subject: How To Know If You Should Homeschool Your Kids [print this page] A quickly growing trend in America is to homeschool children. Some parents do it because they want to spend more time with their children, some because their kids have special needs, while others simply because they don't want their children in public schools. Whatever the reason, parents should not underestimate the power of the home.
The home is an entirely different environment for studying and learning than the classroom. For some kids, homeschooling can be a disaster, for others, it's the only way to go. Part of what determines the success of homeschooling is the children. If waking up early is difficult and finding the motivation to complete tasks on their own is hard, homeschooling could be problematic. If the children are naturally disciplined and work better alone, homeschooling might be a good idea.
Another factor that affects the outcome of homeschooling is the teacher, or the parent. Parents that are organized, creative, and willing try to answer their kids questions, are more likely to meet their children's needs. If parents do not know how to teach their children, and cannot keep up to date with assignments, co-opts might be a possible solution. Either way, the teacher exhibits a great amount of influence on the kids, and plays a vital role in homeschooling.
The last factor in homeschooling is the home itself. This serves as the actual classroom. The child learns, studies, and takes tests there. This obviously makes the home quite important. A home that is messy and chaotic will make it difficult for a child to remain focused. As a result, it is crucial that the home be a place where children are encouraged to study and learn. Comfy study nooks, tables free of clutter, adequate lighting, and calm music are things that can transform a distracting house to the learning environment children need.
Because the home is important in homeschooling, so does the safety of the home. While it is highly unlikely that a thief will come and steal any algebra or spelling books, they might just take a computer used for online classes. Protecting the home and ensure a safe learning environment is key to homeschooling success. There are various ways to protect a house, but the most reliable is with a home security system.
