What is homeschooling all about, anyway?
The term “homeschooling” refers to choosing to educate children at home, rather than in a public or private school. Usually one or both parents act as “teachers”, although not in the same way as a classroom teacher. Yes, it is completely legal in all fifty states. In fact, it would be illegal or even unconstitutional to deny parents the right to choose where, how and what their children are taught.
Homeschooling provides a personal and individualized educational experience for the child. Children learn faster and more when they receive personal interaction from a parent or guardian. Parents care more about the individual success of each child because it is YOUR child, no one loves your child more than you.
Anyone who is homeschooled will tell you that experience builds a closer relationship between all members of the family. There are very few problems for teens and parents to get along, and each child learns to contribute to the family as a whole. They are learning to interact with people of all ages, how the real world works, rather than being forced to form an unnatural group where everyone is the same age.
There are as many different ways to homeschool as there are homeschooling families. Each family will develop their own system, routine, rhythm, whatever works best for them. This does not mean that you have to know everything before you start. Most families will research many theories, curricula, etc. different, and then they will try what appeals to them. If something doesn’t quite work for them, they try something else. There are no hard and fast rules.
This highlights one of the main advantages of homeschooling, namely that the methods used are chosen to best suit the child’s learning style and needs. When a particular topic is too easy, you can move on. When a child needs to spend more time learning a skill, he can take the time he needs. In a traditional classroom, the teacher must keep everyone doing the same thing at the same time, which bores those who are proficient in the skill or leaves behind those who need extra attention. This feature of child-centered, self-paced homeschooling is a great draw for many.
No special skills or training is required for homeschooling. You are teachers simply because you are parents. The requirements for homeschoolers vary from state to state, but I am not aware of any state that requires any special certifications or degrees for homeschooling parents. Also, most education study courses apply to traditional classrooms and handle 20 or 30 students at a time. They don’t really focus on individualized teaching. There are many resources available to help parents who have no homeschooling experience. For example, the curriculum we’ve been using (now in our sixth year) provides me with a daily lesson plan that details everything that needs to be done to learn the topic. They also have counselors available to answer any questions we may have. It would be very difficult to fail with so much help and support.
Of course, a packaged curriculum is not for everyone. But even those who create their own study plan will be able to find books, websites, support groups, and more to help them. No one needs to “reinvent the wheel” when starting homeschooling.
Wherever you are on this journey, I wish you the best. In the end, you need to figure out the path that works best for YOU, so don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.