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If you are thinking about homeschooling and have told just about anyone odds are you have dealt with people trying to put doubts in your mind. You may be asking yourself “is homeschooling right for me?”
The truth is that when you’re just starting out or even just tossing around the possibility of homeschooling your children, the whole idea can seem incredibly overwhelming.
There’s a lot to think about, a lot of decisions to make, and you may find yourself wondering if you’re cut out to be both your child’s parent and their teacher. So, let’s take a look at a few things that will help you decide if homeschooling is a good fit for you and your family.
Why are you thinking about homeschooling?
Are your reasons enough to keep you going when it gets tough? Good reasons to homeschool for many families include that homeschooling is a better fit for general family life, the local schools are not a good fit, or the child’s individual needs require more freedom and personalized education.
While friends of yours may make homeschooling look like fun, simply choosing to homeschool because they do won’t give you the motivation to keep going on the hard days.
What are your goals as a homeschooling family?
Do you want to help your child catch up where they fell behind in school? Maybe you want to give your child the chance to fall in love with learning so they can explore and learn on their own? Help your child find more time to follow their passion and dreams for life?
Homeschooling gives you the opportunity to do all of these things and more!
Follow your child’s lead and let them learn at their own pace. You can easily skip ahead when certain topics are mastered easily and spend extra time on those that need it.
If you’re looking for a one size fits all approach, homeschooling may not meet your needs, but if you’re looking to tailor your child’s education to their needs, interests, and abilities, it might be exactly what you’re looking for!
Do you like learning new things?
The undeniable fact is that teaching your own children will require you to learn more than you ever learned when you went to school.
So often people will tell homeschool parents that they are unqualified because they do not know everything their children will need to learn before they start homeschooling.
The simple truth is that teachers in schools don’t know everything either. They’re learning new things every day just like you will be while teaching your child.
If you love learning and want to instill that love of learning into your child, you will do just fine.
Are willing to ask for help when you need it?
Homeschooling is rewarding but that doesn’t mean that it comes without some challenges.
Sometimes you will need to speak up and seek a little help to ensure that your child receives the best education. This could be asking for curriculum advice in a homeschooling group or even looking for a tutor to help with a subject that you struggle with.
Whatever the case may be, it’s important to remember that while homeschooling can be an amazing experience and can allow you to truly tailor your child’s education to them as an individual, it may not be for everyone or even for every season.
There may be years where you homeschool and other years that your children spend in public school. You may choose to homeschool through graduation or you may decide that public or private school is a better choice. Either way, it’s important to look at your family and together, decide whether or not it is the best option for you.
