Pros and Cons of Homeschooling - Is It Worth It?

By Lee A. Hulse

What are the pros and cons of homeschooling? Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? For each instance of homeschooling, the child's needs to be looked at individually. An advantage for one child can end up being a disadvantage for another.

Many parents think they cannot teach their child because they don't have the necessary teaching credentials. This is just not true. If you have the desire and complete commitment to help your child succeed, you can ensure your child has the education needed to become a productive adult.

One major advantage of homeschooling is the fact that you can pick a curriculum that mirrors your own religious and moral beliefs, something that cannot be done in public schools. You have control over shaping your child's values.

However, successfully homeschooling your child demands the following two requirements from the parents. First, a true desire to teach your child. Second, a willingness to put forth the effort to make it happen.

If you want to homeschool because of a sense of duty or religious obligation, and not because of a desire to help your child, homeschooling may not be the right choice. Without the desire and determination of the parent, not enough effort will be put forth to properly educate the child.

With the many different learning styles and discipline problems, a public school teacher just cannot spend the individual time with each child that is necessary to bring out that child's best. Homeschooling can help children to blossom and bring out a child's full potential like nothing else can.

One problem with public schools is that their curriculum is preplanned. There is very little room to go deeper into a subject if the students find it interesting and exciting. The teaching pace is also predetermined for the average student. This means brighter students pick up the material quickly and must wait for the rest of the class (usually resulting in boredom) and other students will be left behind, because there just is not the time in the classroom for individual attention.

On the other hand, homeschooling allows you to adjust your teaching schedule and curriculum to your child. Need more time to understand a concept? No problem. Did a particular teaching style not work with a concept? You have the time to try another one, and another one, until your child understands. Or did you find a subject that truly intrigues your child? Let them explore it longer and just adjust your schedule. Or better yet, find a way to bring in other subjects based on what is interesting to your child. Does your child like spiders, but is not too fond of reading. Find books on spiders that they will enjoy reading and learning about.

There are disadvantages to homeschooling to go along with the numerous advantages. The biggest is your personal time. You need to be devoted and committed to your child's education and this will take up lots of time - from determining your curriculum to teaching for your particular child's learning style. But you will find in the end that it was well worth your time.

About the Author:

0 comments:

Guides Complete