With the condition of public schools today, more and more families are homeschooling their kids. There are currently about 2 million kids being home schooled today, with this increasing at a rate of 7 to 15% a year.
It has been shown that home schooled kids do well on standardized tests and are welcome in colleges and universities.
It has also been shown that adults with just a high school education can do homeschooling and get just as good results as those teaching who have a college degree. So what are the pros and cons of homeschooling?
Pros
Educational Freedom
Since you are teaching the kids you can decide, not only what is taught, but also how much time you spend on each subject. In addition to this the subjects that are chosen to be taught can be taught at anytime and anywhere.
This is not to say that you won’t cover the basics for each child but this enables you to teach the child these basics at the level that works for them, not the entire class. It also allows you to cater towards the interests of the child.
For example, if they are keen on the stars then you can teach them astronomy or if their love is reading the by all means let them pursue British Literature.
No Busy Work
In school when this happens kids are assigned busy work while the others finish. At home you can progress as soon as your child masters that concept.
Safety Benefits
With the way things are in public schools today you don’t know when the next stabbing or shooting will take place.
When you school at home you don’t have to worry about this, you know there will be none of this because you have control of the premises as well as the kids. There will also be no bullying which has become a huge problem in our schools today.
It was reported by the National Crime Council that six out of ten kids report that they see bullying on a daily basis. You don’t need to worry about this at home.
Physical Freedom
Kids no longer have to spend hours travelling to and from school wasting hours on a bus. This extra time can be put towards learning or free time.
Families don’t have to worry if the kids miss the bus or get sick during school because everything is done from home.
You can take a trip outside to the backyard pond and study the flora and fauna without spending hours to get there. If you want to study growing and such have the kids build a garden.The opportunities are endless.
You are free to teach your children whatever religious beliefs you see fit, whereas in public school no religious education is taught.
Less Boredom
Because children who are home schooled are kept busy all the time and aren’t given busy work it is rare they get bored. Also because you can pick and choose what they learn the kids can learn what they are interested in.
Emotional Freedom
Kids schooled at home do not need to be worried about what they wear to school, how their hair looks etc., because there is no one to give them a hard time.
In a public school kids are often ridiculed, causing a dive in their self-esteem. Kids taught at home do not show this decrease in self-esteem.
Stronger Family Ties
Because the family is spending the entire day together the bonds become strengthened unlike they do for those who spend the day away from home.
Well Rested Kids
Because kids do not have to catch a bus every morning they can sleep in a little longer and if for some reason they are up late you can let them sleep a little later.
Cons
Wall to Wall Children
You are with your children 24 hours a day and never get a break. Because your children are with your 24/7 it seems like you never have any free time.
Time Restraints
There is no way around it if you are going to teach your kids at home you need to spend time preparing, time teaching and then grading.
This can and probably will take a fair amount of time. You need to make sure you have a grasp as to what is they should know as well as how to go about teaching it.
Limited Team Sports
Most public schools will not let you be a part of their sports teams if you are not enrolled. You may be able to join some of the community sports teams but these are usually limited to the sports they offer.
Financial Strain
When homeschooling occurs one of the spouse usually does not enter the work force so they can teach. This may be hard on the family.
Living outside the Norm
Many people in our society look down on home schooling because they think people are not equipped to do this and because it challenges those who went to school to become a teacher.