Do you think home schooling your children is a good idea?

[Deva1]

I started thinking about the possibilities of home schooling, but I don't have any information on the subject and I noticed there were no hubs on the topic. What do you know about it and what is your view on the subject of home schooling?

[JoeSpirit]

My daughter homeschooled her three daughters, one of them not yet graduated. The oldest is now married with two daughters of her own. The next youngest is a Phlebotomist, Nurse Assistant, and is studying toward further nursing degrees. The youngest is close to her graduation and has plans to go study veterinary.

I had some concerns at first as to the social development on my granddaughters, but they're doing very well, and I'm very proud of my daughter for her accomplishments.

As for the social development concern, my daughter's family is very active in church. I believe that provides for the social activities.

[There4u]

I homeschooled my oldest until 11th grade and then she completed Liberty University's Dual Enrollment Program. She's set to graduate with her high school diploma and associates degree at 17 years old. Homeschooling has a great deal of advantages.

[JamesvSmith]

Daycare is a better option then homeschooling. After early learning sends the kids to school. There they will learn moral ethics too.

[4LifeMom]

Homeschooling done well is great! If the schooling parent is neglectful though, the student can lose years of growth.

[Nia Bevue]

To be honest, i had seriously considered home schooling my children because private school tuition is out of our reach and I don't love the current state of our public school system. However, i was honest with myself and what was best for my children and the fact is that I can not be a teacher. I think at the end of the day, the best thing to do would be educating yourself about homeschooling first.

Whether or not homeschooling is good or bad for you and your child is entirely up to you

[JoeSpirit]

I'm convinced that not everybody is qualified to home school their children.

Some won't succeed because they don't have the discipline and/or personality that the activity requires. Others won't succeed because they simply don't know how to teach. And still others won't succeed because they don't have the necessary education level.

My educational background is in vocational education but I never went into teaching formally because I don't think I have the patience to lead a classroom full of students on a daily basis. As a mentor, I feel confident - especially when it's at a certain distance and not face-to-face.

I'm often in awe of my daughter over her accomplishments in homeschooling her children.

[SamanthaClarck]

no it's a bad idea, kids should be around other kids, it's a good way to learn for them to interact and make friends

[JoeSpirit]

I agree that they need to socialize with other kids Samantha. But they can do that while home schooling.

My grandchildren do that through church attendance for instance. There are also functions that the home schooling community has where social interaction occurs.

[KHWriter]

I have been a single mom for 11 years, since my children were 2 and 4 years old. I homeschooled them when they were younger and it was a wonderful experience for all of us. Their dad, who I still get along with very well, was supportive. And in our city we have a HUGE homeschooling community. People were organizing activities, field trips, sports, and get-togethers all the time. There was no lack of opportunity for socialization and learning.

I think that for homeschooling, it is important to learn about it. There are many different ways to approach it and some might work better for your family than others. Some families go a more structured, regular curriculum route, others go more the direction of alternative curriculum, such as Waldorf, and others choose alternative methods such as unschooling. You also need to look at your town or city and find out whether there is a homeschooling community/support network that is accessible to you.

In the end, I put my girls into the regular school system in January of the years they were in grades 1 and 3. They were absolutely capable when they went, no gaps in learning. I did it because as a single mother, homeschooling two children and working from home, I wasn't making ends meet financially and I was burning myself out. Not to say that isn't possible, but I wasn't charging nearly enough for my freelancing writing services back then (a whole different thread topic, I know) and I just didn't make enough money. Financially, I could easily homeschool them earning what I do now.

They are now going into grades 8 and 10 and they are thriving. But no matter what and no matter how difficult those days were financially, I will NEVER regret homeschooling them in the early years. Plus, some of our very best friends were part of our homeschooling community, even today.