Tag: homechooling tips

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Reasons Some Parent Homeschool

There are many reasons, parents may decide to homeschool as I talked about it before in Why Some Parents Choose To Homeschool?  In olden days before there were any official school system or mandatory education in those systems, parents taught what they knew to their children, be it what type of work they did, how to cook, clean and survive and so on. That was kind of education at home for that time. Many of famous people around a few hundred years ago were homeschooled, there was no surprise as it was the norm then before schooling system came in to picture.

According to wikipedia and NCES (National Center For Education Statistics) survey done around 2007 shows following data. While it has now been 2013, information is important to know.

In the 2003 and 2007 NHES, parents were asked whether particular reasons for homeschooling their children applied to them. The three reasons selected by parents of more than two-thirds of students were concern about the school environment, to provide religious or moral instruction, and dissatisfaction with the academic instruction available at other schools.

From 2003 to 2007, the percentage of students whose parents reported homeschooling to provide religious or moral instruction increased from 72 percent to 83 percent. In 2007, the most common reason parents gave as the most important was a desire to provide religious or moral instruction (36 percent of students). This reason was followed by a concern about the school environment (such as safety, drugs, or negative peer pressure) (21 percent), dissatisfaction with academic instruction (17 percent), and “other reasons” including family time, finances, travel, and distance (14 percent).Other reasons include more flexibility in educational practices and family core stability for children with learning disabilities or prolonged chronic illnesses, or for children of missionaries, military families, or families who move often, as frequently as every two years.

Number and percentage of homeschooled students in the United States, by reason for homeschooling: 1999, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
Reason for homeschooling Number of
homeschooled students		 Percent standard error
Can give child better education at home 415,000 48.9 3.79
Religious reason 327,000 38.4 4.44
Poor learning environment at school 218,000 25.6 3.44
Family reasons 143,000 16.8 2.79
To develop character/morality 128,000 15.1 3.39
Object to what school teaches 103,000 12.1 2.11
School does not challenge child 98,000 11.6 2.39
Other problems with available schools 76,000 9.0 2.40
Child has special needs/disability 69,000 8.2 1.89
Transportation/convenience 23,000 2.7 1.48
Child not old enough to enter school 15,000 1.8 1.13
Parent’s career 12,000 1.5 0.80
Could not get into desired school 12,000 1.5 0.99
Other reasons* 189,000 22.2 2.90

The data numbers may have changed but reasons behind parent choosing to homeschool somewhat remains similar. What are your reasons for homeschooling?

10 Things to Consider Before you Start Homeschooling

Homeschool Reference Books for Parents

Getting Started

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Homeschool Curriculum Homeschool Parenting Tips Homeschool-Family Homeschooling tips

Yes, You Can Homeschool Your Kids

Often times, I meet a mom who is frustrated at her kids and schooling systems but does not know what to do. Many parent  do not think they can home school their kids, some may think you need a special education degree or child development degree to start homeschooling. That is not true. Did you know many private schools have some teachers who do not have teacher’s degree also, but they are great teachers. So you can be too.

If you are new to homeschooling check out;

New to Homeschooling

Homeschooling Resources

Homeschooling curriculum Reviews

There are many myths and confusion about homeschooling out there, and I was one of them until I started to homeschool by 2 year old at home a few years ago. Now, I have learned a lot and this website is created for many parents such as you to show you yes, you can homeschool too. Please see our homeschooling tips and homeschooling faq articles;

If you still need further proof that you can homeschool your children, see these two videos created by HSLDA which stands for Home School Legal Defence Advocate. They are leading legal avenue for many US and International Homeschoolers to make sure you can legally and comfortably homeschool your child for your local state or country. After seeing these two videos, I can assure you you will see the way, many homeschooling parents will do. Good luck and if you have questions, ask away in comment section.

You Can Homeschool : Part 1

You can Homeschool : Part 2

Did that help? Any questions, ask in comment. Believe in yourself, You can home school, really!

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Why Parents Choose To Homeschool

There are many people who are homeschooling their kids at home via independent studies, charter school or other legal ways to homeschool a child at home. Often time, many parent of public going kids also supplement education via private piano, art and language classes in weekend, that is also sort of like part time homeschooling.

