Home schooling has become a popular choice over the past two decades. In fact, the US Department of Education estimates that about two million families are currently holding home schooling classes for their children. If you are considering skipping traditional schools but are not sure this is the best choice for your child, here is a quick overview of the pros and cons of home schooling.
PROS
- Control. One of the biggest allures of home schooling is the ability of choosing what your child learns, when he learns it, and at what speed. This includes favoring certain subjects over others, creating your own schedule, holding classes outdoors if you like, and even taking vacations any time you want without worrying about missing classes.
- Freedom. Home schooling allows parents the freedom of educating as they see fit, and children the freedom of not having to mold to social standards. One of the reported benefits of home schooling is the lack of peer pressure kids experiment in traditional school. It also gives parents the option of giving more or less homework according to family situation. If it's a particularly stressful or difficult time, children get a break along with the parents.
CONS
- Hard work. Home schooling means less stressful environments for the children, but a lot of additional work for parents. As parents become teachers, they have to deal with planning, organizing lessons, taking field trips, and correcting work. This can be especially taxing when combined with a full-time job.
- No breaks. No matter how much you love your children, sometimes it's a good thing that you get a break from each other. Home schooling means you don't get much time for yourself, unless children are involved in a variety of out-of-home activities, such as sports or music or language lessons.
- A lot of questions. You will also get some disapproval. People won't understand why you're doing this and they will question if this is the best thing for your child. Even if you don't care about other people's opinions, it can get tiring to hear the same thing over and over.
