Home Schooling

My family has just started our sixth year of home schooling. When we hear how other families prepare for the first day of traditional school, we're reminded that we have made the right decision for us.

My children never worry about whether their teacher will like them or not, what the other kids will be wearing, or who their friends will be this year.

Home schooling can be a wonderful experience, if it's the right choice for you, and if you are prepared for it. However, I've met a lot of parents who start out thinking home schooling will be great, but are pulling their hair out and ready to quit before the first year is over.

Here are five questions to ask yourself, before you make the decision to home school your own children.

1. Are you willing to take sole responsibility for your child's education? When you homeschool, the parents assume 100% of the responsibility for their child's education. Even if you engage other resources to help educate your child, it is up to you to find those resources, and make sure they're meeting your child's needs.

2. Is your family ready to be together all day, every day? Increased "togetherness" can be draining if you're not prepared for it. Most home schooling families find that home schooling has a positive effect on family relationships. Over time, many parents and children grow to enjoy being together. However, if you look forward to your kids going to school each day so you can have time alone, home schooling will change all that.

3. Do you have the energy to home school? You'll spend more energy home schooling than sending children to school. Besides teaching your children, you'll need to keep involved with home school activities, opportunities, teaching methods and ideas - not to mention staying current with home schooling legislation.

4. Are you ready for your home to look different? A few years ago, we had a realtor evaluate our house. One of his comments was, "You have a lot of... stuff..." He was right. Our house is filled with, not only the regular items you'd find in a busy household, but with our current activities, school books, and ongoing science projects. If you like to keep everything uncluttered, you may find home schooling hard for this reason. Some people find that having their home school take over their house is much more difficult than they expect.

5. How do you handle criticism? When you home school, you need to be prepared for some intense criticism from your family, friends, and society. You can prepare yourself by arming yourself with information and remembering why you home school. However, if you're someone who like to please others, and others' opinions are important to you, their criticism of your new lifestyle could be painful.

Before you decide to home school, consider your decision carefully from every angle. If home schooling still sounds good to you, it might just be the right decision for your family too.