Homeschooling

homeschooling works

Working, Home, and Education

Working at home and homeschooling your children may seem like a daunting task, but this article is to help you see that it’s really quite ordinary and easy to do.

More and more people are home schooling their kids than ever. I’d like to take a moment of your time to show you the pros and cons of home-schooling and how one might successfully integrate it with your work life.

Having a busy work life you may want to take advantage of this unique opportunity. Home schooling has changed drastically through the years from the perspective that children are taught directly from their parents. To the idea that given all the tools necessary they can learn for themselves with a guiding hand along the way.

With correspondence schools, you are giving your kids a formal education split up into courses, this is called a curriculum. The materials are provided by the correspondence schools and the children work with the materials.  In a way, they are learning to teach themselves with the tools provided, which is what can make a home school experience so valuable and a viable solution for working at home.

Homeschooling Internationally

Did you know, over three million children are taught right in their own homes?    In North America the option of homeschooling is much more lenient than many other countries like Brazil, China, and Germany, to name a few. Countries with a growing population base of homeschooling include Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom and United states. Some countries have chosen to ban it entirely.

A lot of people world-wide are realizing that this life style change could be the wave of the future, allowing them to adapt to a world where economic stresses are more prominent than ever.

How Will I Save?

So you got to be asking yourself what this can do for you financially.  Many people are starting to work at home, and choosing to save the money they would normally spend on daycare. They can use this same money that is being given for inadequate schooling for the kids, and use the money for specialized home care.  Your kids then receive the specialized care they should be getting in the first place; as well as the supervision and patience that your child deserves. Not to mention every year parents spend hundreds of dollars on back to school supplies. Granted you’ll still need to buy a lot of the same supplies, but you may save on the accessories and monthly expenses.

Planning for Consistency

Its important above all to be consistent in the plan. Setting up a schedule for how you’d like the plan to work and then following through. Your children need to be able to count on you, but you must also be able to count on your children. It’s a good idea to set them down and be firm on the rules and what should be done on their own. One of the biggest lessons learned by most homeschoolers is independence and how to respond maturely in their home environment.

Being able to make adjustments to your schedule is the benefit to this program, but adjust with moderation. Education and interruption rarely go hand in hand. Your children deserve consistency in their education; they thrive on learning and can do it easily given the right conditions. Remember, this is your choice… discover what works best for you as well as gets the best quality of education.

Options Available to You

The teaching tools often differ from the different correspondence schools.  There are different teaching styles that can be offered if one simply isn’t working. It is not unusual for you to mail test and quizzes across the country. The work is completed and sent back to the school for official review, graded by real teachers and sent back.  This is typical, but the methods for teaching can differ.

In one scenario they use video correspondence, where they had real classrooms on film with real teachers and classmates. The experience is very similar to a typical classroom. With this teaching style there is often a sense of connection with the remote classroom. Being on video has the added attraction that they can edit out the nonsense that you may try to avoid in regular schools, the video teachers are very personal so you may gain experience from their stories.

Another Example…

Other correspondence schools may not have the advantage of audio/video; however they can be primarily text-books for reading and filling out the related tests or quizzes. This may be okay in some classes, while other classes that are more demanding like Algebra could be a nightmare in this format.

This method of learning can be increasingly difficult to maintain a child’s interest and may require more third party involvement from the parent. So this is something to consider when choosing a correspondence school. One advantage of this type of education though is cost, so this option may depend on your budget. If you can afford it, it is recommended going with a more intuitive setup like video.

Online classes are also there for consideration with a variety ranging from chat to video conference. If using this method its advised you set up software to prohibit the use of browsing or running applications. As we all know, the internet and computer alone are a playground for distractions.

What are the Challenges?

Obstacles

The work errands are inevitable, so long as you get the ball rolling again when you return, this generally still works out. We must also consider the development of the kid, is he/she well behaved or do they act out a lot?   Home schooling may reduce these behavioral problems as your kids are taken away from other children with neglected problems. Home school can reduce the stress of your child, and in turn the stress upon you and your work. Which may also depend on the attention of your child.

