When considering to home school your children, there are may pros and cons to be aware of. These may apply to both you and your children. Here are some to consider.
Pros:
* Your children will learn what you want them to learn. They will not be influenced with the bad manners and behavior that seems rife in many school situations.
* You will not be constantly spending time and resources on unnecessary school trips and entertainment.
* Your children will not have access to the unhealthy foods at many school cafeterias.
* They will not spend a lot of their time doing activities and learning subjects they loathe.
* They will not be bullied, nor have to get up at an unreasonable hour to travel by bus to school.
* They will not be as tired…an important consideration for younger children.
* They will not be exposed to the many contagious illnesses that seem to crop up in school situations.
* Their character will develop naturally, instead of being forced into a mold of the school’s or of their peers.
* They will not feel forced to achieve – especially at exam time.
* Your children will have the gift of time – time to discover what they are really interested in doing, time to just play and daydream, an important part of growing up.
* Many notable statesmen of years gone by learned outside of a compulsory school system.
Cons:
* Socially shy children will need special attention to help them overcome their shyness.
* Because their day will be less structured at home they might find it difficult to adjust to the 9 to 5 requirements of a job as an adult.
* It may be difficult to attend to the needs of babies or pre-schoolers and teach older children at the same time.
* It may be difficult to find a quiet place to pursue projects away from a destructive toddler.
* Will they be able to learn everything they need to hold down a good job?
* Certain standards of discipline will have to be put into place by the teacher/mother, or the day could slip away in play with nothing learned.
* Some colleges don’t accept home schooled applicants.
* Children may be denied a helpful cultural trip or experience if the family is unable to travel.
* The mother will rarely have time out from her children to pursue her own interests.
* If a tutor is hired, the cost may be greater than if the child attended school.
Once you have carefully thought through these points you will have a better idea of whether home schooling is the right choice for you.
