After 10 years of homeschooling, and being asked what are the pros and cons of homeschooling. I figured maybe I should share them with you. Ready?
I love homeschooling. Just thinking about it makes me smile. I can talk about homeschooling forever and ever. Which is one of the reasons I started blogging in the first place? My friends, family, and husband were getting tired of hearing me yakking on about it.
That said, homeschooling definitely has its “days”. You know those days where you are thinking that the shiny yellow bus is looking pretty good right about now. If you aren’t there yet, just wait until you hit the teenage years.
Number one:
Pro: As a homeschooler, you get to follow your child’s interests and dreams. You get to pick the curriculum, field trips, etc. It is your school you get to choose!
Con: Because you get to follow their dreams you might end up doing Geology for 3 years in a row. Gems and the stages of rock development were really interesting in the first year. In year two was still kinda interesting, by the 3rd year enough about the rocks people. Did I mention a bonus is my house will never ever blow away even though it is a mini home? I can thank my kids for that one.
Number two:
Pro: You are with your child all the time. You get to see all the wonderful learning, the delight in the discovery of new things, new adventures and you don’t miss anything.
Con: You are with your child all. The. time. You see every tantrum, every flaw, and you get to live with it day in and day out. Whew!
Find out the pros and cons of #homeschooling from a #working #homeschoolmom Share on XNumber three:
Pro: Homeschooling allows your child to learn anything they wish, the sky is literally the limit or actually the universe! Anything they want to learn is out there. The bonus you get to pick!
Con: If you happen to forget to teach them something you can’t blame the teacher. You are the teacher! I just discovered after “teaching” French for 3 years I forgot to teach them the ABCs. Hello??
Number four:
Pro: You are the main “example” in your children’s lives, ya! All your good qualities, routines, and habits you have worked so hard for will be passed on to your kids!
Con: You are the main “example” in your children’s lives. Uh oh! All those qualities you are trying to work on fixing, bad habits and more your children will pick up. Yikes!
Number five:
Pro: You get to choose the schedule and style that is best for you, your child and your family. If you are a stay at home mom homeschooler, working homeschooler, working at home homeschooler, traveling homeschooler, etc. you can find and design a schedule that works for you!
Con: You need to stick to this schedule! Making sure it is if flexible enough for you for emergencies and life when it gets in the way. No one will make you stick to it but you!
As you can see after 10 years of homeschooling many of the pros are also cons. Just like any job, there are great things and not so great things about homeschooling.
As parents, it is awesome that we get to follow their dreams but we also want to be sure we are giving our children lots of opportunities to learn and are equipping them for life!
With your children home you never ever miss a thing! You need to be sure that you have a plan in place when this becomes just a bit too much, be it a walk, sending them outside on a scavenger hunt or getting up early enough to have a few minutes to yourself. Your sanity will thank you.
As the prime example in their lives, we need to continue to work on our own flaws. We also want to show them that doing so takes courage, strength and sometimes failing. Showing them how to say, “I am sorry” and then continue on in this endeavor is a powerful lesson they will continue to remember for years.
We also want to be sure they are getting out and enjoying the company of a variety of people and a variety of experiences.
Homeschooling takes love and courage. Homeschooling takes patience. And coffee….loads and loads of coffee!
Let’s Chat:
What are some of the pros and cons of homeschooling your kids?
Hello! My name is Jen and I am a working homeschool mom of two who blogs over at Practical, By Default. I am excited to be here to talk about the pros and cons of homeschooling. After 10 years I have seen the good, bad and the ugly! Thanks also to Crystal for inviting me to contribute to her site, I am so excited to be here.
