Homeschooling, is it for me ?

Pros and cons discussed.

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Picture a homeschooling student with his books, pencil and writing pad, sitting at a table in the comfort of his home, perhaps dressed in his best "school attire", with hair well combed back. There he would spend his morning from 8.00am working independently through his books, all the way till 3.00 pm with half an hour of lunch break.

The perfect homeschooler ?

Yes, the perfect saints that you will not easily find in this world. Its idealistic and unreal. Well, maybe you may find one or two, if you're fortunate.

What then is a real scenario of homeschooling?

Picture a student in his pyjamas at 10.00am (when other kids have gone through few periods of lessons in school) slouched at his couch opening his first book of the day; music in his ears, cookies in his mouth... got the picture?

Bear in mind that this does not mean the kid is not learning. He learns in his own way - sometimes not so acceptable to educators or parents.

Actually, doing schools at home calls for a higher intrinsic motivation and therefore you often hear that homeschoolers excel academically and mature at a faster rate.

Next, picture a Homeschooler all alone in the home surrounded by 4 walls, isolated, lonely and without peer stimulation. How will he survive in the working world when he grows up ?

Well, this is yet another myth that came about from people who are conventional educators and concerned parents. Homeschooling kids in reality, are out in the parks and beaches, museums and libraries. They finish their work much earlier because they don't have to wait for the others in the class or the teachers to get the class in order. So they are out at ball games, music & dance classes. They could volunteer their time for social services and church activities. They may look like they are playing most of the time.

Have you heard of this phrase ?

I saw this on a printed T-shirt. Cool !

Socially, a Homeschooler makes friends easily, contrary to many myths that he lacks experience with other kids because he is not in school. Read more and you'll find out why and how.

Learning social skills is not a problem for homeschoolers. In fact, most homeschoolers turn out to be more sociable because they are more self-confident as they have a wider age range to interact with. Very often, they have to interact with parents and adults more than their peers. Isn't this what a real world is? Their ability to pace themselves and self-motivate give them a sense of self achievement and confidence.

A child doesn't need to be left in a school or community to experience the confidence in a social circle. With confidence earned from self-achievement and healthy dependence, a child will then hold himself up socially be well accepted. Social skills can be picked up quickly but the underlining foundation is none other than self esteem and confidence which a child may not have if he's put in a rowdy social group before he is ready.

Morally, Oh, he shows all his uncontrolled temper and ill-disciplines at home - but wait, he feels safe at home and is honest with his true nature. There's no way to hide his weaknesses from parents who are involved in his life.

A child who goes to school all day, naturally picks up bad habits, but easily hides his sins and lives a double standard life, so much so that his parents may not see him misbehave. More often than not, bad behavior comes from peer pressure in society and it takes years to undo and re-tune them. It is any wonder why so many parents are awaken with the shock that their "quiet", "compliant" child could result in doing drugs, vandalising, immoral acts..... etc

Now, you may think that I'm bias and uplifting homeschool philosophy. Yes I am. After all, I've been a homeschool mum. However, I like to be honest. Homeschooling has its challenges.There are pros and cons to homeschooling.

Kids don't excel in homeschooling when:

• Mom and Dad are too busy and uninvolved
• When they're in an environment where there are few kids in the community or church.
• When there is a general slack in discipline in the household
• When parents have not spent adequate time researching for the right resources
• When there's no adequate space and study area for them to focus on their work.
• When parent-child relationship has been broken or distanced
• When there's stress and challenges in the family, eg divorce, parents' addiction, marriage on the rock, poverty

What else do you have to add to my list ? Contact Me in the form below. Scroll all the way down.

Homeschooling facts
How to begin homeschooling. Consider all that is involved in the planning, strategizing and launching into this alternative education.

The Home School
Free online magazine for home educating families to exchange information, to give advice and swap learning ideas, to recommend fun days out and healthy recipes and to input their comments on all aspects of home school life and education.

Custom Homeschool Curriculum
Receive FREE lesson plans, ideas and teaching tips delivered right to you.

Guides to create a custom homeschool curriculum around your child’s learning style. Eliminate learning problems, accelerate learning and improve confidence!

See also :

Preschool Craft - Free ideas and templates
Preschool Montessori Method - alternatives or holistic ?
Child Development - Nature or Nurture ?
Preschool Activities - Games, Cooking, Fun Alphabet ...etc
When does your child begin reading ? How to jump start ?
Phonics Chart - Vowels

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