If you are already homeschooling parent then you know the benefits such as pros and cons of homeschooling and why you chose to do homeschooling. For those who are thinking about homeschooling or have little knowledge about homeschooling wonder why anyone would want to home school their child at home. If you are wondering this article is for you. There are many reasons parent may choose to home school a child, here are main popular reasons parents choose to homeschool a child or children at home.

Why Parents Choose Homeschooling?

Everyone’s reasons might vary a little but here are a few main reasons most parents choose to homeschool kids at home via many homeschooling methods.

1. Inadequate public school systems

In America, kids can only go to local assigned public school based on their parent’s address of home or rental places. That often means, prices of home or rental apartment are generally higher in good school district. So, if you want your child to go to very good public school, parents either has to buy a expensive house in the area or rent a place there to legally use local public school.

There are many time intra country transfer can be possible but it is surely complicated process for many. If you want your child to get a good education, you would have to either buy a expensive house in great school district or send them to equally expensive private school. If parent have more than one child, cost can add up and not every one can afford expense of private school or great public school house location.

In top of that many good to better public school systems leave much to desire for many parents, some may have budget cuts, out of date books and curriculum and other funding issues to really make it worthwhile for a few parents. So, they choose alternative education method and one of them could be homeschooling, charter school or independent studies through public school means educating at home.

2. Parent have special need child

While many public and private school have special need child related programs, but getting approved for it or custom fitting to a child may be an issue for some school district. Other problem some parents may feel is if their child is special need, they might be harassed or bullied at public school by some kids. There have been many cased of kids, not only special need but also different races, fat child, small thin child have been targeted by bullies at school. In some cases, kid’s self esteem is damaged or a few unlucky ones have killed themselves.

While many school authority and concern parents have worked hard to prevent such harassment, but still happens. Some parents therefore, want to avoid frustration of their special need child by doing one on one schooling or homeschooling which may work better for kids and themselves.

3. Having more control over Learning

If you are homeschooling, in many states in US parents still have to follow local state’s guideline on what to teach for each grade. However, many parents feel that by homeschooling their children they have more control over their learning and less focus on current trend and fashions. Many Christian and other religious parents may want to teach religion at home as many public and private school do not teach religion or moral values in a class.

In addition to some parents value art, music and other form of learning such as cooking, clay making or singing in their teaching can do via homeschooling or take extra classes when in public school as many public school do not offer many artistic education to satisfy some parents.

Reasons Parents Homeschool :

So – WHY Do You Homeschool?

Homeschooling: The Early Years: Your Complete Guide to Successfully Homeschooling the 3- to 8- Year-Old Child

Ten Great Reasons to Homeschool

The Little Book of Big Reasons to Homeschool

What is your reason for choosing to home school?

 

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Homeschooling tips

How To Answer Well Meaning People About Homeschooling

One of the dreaded thing do once you convince yourself, your spouse and children about homeschooling is answering to your well meaning family or friends about your decision. Homeschooling gets bad rap sometimes in news and other media that no wonder people are confused. While there are bad parents who may misuse homeschooling to hide their neglect and abuse, there are lot of good parents who homeschool their children for actually educating their children. It is same way there are lot of bad and good public school parents too. How you educate your child has personal choice, as long as they are learning, and have a well growing and social skills to grow in well adjusted adults.

How to Tell Friends and Family about Your Homeschooling Choice?

So, how do you answer questions from family and friends about your decision to homeschool without being judged and without argument and feeling guilt in either sides. Follow this 3 tips to share your decision about homeschooling that makes you and them feel good;

1. Tell them homeschooling is legal

Homeschooling is legal in America, Canada and many other countries. For more details see our homeschooling resources for individual state or country of your choice. Making sure what you doing is legal, will comfort your well meaning friends and family in your choice of homeschooling. If they need more convincing you can show them HSLDA website for official information for re-assurance.

Just make sure you follow the right process to register your private school, go through public school or private school independent study program or whatever specific process for your local state is. File those paper work in times, gather vaccinations or proper forms from your pediatrician and all requirements, attendance and proper records and grade for your child just to be in legal side.

2.  Tell Them Many historical and famous people were and are homeschooled

There has been many famous past presidents, novelists, scientists have been homeschooled. There are also current celebrities and famous intellectuals are homeschooling their kids in today’s world. Current president hopeful Rick Santorum believes and homeschools his kids, will smith’s kids are being homeschooled.

