Also suggest you join the Home School Legal Defense Association www.hslda.org/

More threads on Homeschool: https://www.daycare.com/forum/tags.php?tag=homeschool

[KiddieCahoots]

Thank you so much everybody!
I greatly appreciate all the great advice and suggestions.
Had no idea where to even begin, I've now got some homework to do on this subject :hug:


Crafty, Utopia is the place I go to in my mind when the going gets tough .....::......

[Michael]

Crafty, Utopia is the place I go to in my mind when the going gets tough .....::......

You mean the Utopia on FOX?

http://www.utopiatv.com/home

[hsdcmama]

I am currently homeschooling my 3 kids, this is our 3rd year. This year has been a bit tougher than others bc of starting my daycare business, but I am slowly finding my new groove & making it work. It can seem overwhelming at first, I know I was a nervous wreck the first day the school bus came & went and my kids weren't on it. But you can do it! The best advice I can give is to trust yourself and your kids; don't worry about what your kids are doing compared to everyone else, give yourself & the kids some time to decompress and figure out what they are interested in, what their strengths and weaknesses are, etc. There are so many different ways to hs, and no 2 families are the same. You may try one curriculum or workbook that you think will be a hit, and for one reason or another it just isn't working out; don't be afraid to change things up when you need to. We've done a different math program every year trying to find a good fit.

I wouldn't stress about socialization too much, just because a child is an introvert doesn't mean they can't or won't make friends. My kids have many friends of many different ages, who they met in our neighborhood, through other homeschooling families, church, their karate & dance classes, etc. They are so socialized that we have to be careful not to get burned out by it all!

It has been a unique and exhausting experience doing both homeschooling and daycare, but one of the reasons I chose this profession was that I would still be available to hs my kids. It works out for now because my kids are young enough that I can involve the dc kids in the hands-on parts of our hs (arts & crafts, science experiments, cooking & baking, etc.) which is a selling point for prospective clients because their kids pick up on what we're doing and learn with us.

[hsdcmama]

Check out hslda.org, it has the hs laws for each state and is a good place to start.