subject: Home Schooling Information - 4 Home Schooling Considerations [print this page] There's no question about it - home schooling has become a popular alternative to the public school system. But before you jump on the bandwagon, here's some important home schooling information you should consider first.
1. It's Your Creation
Some states have regulations about how many hours a day you must home school, and how many days a week. Overall, however, you have incredible flexibility in how you decide to set up your schedule. Some parents prefer to get all the schooling done in the morning, others in the afternoon. Primarily you want to create a learning environment that encourages your child to function at his or her best.
2. Taking Advantage of Your New Environment
Most of us grew up in a public school environment. If we struggled with a subject, too bad. There was a classroom full of other children who were ready to move on. And if we were fascinated by a subject, we had to wait for everyone else to catch up. That all changes in a home school environment.
If your child is struggling with a subject and needs more time with it, you have the freedom to slow down and give him or her that extra time. And if your child finds a particular subject of great interest, you have the freedom to foster that interest.
Take advantage of these opportunities. Move things around on the schedule if need be. Take more field trips if need be. Encourage your child's fascination with learning more about the world.
3. The World Is Bigger Than The Classroom
One of the benefits of home schooling your child is creating a strong family bond. Look for learning opportunities outside of the house that involve other family members. A trip to the museum, for example. Or a family vacation that includes historical monuments and locations. Or a day with the grandparents, who share what it was like growing up in their time.
4. Encourage Creativity
Group think is expected in the public school system more than ever before. If you think differently than your teacher, you're an outcast. If you draw outside the lines, you're doing it wrong. If you find another way to arrive at the correct solution, you aren't learning it right.
By our very nature, we're creative beings. We learn by trying. Yes, we make mistakes. But we also make discoveries.
Allow your home schooled child to make his own mistakes and discoveries. Encourage them! They will prepare your child for adulthood better than a stack of textbooks from the floor to the ceiling.
There's an abundance of considerations when you first begin to explore the idea of home schooling your child. These four home schooling information points are meant to introduce you to the bigger picture.
