Homeschool Decision - 10 Things to Consider

By Beverly Hernandez, About.com

Making the decision to homeschool is usually very difficult and not one to be taken lightly. It is a personal decision that I can't make for you, but maybe I can help in the thought process. When making the homeschool decision, consider these things:

1. Time commitment - Homeschooling tends to take up a lot of time in your day. It is more than just sitting down with books for a couple of hours. There are experiments and projects to be done, lessons to prepare, papers to grade, field trips, park days, music lessons, and the list goes on. Here are some sample schedules to give an idea of a typical day.

    

2. Personal sacrifice - The homeschool parent has little personal time or time alone. If care is not taken to set aside time for yourself, it is easy to never have time alone. Parent and child are basically together 24/7.

    

3. Financial strain - Homeschooling can be accomplished very inexpensively; however, it usually requires that the teaching parent will not be working out of the home. Some sacrifices will need to be made if the family is used to two incomes.

    

4. Socialization - More attention will need to be given to getting your children together with others. The beauty of homeschooling is being able to have more control of the social contacts your child makes.

    

5. Household organization - Housework and laundry still have to be done, but it probably won't get done first thing in the morning. If a stickler for a spotless house, you might be in for a surprise. Not only does housework need to be let go at times, but homeschooling creates messes and clutter in itself.

    

6. Both parents in agreement - It is important that both parents agree to try homeschooling. It is very difficult to homeschool if one parent is against it. If your spouse is against it at this time, try doing more research and talking to more people.

    

7. Is your child willing? - A willing student is always helpful. Ultimately, the decision is the parents to make, but if your child is dead against it, you might have a hard time of it.

    

8. One year at a time - It isn't a lifetime commitment - most families take one year at a time.

    

9. Intimidated by the teaching? - If you can read and write, you should be able to teach your children. The curriculum and teacher materials will help through the planning and teaching. Get help from others if you get stuck or hire tutors for the difficult subjects.

    

10. Why others began - It might be helpful to hear why other families chose homeschooling. Can you relate with some of them?

Are you willing to make the personal and financial sacrifices that homeschooling requires? If so, give it a year and see how it goes. Your next step? Learn how to get started. Stay up to date, read the Homeschool Blog.