Home Schooling

Making the important decision to home school your children is not one to be taken lightly as there are many considerations to think of first as well as specific requirements to be followed to ensure your child receives the education they so rightly deserve.

Getting Started with Home Schooling

The prospect of home schooling is often a daunting one for many parents who simply don't know where to begin. However, it really doesn't have to be stressful but rather an enjoyable experience to cherish throughout your child's school age years and beyond.

The first task is learning of the legal position regarding education in the area you live. Although home schooling is completely legal, some states require that a certain number of hours or days be spent schooling. Most states have no requirements in regard to the parent's educational background, meaning you will not need a college degree to teach your child at home.

Once you have the technical aspects taken care of it's time to set goals and decide how your schedule will be. Will you keep regular school hours or work on more flexible level? This schedule doesn't have to be set in stone right away, but it is a good idea to have at least a loose guideline to follow especially in the beginning when it's often easy to stray from the task at hand.

You will also need to choose a method, or two or three, of teaching your children from home from the large number of various styles used by home schooling parents.

Different Methods and Styles of Home Schooling

Perhaps one of the absolute best things about home schooling is the opportunity to explore different methods and styles of teaching. In traditional school, a classroom is usually filled with 20 to 30 children, all of whom have their own way of learning along with individual strengths and weaknesses. It's simply not possible for teachers to spend one-on-one time with each child, working with them to iron out any problems they're having while focusing on their strong points.

With home schooling, the parent has the unique chance of observing their child's learning capacity and abilities and then tailoring their method of teaching and curriculum accordingly. Eclectic home schooling is a term coined to describe picking and choosing from all the various methods and types of teaching used by parents, guardians, and educators today.

Cottage schools and resource centers are something relatively new to the world of home schooling, but these "mini-schools" are popping up all over the nation. Also, cooperative home schools, where families or groups of people band together to educate the children at one time, are also quickly gaining in popularity around the world. With this method, parents pool their talents together and use their expertise for teaching small groups of children at a time.

This is also ideal for socialization and expanding a child's capacity to learn as they are also exposed to different cultures, ideas, and thoughts. Other options for home schooling your children include tutoring, participating in umbrella schools, which include distance learning programs, cyber schools, charter school, and independent study programs.