Homeschooling… is it right for you?

Deciding to homeschool your child or children can be a big decision. Here are some tips to see if this might be right for you and your family.

#1- If you are questioning whether or not to homeschool this might be the right choice for you.

You have to ask yourself why are you even considering it? There is a reason it has entered your mind.

#2- Do you not like the school system and how it is run?

Many parents choose to homeschool because they do not like what their kids are being taught or they just do not know what is going on at the school. If sending your child to school makes you uncomfortable, homeschooling just might be the best option.

#3- Your kid’s ages may play a role in if homeschooling is right for you.

If you have pre-school age children and prefer to teach them the basics it could be right for you. There are many curriculum options out there that you can choose to use.

Elementary aged children can be taught at home by parents fairly easily as you will understand the subjects to teach. Even as the math gets a bit tougher or the Grammar/English subjects, there is help available through Youtube videos, online sources, or even friends and family.

Middle School and High School aged children might be a bit tougher.

No matter what their age is you can homeschool. Many curriculums come with video teachers and online school requires very little parent involvement.

#4- Are you able to be a stay at home parent?

If you answered yes, this could be a great decision to homeschool. You may save on childcare costs and you really may enjoy being home all day and not having to work an outside job, however, do understand that homeschooling is WORK.

So, you can see that the choice is totally up to you. You know what? You can give it a try and see if it is a right fit. Some places offer free samples of curriculum. Give it a month or so and see how it goes. Worst case scenario, you can send your kids to school if it doesn’t go well. You can also look into hiring a private homeschool teacher if you have the money. Many of them work with your child in certain subject areas or all of them. It just depends on what you are needing.

I homeschooled my kids when they were in 4th and 9th grades. I have two boys. We had just made a cross-country move and sending them to a new school was so overwhelming for my introverted sons.

We had an amazing year and loved every minute of it. The flexibility and time we had together was priceless! I was fortunate enough that we were able to live on one income.

The following year, I was getting the itch to teach in a classroom again. So we went to a small private school where I taught second grade. I eventually moved into the principal position and decided after a couple of years that it was just too stressful.

I started my own homeschool group and taught 15 students in grade levels 2nd-12th. It was a fun year, but something was still missing. As I am now homeschooling my youngest son who is now in 8th grade, I am learning I truly missed the quality time with just my own kids. My oldest graduated last year.

As I am homeschooling again, I have learned so much. It doesn’t have to be perfect. You can mix and match curriculums, you can choose an online option Christian or public school, you can teach all of the subjects or just some and have a video teacher. There are so many possibilities. You find what is right for you.

You don’t have to have it all perfect. Just make it work for you and your child.