6 Vital Question To Ask Yourself When You Are Thinking About Homeschooling

By Author: Donald Saunders
Total Articles: 84
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Even though Homeschooling is legal in all states, the choice to homeschool your children should not be made lightly. Research and discussion are required to make a wise decision. But, how do you decide whether or not homeschooling will be right for your family?

Here are a few questions to ask yourself when looking at homeschooling as an option for your family.

1. Am I comfortable spending nearly all of my time with my children?

One of the main reasons for selecting homeschooling is often that parents simply love their children and want what is thought to be best for them. Also, they actually do like spending time in the company of their children, which is important since you will be spending nearly all of your time with them. If you find that your children can frustrate you quite easily then homeschooling may not be such a good idea.

2. Will IAm I going to find a constant stream of questions a worry?

Homeschoolers are normally confronted with a constant stream of questions about things like what curriculum they are following and about the affect that homeschooling has on their children developing ...
... sound social skills. If you elect to homeschool your children then it will help if you do not have a problem with answering the same questions more than once.

3. How do I find out everything I need to know about homeschooling?

Start by checking out books from your public library where there is more than likely an excellent selection of books that will give you everything you will need to know. The librarian may even know whether there are any homeschoolers in the area, since nearly all homeschooling parents are heavily reliant upon their library for teaching materials.

4. Is there a support system available?

Locating support groups of other homeschooling parents is extremely important and can often be done by getting online and searching for 'homeschool groups in (your city)' or 'homeschooling groups in (your state)'. Homeschooling co-ops are available in many cities as well as many opportunities for families to simply team up and have some fun.

5. What do I do if I have other unanswered questions?

Once you have located a number of families that already homeschool you need to ask them about their experiences of the pros and cons of homeschooling. The majority of people will be frank about their reasons for selecting homeschooling and will be quite happy to tell you about their experience and assist you make an informed decision. Question them about the types of problems they ran into when they started out and about things like how you should go about selecting a curriculum and whether or not you should be worried about socialization for your children.

6. Which curriculum do I follow?

The choices of curriculum open to you are staggering in both the variety available and often in the price which you will end up paying. Though you can have a 'home school' by going for books that are very similar to those used in the public schools, you can also establish a homeschool without using a fixed curriculum. The books that you found in your library earlier should have explained the various different methods and given you a good idea of exactly what your child should be studying in each grade.

If you are contemplating homeschooling your children then answering the 6 questions suggested here should assist you in making an informed decision. Although not everyone will opt to homeschool after investigating this option, if you wish to have a greater involvement in your childrens' education then homeschooling could just be a good choice for you.