Social Factors

Though there really is no substitute for interaction, with a little creativity and planning you can easily compensate for the social shortcomings, if any. Homeschooling can take up less time for your child, depending on how motivated he or she is. Most home schooled kids will finish their daily courses within a very reasonable time frame.

This gives time to work on other activities they enjoy, or to finish more school work in advance.  The added bonus of having free time could work in your favor, giving them time to be engaged in sports or hobbies that will keep them occupied while you work.

Work & Home Boundaries between Work and Home

Also keep in mind, the proximity of where you decide to work at home and the location of where your child has set up can make a difference. If you’re too close, your child may not earn a sense of independence. They have to know that they’re accomplishing this on their own. Too far away and unsupervised you’re giving them too much free reign to do things besides schoolwork. It’s healthy to set up boundaries for your child’s schoolwork. Setting aside a room and a space for their schoolwork gives it a more official tone that you may want to keep. Creating the atmosphere for school can go a long way.

What are the Advantages?

Quality Care

With all of the horror stories of incidents that go on at public institutions, it is really no wonder many people are switching to home school. Our children really are the products of our environment.   We like to coach our kids on how to dress, what to eat, what time to sleep. Yet when we send them to a public daycare provider it is important to know what kind of environment we are subjecting to our little ones.  I think most of us prefer to have as little question as possible on how our kids are being raised.  That’s where home schooling can come in, to help alleviate unwanted outside influences. The question is… do you want your children to aspire to learn to be more like you? Or the spikey haired foul mouth kid he sits next to?

Measuring Performance

They will still be required to take SAT and ACT tests to advance, you may have to locate one of these testing facilities, but the frequencies of these tests are not enough to be an issue.

This can be done in facilities designed to take on homeschoolers in large groups, but there are also more privatized setups that take fewer kids to complete the tests. These tests grade the achievement of your child to compare with other children. This will allow you to review what classes that need to be given more attention.

About Credits

Like college, you also get to choose which courses you would like your child to take this gives you more flexibility over what you want your children to learn and which order you would like them to learn it in. The individual courses then add up to equal credits, each course is worth a different amount of credits. Often they are worth one credit.  Another aspect you may be interested in is that, depending on which correspondence school you attend. Your child may be able to graduate earlier. Some correspondence schools require fewer credits than others to graduate. Generally this is equivalent to getting your GED but through a school.

Scheduling for Success

It’s also a good idea to set time tables for your kids, for example. Setting a rule that school starts at 8am and no less than X amount of hours. It’s important that some amount of order is kept. This way you can attend to your own work duties without being interrupted.

If you have multiple children it is desirable to seek the outside help of a babysitter. Even the teachers at regular schooling facilities have assistants, why not you too? The more children you have the more unpredictable your education demands become.  You may decide to reserve the babysitter for important dates on your work schedule if budget becomes a factor. However keeping in mind the money you’ll be saving in the long run it may help pay the wages of hiring the outside help.

Your work may be interrupted but with the proper atmosphere and planning, your day should amount with minimal amounts of stress, allowing you get the work you need done while your children minding their studies.

We all lead different lives and what activities we have set up throughout your day-to-day may interfere with your ability to be there for your children. If you’re in the position where you are at home for the majority of the day, the homeschooling option can be most beneficial.

Conclusion

By the end of this article I hope I’ve put your mind at ease, it’s really not that  difficult as it may look or sound.  Remember to relax and enjoy, the reason for your homeschooling is to enjoy the time with your kids and learn together. The average teacher may spend 7 hours a day teaching a dozen children. This is equal to tutoring one child one or two hours a day. Learning is always a lot easier when in a relaxed environment with one on one attention.

It’s helpful to talk to people who already have homeschooled their children. They’ll have plenty of advice to get you started. If you don’t know anyone find an online support group. Next, find out the different laws in your state or country.

Above all, you must have fun. There may be times you’re feeling frustrated, but don’t worry, homeschooling should be about learning at home. Not taking your school into your home.

Relax, be productive, and enjoy your children.