What are your thoughts on home-schooling?

In homeschooling, a parent or a guardian serves as the main instructor. It can be a little too tedious at the beginning but when you have finally adjusted, everything will run smoothly. You just have to establish a routine, not necessarily a “fixed” schedule which by the way did not work for us.

It is possible to homeschool your kids while you are working especially if they can study on their own and requires minimum supervision. You can plan their activities and tell them that you can discuss the lessons which they find difficult as soon as you get home. On the contrary, if you have younger kids, perhaps, aged 4-7 years old, they might need a lot more attention/supervision when studying.

You do not need a lot of time to homeschool. We only spend around 3-4 hours each day for my 3rd and 6th grader. That is an advantage we get to enjoy because we can start and finish anytime, plus, we are not confined to study based on the books because we feel that it is more important to learn life skills such as doing the chores, maintaining our garden, budgeting etc.

The downside is, of course, that they do not have classmates that whom they can hang out with. But actually, this is not about socialization because they can deal with different people and we try to expose them to different activities that they can learn something about.

In Australia, we have a lot of home schooling as an option over attending school grounds. From families that I have worked alongside, the biggest challenge is setting and following through on the day-to-day structure and routine. It is much easier to be distracted as a student when at home and sometimes, it is easier for the parent to allow the distraction rather than get into possible power struggles (depending on your child!). Also when the curriculum can be tricky to understand, instant help is not always accessible and so, learning flow can be disrupted and this can also be frustrating at times.
Otherwise, if you and your 'student' are motivated and very organised, and if your student is fairly independent, it can be a productive learning experience and there may be time for you to work as well.
Its great to raise the concern here as then you can query all of these discussed points when/if you do apply for home schooling.

Our children have always gone to public or private schools. However, I know many homeschool families. Our church families primarily homeschool their children, so we mix with them frequently for activities and socialization.

I think that the decision has to be made based on each person's beliefs and circumstances to best fit their family's needs. Using the pros and cons that Susan so nicely outlined may help you discern what is best for your family.

I have seen success and failures in both scenarios. I also know families who send some of their children to public school for various reasons but keep some at home. Once again, there are individualized reasons for this. Child personality type, need for special services, parental involvement commitment, safety, and religious or moral beliefs all come into play in such a decision.

What fits your child and family best may answer your question. You can always give it a try and go from there. As your circumstances change, so may the school plan.

I wish you the best in this tough decision.

Our children have always gone to public or private schools. However, I know many homeschool families. Our church families primarily homeschool their children, so we mix with them frequently for activities and socialization.

I think that the decision has to be made based on each person's beliefs and circumstances to best fit their family's needs. Using the pros and cons that Susan so nicely outlined may help you discern what is best for your family.

I have seen success and failures in both scenarios. I also know families who send some of their children to public school for various reasons but keep some at home. Once again, there are individualized reasons for this. Child personality type, need for special services, parental involvement commitment, safety, and religious or moral beliefs all come into play in such a decision.

What fits your child and family best may answer your question. You can always give it a try and go from there. As your circumstances change, so may the school plan.

I wish you the best in this tough decision.

I am a big supporter of homeschooling, especially for large families. But it is not for everyone. As parents, you have to be 100% committed to the decision, and recognize that it will be a HUGE adjustment for you and your kids.

Here are some pros and cons (for U.S. states).

Pros
1. You get to build the curriculum. As long as you meet the yearly guidelines for each grade level, you can teach each subject as you see fit. As an example, my middle schooler did her entire history of the Holocaust section by spending an entire day at a local museum dedicated to the subject. She not only learned, she retained the information because she was immersed in it, including standing in one of the actual transportation railcars.

2. You make your own schedule. No more 1/3 of the kids leave at 7am, 1/3 leave at 8am, the rest at 8:30. You're in charge. This is so helpful to an active family. You're all still going to be busy, and going in different directions, but it’s so much more manageable. The amount of hours you spend each day actually directing or guiding in lessons depends on the age of your kids and what kind of curriculum you choose to use. I would say an average daily investment could be between 3-6 hours, but it doesn't have to be all at once. And, those hours can be spent going to the local library for classes geared toward your kids' ages, so it's not just you who is teaching them.

3. Your children will learn more critical thinking skills, and get a more well-rounded education. Because you are building what they are learning, you truly can give them an fully immersive education, in every subject. They will learn how to learn, not just how to take tests.

Cons
1. You will spend more money. Even if you put together every piece of curriculum, every lesson plan yourself, prepare for a financial investment. Yes, you will be able to pass down lessons to the younger ones, but the initial cost to homeschool, because you need to make sure you are meeting your district's requirements, can be large.

2. The public school system and colleges will require that you keep meticulous records of all subjects taught, time spent on lessons, and tests administered. This is very easy to do, once you have a system in place, it's just the getting started that can be daunting.

3. Your kids will feel out of sorts for a while. Going from public school to a home setting is very challenging, especially if you have social kids. They will need a lot of space, and a lot of opportunities to talk about their feelings. Listening to them, and paying attention to their needs is going to be crucial and challenging.

As far as working while you homeschool, it can be done. I homeschooled my middle schooler and worked 30-40 hours a week, plus went to college for my own degree.

Her curriculum was self-driven, especially math and science, but I built everything else from scratch. It took a lot of work at the beginning of each year, but during the months she was schooling, I provided her a daily schedule, and she worked independently. For smaller kids, they need the interaction with others their age, and adult guidance, so if you can find a co-op group near you, they will have multiple classes to help with this. Many of these classes are parent led, so you may find yourself being a teacher of a subject you love!

Homeschooling is worth it, and so rewarding, but it’s hard work. I hope it is something you can research and find the answes which are right for your family.