Since not long after our first child was born (Jamie - now four years old), I've pondered from time to time the option of homeschooling our kids instead of sending them to regular public school.
There are of course plenty of pros and cons with homeschooling, and here are some of each that I've contemplated up to this point:
PROS OF HOMESCHOOLING
- The chance to have a very hands-on role in my children's education
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Education that caters to my kids' particular interests, strengths and weaknesses
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Creating a bilingual learning environment for our kids (my wife is Korean and our kids have dual citizenship)
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Avoiding for my kids some of the things I particularly disliked about regular school - the sense of indoctrination, the pressure to conform, being a faceless number, and "keeping up with the Smiths"
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The chance to create a highly flexible and innovative learning program for my kids, drawing on things like collaborative technology
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Helping my kids "fly" in areas that particularly appeal to them
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Letting my kids become very independent in their own learning processes
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Being around my kids more often than my own parents were around me (I guess!)
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Possibly cheaper or more cost-effective than regular schooling?
CONS OF HOMESCHOOLING
- Finding the right amount of time to dedicate to it
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Maybe not enough "time out" from our own kids!
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Risk of passing on my own subject area deficiencies or dislikes
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Too much isolation from other children of the same age / not enough chances for them to socialize face to face (this is the hugest concern for my wife and I!)
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Are we as parents actually capable of educating our kids to the standards necessary for university entrance (and if the kids later decide they want to go to regular school, will they be at any disadvantage)?
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Perhaps a sense that there is not enough of a clear line between home for relaxing/playing and a place for learning (not sure this one counts so much)
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Social stigma? - Will our local community consider us to be anti-social weirdos?
Well, there are some of the ponderings I've gone through so far. I know there are a lot of websites and resources out there for homeschoolers, but for now I'd like to just invite comments from other netizens...
Do you homeschool your children? How is it going?
What have the pros and cons been for you and your children so far?
What do you make of the pros and cons I've come up with here in this blog post?
Any resources or links you'd recommend for other people considering homeschooling?
All comments warmly welcomed!
:-)
