Home Schooling

So you are a Mom or Dad who is sold on the benefits, both present and future, of home schooling your child. You have weighed the options, the costs and the benefits and you have decided on a course of action. Because you believe in your heart that it is the best thing you can do, you have made the brave and commendable decision to home school your child.

But what if your child is not as enthusiastic about the idea as you are? Many parents, especially those who have decided to home school after their child has been attending public or private school for a number of years, find themselves encountering resistance from the child. Usually this is due to the child feeling that he/she will "miss out" on the friendships and experiences in which the other children will be participating. What is a parent to do in a circumstance like this?

If you have definitely decided that your child will benefit more through home schooling, there is one thing you definitely should NOT do. You should not give them the, "It is my way or the highway," approach if you want your child truly benefit from the home school experience. In other words, a heavy handed, "We are doing it because I am the parent and I said so," will simply further frustrate the child who feels that something important is being taken away.

You should also not allow your child to railroad you into giving in to his/her way by throwing tantrums, acting out or other less than desirable behaviors. In these circumstances, keep your cool until the child has calmed down, and firmly reiterate that his/her bad behavior is not going to change things.

This being said, there are several things a parent can do that will help the child to not just feel comfortable with home schooling, but to enjoy and even cherish the experience, and to increase the chances of the child's success. First and foremost, sit down with the child and explain that because you are the parent, and it is your responsibility to do the best that you know how in raising your children, and because you love him/her so very much, you have carefully considered the options and have chosen home schooling as the best one.

Second, you can explain the short-term benefits of home schooling to the child. You can talk to him about working at his own pace, in the comfort and security of his own home. You can tell her about the field trips you will take, both alone and with other home schooled children and parents, that children in traditional school will not be able to do. You can explain about the fun things to be studied and learned that children in traditional school will not be able to access.

Then, you can talk to your child about the future, and how you want your child to have absolutely the best life he/she possibly can have. And that you believe that home schooling will give your child a definite head start on such a life. When your child sees and feels that what you are doing comes from a place of genuine love and caring for him, he will respond positively. Even if she does not come around right away, keep reinforcing these things, always from the standpoint of your love for her, and she will.

Be firm, but not authoritarian. Be loving, but in control. And know that in the end, standing firm for what you believe in is one of the best life examples you can ever give your child. You have made the right decision. Congratulations!

Instead of losing the 8-hour block each weekday with your children, you can instead play the role of the educator with a much more vested interest in the outcome your child's learning. Home schooling allows you to accelerate their learning process and strengthen the bond as a parent and educator. There's no worry about school bus bullies or any of the horrible violent occurrences at public school that you may have seen watching the news or witnessed in your own town.

Children who participate in home schooling have repeatedly been shown to outperform their public and even private school counterparts. The reasons are many, but foremost among them is undoubtedly the personal care a parent gives in the education of their own child. Furthermore, while religion is banned from being taught in public schools, home schooling gives parents the opportunity to teach their children moral guidance from the religion of their choice.

Long-term data shows home schooled children have a higher rate of college graduation and subsequently go on to earn more in the workforce.

With some research, deciding whether home schooling is the right thing to do becomes less the question while "What do I teach my children?" comes to the forefront.

Heritage Home School provides an easy to follow battery of educational materials that make it easy for the parent to teach and the child to learn. No step in the process can be skipped without passing each learning stage. Home schooling is not hard with a system like this; all grades, Kindergarten through 12th grade are taught.

Thankfully, there are several home schooling curriculum's available from many different sources. Among them is the Heritage Home School Academy who provides a full year's curriculum at a very affordable cost.

The Curriculum at Home

A good home schooling curriculum should include a parental guide that includes:

- Information on how to set up diagnostic testing

- Setting up personalized learning centers

- A student progress chart

- Religious materials for those that wish to include religion in their child' schooling

With these materials, a parent can basically set up their own classroom with training materials and means to track progress. With Heritage Home School's curriculum, each module of training is sent on a quarterly basis, so every five weeks new material is supplemented. To find out where your child stands in his or her learning development, a diagnostic test is sent and the parent can test the pupil.

Heritage Home School will assist you after receiving your diagnostic test back by putting together a custom-fit curriculum package specific to your child's educational needs.