Read or send them our famous homeschoolers article to see how many famous, successful and smart people have done homeschooling and it worked for them and it will work for you and your children too.

3. College actually want Homeschoolers

One of the big problem many well wisher friends and family with homeschooling is that the child may not be able to go to prestigious college, or become a doctor or an engineer. Assure them that many ivy league and other colleges actually want and look for homeschooling graduates in thier colleges. Your child can become a doctor, president, engineer or whoever he/she wants to be even when he/she is homeschooled.

I have seen it personally many homeschooler really sought after in colleges, and some actually starting a college at earlier age such as 14 due to being already ahead in education. But you do not have to take my word for it, you can see article here for homeschooler really wanted by colleges or do search on yahoo yourself to share it with friends and families.

Answering Homeschooling Questions Help Sources:

But What About Socialization? Answering the Perpetual Home Schooling Question: A Review of the Literature

Homeschooling the Child with Autism: Answers to the Top Questions Parents and Professionals Ask

So – WHY Do You Homeschool?

Asking Questions, Finding Answers: A Parent’s Journey Through Homeschooling

Conclusion:

Many well meaning friends and family question and concern may seem annoying but if you truly look it, they have child’s welfare at heart to make sure he or she is succeds in education and finds a good job or career to support himself or herself when adult. Once thier concerns are answered properly, they will see it homeschooling as choice in education just as you do. And having right support from friends and families is always better than not having any.

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Homeschool FAQ homeschool-Children Homeschool-Family Homeschooling tips

Does Homeschooling Magnify The Family Issues?

Homeschooling Magnifies Family Problems (and That’s a Good Thing)

BY Jennifer Fulwiler

“Okay, guys, it’s time for today’s lessons!” I say in my most positive voice. “We’re going to start with math. Let’s look at—”

“Maaa-aaath? I hate math!” comes a voice from the peanut gallery.

“I’m bored. I don’t want to do homeschool today,” says another one.

Thus began our first day of homeschooling for the season, and it only went downhill from there. The subsequent days have been somewhat better, but I still have to fight at least one battle of wills at the homeschool table every day. I don’t expect perfect behavior, but do ask that I see a slightly better attitude than you might expect from, say, prisoners working on a chain gang. We don’t always get there. And it tests the limits of my patience every time.

After a particularly frustrating session I called a friend who is also a homeschooler, and wondered aloud if we should send the kids back to school. We had tried a public charter school for a semester last year. It wasn’t a good fit for our family for a lot of reasons—reasons that I still agreed with—but I was tempted to go back there just because I was so frustrated with the behavior problems I was seeing.

Thank goodness for wise counsel, because my friend’s response was exactly what I needed to hear. “Homeschooling isn’t causing these problems,” she pointed out. “It’s just magnifying problems that were already there.”

She was right. Before we homeschooled, I was still impatient. My kids are generally quite sweet, but we still had occasional issues with them talking back and not wanting to listen. Sending them to school didn’t solve any of those problems, it just made them easier to forget about since I didn’t have to confront them as often. Having my children’s education taken care of by someone else also led me to be relaxed—probably too relaxed—about what happened in the house on a daily basis. There was no specific goal we were trying to accomplish on a typical day, so if my requests were being ignored here and there, it didn’t feel like a big deal. But when my children’s education became my responsibility, that changed. Suddenly, there was more at stake than whether or not I had help picking up the living room floor in the afternoon—if they continued not to do what I asked them to do, it could impact their entire education.

Homeschooling isn’t for everyone (as Simcha pointed out in her recent post about the benefits of sending her kids to school). There are a lot of reasons a family might choose a different model of education, but I’ve come to think that a bad dynamic between parents and kids shouldn’t be one of them. I used to think that those daily battles of wills were a bug in the homeschooling system; now I see them as a feature. Homeschooling acts as a magnifying glass, enlarging your view of any cracks that run through the foundation of your family, thus allowing you to address them before they grow larger and deeper.

Source: http://www.ncregister.com/ National Catholic Register

Related:

Help! I’m Married to a Homeschooling Mom: Showing Dads How to Meet the Needs of Their Homeschooling Wives

Looking Backward: My Twenty-Five Years as a Homeschooling Mother