Examining the Pros and Cons of Being a Homeschooling Mom (at least as I see them)

Well, I haven't blogged in a while because my life has been consumed by a new schedule. I have officially become a member of a small - but growing - club. I am now a homeschooling mom. It's a title that comes with a mixture of joys and challenges, and I thought I would list the pros and cons of being a homeschooling mom (or dad), as I see them at this point in my journey. I have a feeling, if I come back to this list in a few months, I'll want to make some changes.

Well, here are the CONS, as I see them:

• You need to be organized and scheduled- more so than I am naturally.
• You need to be flexible. Being too organized and rigid will suck the joy out of the experience for you and your child. Inflexibility essentially squanders the freedom you have to enjoy as a homeschooling parent.
• You have to give up a good portion of your time. You need to be available to your child during "school time", and you need to spend time preparing for your lessons, as well.
• You need to find a way to occupy younger siblings who are not yet in school.
  
• Homeschooling is not free. No matter how you do it (and there are many ways), you do have to put out some money. We've put out about $500 for this year, and we pay approximately $50 per month for our son to attend a local homeschooling academy.
• You have to make a conscious effort to give your homeschooled children time to play with and be with their friends, since they won't be seeing them everyday on the school playground.
• People will think you're a weird, reclusive, religious zealot, and that you want to shelter your child from reality. (And maybe some people who homeschool ARE like that, but not me.)
• You may get disagreement from family and friends regarding your decision to homeschool.
• Many people (perhaps even your spouse) will have no idea what your day-to-day experience is like and be able to share in your passions and your frustrations as a homeschooling parent.
• When you have a rough day, homeschooling can be emotionally exhausting.
• Homeschooling takes up space in your home. You need a space to work and a space to store all your materials. This can either be a space solely dedicated to schooling, such as a "schoolroom", or a multi-purpose space. Many people use their dining room for schooling during the week and transform it back to a dining room on the weekends.
• As a homeschooling parent, your availability to get together with friends (or make appointments) during the day will be very different from that of parents whose kids are in school.

Here are the PROS, as I see them:

• You have the freedom to be flexible and a linger over a topic of particular interest to your child, if desired.
• You can take vacation and field trips whenever you want.
• You can keep up with your schooling a little bit over the summer if you want, so your child doesn't need an entire month of review that all school children have every September.
• Studies show homeschooled kids score better on standardized tests than public school kids. Their scores are equal to or better than private school students.
• Contrary to popular belief, multiple studies have shown that homeschooled kids tend to have a better self-image than their public school peers and are more comfortable interacting with people of all ages. They tend to model their behavior after adults rather than after their peers.
• Your child has to spend less time on his/her academics and can spend more time playing and being a kid. We do our school in about 2 1/2 hours a day.
• You can start your day at a time that suits both you and your kids. With homeschooling, it's possible to sleep in and still have a productive school day!
• Your children (if they are all at home with you) get to spend more time together and hopefully build strong, lasting relationships with their siblings.
• You get to be the one to first introduce your child to controversial or sensitive topics, such as evolution, homosexuality, and spirituality, and explain those topics from your own worldview.
• You get to spend more time with your kids than a parent whose kids are in traditional school.
• You can accommodate your child's unique needs and temperament. If your child is fidgety, you can let him/her stand and do their work. You can take breaks when your child needs it. If your child has trouble staying focused, you are there to help him/her to stay engaged - something that is difficult for a teacher in a large classroom.
• You can move at your child's pace.
• You get to experience the joy of seeing your child learn and the confidence that comes with it.
• Your child has more time for sports and extracurricular activities than children who are in school all day and then have homework in the afternoons.
• You get to learn new things, too!
• It will warm your heart to hear your child say, "Are we having school tomorrow? I love school!"
• Besides helping your child to acquire knowledge, you can really challenge your child to think and analyze (something which I feel, as a former public school teacher, is severely lacking in our schools).
• As a homeschooling parent, you have more opportunities to work on character development with your child because you are with him/her more.
• As homeschooling has become more popular, there are a wide-variety of resources available for homeschooling families such as co-ops, academies, support groups, businesses and museums that offer special activities/classes for homeschoolers, and a wide variety of homeschooling methods and curricula. The sky's the limit!
• If you find the curriculum and resources that suit you and your children, homeschooling can be fun and rewarding for all!