Homeschool World Forum

[jlk123]

I am thinking about homeschooling my children. I have a daughter who is currently in 1st grade (in public school), a preschooler, a 18 month old and am expecting my 4th in the early fall.
I have some concerns and fears about homeschooling. I wondered if anyone had any advice.

1. I feel like I would pass my weaknesses on to my children and not develop their full potential in those areas.

2. How would I manage homeschooling and taking care of my younger children.

3. I've looked at the many curriclulum's available-how do you choose?

4. I have no experience in teaching, and don't know if I have the patience for it.

These are four of my main concerns-there are others-what if I don't give my children what they need...

Any advice or wisdom would be greatly appreciated!!!

[Jazzy]

It's normal to have doubts when thinking about homeschooling. I think for the most part they are fears of the unknown. Homeschooling is so different from what most of us grew up with that we aren't sure how it works and whether or not we'll be good at it. Think of it as a learning process, and just take it step by step.

As for your questions:

1. I feel like I would pass my weaknesses on to my children and not develop their full potential in those areas.

I think working with our children can actually help strengthen our weaknesses. I find that I am learning right along with my children. When I encounter areas I'm not sure about, I come to forums like this or ask others with strengths in those areas for help.

If you think about it, public school teachers have strengths and weaknesses, too and we don't doubt their ability to teach.

I also don't feel it's my responsibility to teach my children everything they'll ever need to know (that would be impossible!) but to teach them how to learn and give them the tools for learning. If I do that well, they'll be able to learn anything they need to know whenever they need to learn it.

2. How would I manage homeschooling and taking care of my younger children.

Different families handle this differently, and after a bit of trial and error you'll figure out what works best for you. I have 3 children and I usually get my oldest (a 2nd grader) started on independent work. Then I teach my kindergartener for 30 minutes to an hour, then I go back and help my oldest while the younger ones play. My 2 year old usually plays independently or sits near me and colors/plays while I teach the older children. I have some toys I bring out especially for school time that I rotate and use on different days.

When he was a baby, I would either hold him during school time or teach while he was asleep. I tried not to teach during naptime too often so I could use that time to rest. I recommend not starting school too quickly after the baby is born. You don't have to stick to a school schedule, so make sure you give yourself time to rest. You can play catch up later, or extend the school year into the summer if you need to.

3. I've looked at the many curriclulum's available-how do you choose?

I think it helps to take time to really think about your wants and needs. What type of teaching style do you prefer? What are your children's learning styles? What subjects do you want to focus on and what do you want to accomplish? How much time do you want to spend on school each day? Do you want work with your child or have your child work primarily independently?

Asking these types of questions will help you narrow down your option, as will learning about different homeschooling methods. Here's some information about choosing curriculum that may be helpful to you.

4. I have no experience in teaching, and don't know if I have the patience for it.

As a mom, you have all the experience you need to teach your child. You have been teaching since the dates your children were born. There are programs on the market with lesson plans that will show you how to handle the academic subjects.

As for patience, I still don't have much, but I have more than I did when I started homeschooling! It's something that develops out of necessity. You'll be just fine!
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[Jill]

I think all your questions are common for people making the decision. Jazzy did a wonderful job (as usual) of answering. Of course, the decision will ultimately be yours.

I will add that it is important to remember when choosing public, private, or homeschool for your child it that the decision is never permanent. If you try, give it your best shot, and it just doesn't work for your family, you can choose to put them back in school. I wouldn't suggest bouncing them back and forth between school and home, though. If you aren't willing to try for at least a full year, you may not be ready.

I had concerns similar to yours when I started (especially the patience one) and I'm a former public school teacher.

Best wishes!
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Jill
http://www.homeschool-by-design.com
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[Ophelia]

[4given]

Interesting point, Dawn. I have found that my strongest subject... math... is the very one that I have a difficult time teaching. It's almost as if I cannot fathom a time when I did not "know" math, making it difficult to convey to others. In other words, I completely understand where you are coming from.

[against home school]

In my opinion home schooling is not a good choice. I believe all it does is give parents a false sense of security. The children will never develope to their full potential, only the potential of the parent. It is a burden the children will carry with them the rest of their life.

[Jazzy]

[Theodore]

The subject of the thread is "Should I homeschool?", I think it would spoil the debate if only one side were allowed to post. Given, anti-homeschooling opinions are mostly irrational and/or based on bad information - for instance, the assumption that homeschoolers stay home all the time and don't socialize, or that homeschool parents are unable to provide at least as varied an education as the public school system. As far as extracurriculars go, parents that allow their children to do activities outside of public school are the same parents that allow their children to do activities outside of homeschool, so it doesn't make that much difference from a socialization standpoint which schooling method is being used - except that homeschoolers can do in 3 hours what the public school does in 7 or 8, so homeschoolers have more time available during the school year.

As for the specific question of potential - why would homeschooling limit you in any way? If your parents are unable to help you with high school-level material, you just take community college courses or online AP/CLEP prep courses. Homeschooling doesn't mean cutting yourself off from the world. And the fact that you can get your core homework done in less than half the time at home means you have more time to spend on your major, giving you a huge step up when it comes time for college or the business world. In real life, being average in everything isn't as good as being really expert at one thing.
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[Jazzy]

Oh sorry, Theodore. I wasn't looking to limit the debate/discussion. I just thought the original poster wanted answers to specific questions and I didn't want to take away from that by debating the merits of homeschool in general. It seemed off topic to me, but I guess "against home school" sort of answered question number one. I agree with you that most anti-homeschooling remarks are based on misinformation.
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