Homeschooling

These were some questions that I answered on one of my favorite topics:

What kinds of experiences did you have in public or private schools before or after homeschooling?
I know several people who homeschool their kids (and it goes without saying, I know several people who were/are homeshooled). I also know several people who are public educators, as well. Right now my son is going to public school for kindergarten. But, next year I plan to start homeschooling him. And then I plan on homeschooling my daughter, Maria (who happens to have special needs). And after that I plan on teaching my youngest daughter, too.

What do you think of homeschooling?
I love the idea of homeschooling. I've been impressed by it. Most of my friends have been very successful. 'Success' is a relative term, though. By 'success' I mean that the student was successful if they have completed all requirements for their grade-level. Some homeschoolers I know have graduated from highschool (or have the equivalent) and then some have even continued on to college. My friend's daughter (who was homeschooled by her mom all her life) has just finished a semester abroad at Oxford University! Parents have success with homeschooling if they complete a year educating their child without giving up (because often a parent can get overwhelmed, disgruntled, or frustrated when teaching their own children).

Nevertheless, there are plenty of other good reasons a person decides to homeschool their child(ren). At first there is a lot to consider. Do they live in a big city, a suburb, or small country town? Is their area public school doing an adequate job of educating? Is a parent up to the task--do they want to teach comparably better? Mostly, a parent chooses homeschooling because: 1- they think they are capable of doing an adequate job teaching their own child(ren) and/or 2- they are dissatisfied with the public school. Parents may be unhappy with the academia in publics schools i.e. what and how they are teaching students (not always about morals but also in academics). Some parents thinks there is a lot of 'wasted' time in school when waiting for full class co-operation or undivided attention and when teachers offer 'busy-work' instead of excelling the student more. Students learn at different rates and learn in different ways. Some students excel in some areas than in other areas. Some students are hands-on learners while others may be visual learners, etc. The teacher often can't/don't address all the diverse learning styles of the students if the class is too large.

Why did you decide to homeschool?
The primary reasons I want to homeschool my children is that, IMO, public schools don't appropriately teach children. I want to teach my kids how to love learning. So much of the public school is about how successful teachers are at working with any given curriculum and how well students are at taking tests--teachers are left to 'input' to the students and the students must 'output' the expected response. Students are learning to regurgitate answers instead of actually engaging in their education and in the process of learning. Students don't know why they are learning or know how they are learning. If they don't know what is the importance of whatever it is they are learning, then the motivation to learn can just be for the perceived rewards of the social constructs of learning (the good grade/certificate, other people's approval, status/fame, etc.). I want my children: to be excited and to inquire about something in life that interests them; to want to research, explore and investigate the answers; and to know/learn in a meaningful way for themselves. I don't want my kids to learn to 'do/play' school, but to be aware of the opportunity to learn. For this reason, I don't want my homeschool to look like 'school' (an idea I borrowed from a philosophy called 'unschooling'). In the end, if I can offer all this to my children, then I will have been successful. :)

What are the positives and negatives of homeschooling?
So much of what is purported as a 'negative' about homeschooling actually either has a solution OR is otherwise really a reflection of the individual or a reflection of the circumstance within their homeschooling arrangements. For example: homeschooling doesn't inherently produce an environment of social deprivation; rather, a student simply has a high need for companionship or needs to refine their social skills or they are homeschooled alone or there just isn't enough people in their area--in any case, the solution is that the parent ought to come up with a creative provision for social interaction(e.g. sports, clubs, community involvement, move to where there are more people, offer more stimulus in other areas of the student's education, etc.) The negatives to homeschooling is all in how you see it, too. It's all relative because what someone might view as negative may be great and wonderful for another person (e.g. from above; some people are more focused without the social distractions of others). So be cognizant of what some people might say are negatives.

Some positives about homeschooling are that: student learns at a rate that fits them (either accelerated or gradual/unhurried rate) and in their own style; students learn the "Why"s and "How"s of learning; parents and students learn that education takes place all the time--not just during school hours; parents and students learn time management, planning and efficiency (a great skill for college!); there is, hopefully, the diminishing of 'busy-work'; students can/do learn social skills like playing/accepting others who are younger or different than themselves (at the public school, who a kid plays with is often to determined by grade-level or else they may be made fun of); students can/do learn co-operation; students learn self-study skills; parents are very closely interactive with their children's studies & education more so than in any public school; parents, children and other family members learn more about each other and can grow in love/consideration/honor/respect for each other; parents only need a high school diploma to teach their child; parents often save in cost compared to private schools; and if you were to homeschool now (as opposed to maybe 15 years ago) there is a lot of support, resource, and encouragement out there.

Anything else you'd like to share?
The crucial thing for success in homeschooling, as a parent, is to be a part of an homeschool community. You may succeed on your own, but it is hard and lonely (for you and your child/ren). To choose the right homeschooling arrangement, you have to do the research first. There are a lot of ways to do homeschool: through a charter school, a private school, independent study through a public school, independent study through a private school, or a parent can homeschool entirely on their own (but there's a lot of hard work and legal scrutiny). Once you've done your homework, then you're probably well on your way to getting connected since the homeschool community have a lot of answers, experience, and know-how.