Pros and Cons of Homeschooling
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With school starting soon, some of you might be contemplating the journey of homeschooling. Or maybe you’re curious if homeschooling is something you could handle in the future. Or maybe you are totally against it.
I was in the “totally against” homeschooling boat before my kids became school aged.
When my oldest was about to head off to kindergarten, we had him enrolled in public school. We went and toured the school. It was a great school—we actually moved to the area we were in because of the school’s reputation. But we continued to feel uneasy about our children going to public school. The class sizes were starting at 27, and we didn’t like that he would be with his classmates and teacher more than he would be with his family. So, we started looking into different options.
There was private school, homeschooling, and then we discovered a hybrid private school. Ultimately, the best decision for our family was the hybrid private school. However, I believe it’s up to each family to make the best decision about schooling for their child/family. So, schooling is going to look different for each family. You might choose public school or private school or a hybrid model or homeschooling, and that is ok—what matters is that you have your child’s/family’s best interest at heart!
With a hybrid school model, we get the “go to school” and “homeschool” experience. With so many families taking an interest in homeschooling these days, I thought it would be beneficial to share some pros and cons of homeschooling we’ve discovered over the last 6 years.
Pros of Homeschooling
Flexibility - We love the flexibility that we have in our schedule on our homeschool days. I try to have a structure to our day to help us stay on tract with our school assignments, but some days we might need a longer play break, a trip to the library, or even a few extra minutes to read before getting out of bed. Since we go to a hybrid school, we don’t have complete flexibility to take a break from school and travel whenever we want like those that choose to homeschool. Our school does allow us to travel throughout the school year, but we are responsible for completing the work for the time we will be traveling. So, not too bad.
You can focus on your child’s needs - Some children learn differently than others. Some children grasp a particular concept faster than others. Some children need a little more time to catch on. And some children need a little extra learning support. All of those needs are difficult to meet when it’s 1 teacher and 27 students. When it’s just you and your child, then you are able to see and understand their strengths and challenge them when they need it, and vice versa, you will also pick up on their weaknesses and find ways to support them.
You choose the curriculum - This isn’t necessarily true in a hybrid school model. The curriculum is chosen for us and the teacher’s lay out the lesson plans (which I appreciate), but on homeschool days I have the freedom to add to our curriculum. So, I try to enhance my children’s learning experiences by adding in fun activities about things that interest them. Currently, they all enjoy art and cooking so we have been learning about different artists and different art techniques. We have also been testing out a bunch of recipes. (I’m hoping one day they will start cooking me dinner :))
More freedom to be a kid - Homeschooling allows children to work at their own pace, which typically means they can complete their work faster than a normal 6-7 school day. Finishing work early allows kids time to do kid things - play outside, build Legos, play pretend, create with playdoh, read for fun, or play with friends.
Time to focus on good behaviors and habits - One benefit of homeschooling is that I get more time to pour into my kids the values, morals, and good habits I want them to carry with them into adulthood. For example, through homeschooling, my kids have learned to be independent. They take responsibility for their school work—I give them a checklist of assignments and they make sure it is complete. This independence has translated into other parts of their life—making their breakfast, choosing healthier foods, or completing chores.
You get to bond with your child - Homeschooling has been a sweet time to bond with each child. I get to learn about their interests, strengths, weaknesses, creative skills, and passions. I thought my kids were just clones of my husband, but over the years I’ve found bits of me within each of them. I’ve also discovered that they are each their own person with unique skills and gifts.
More family time - The saying, “the days are long, but the years are short” is so try to raising kids. Homeschooling has allowed us to soak up family time. They will all leave the nest one day so having that time together now is precious.
Cons of Homeschooling
It will feel like a full time job especially in the early years - Homeschooling is a full-time job. You are responsible for deciding the curriculum, figuring out the best method of teaching your child, developing the best routine for you and your family, and figuring out how and when to adjust things. It is mentally and physically a lot especially in the early years when your child is fully dependent on you to instruct them in learning to read, count, and everything else. It does get easier though as they get older and become more independent—you will begin to be more of a tutor.
You and your child might butt heads - It’s hard to separate the title of teacher and mom and this can lead to conflict. Your personalities might clash because you are so similar. It might be hard for your child to see you as a teacher because they know you as their mom. But maybe that’s a good thing too because they trust you more than they would a classroom teacher.
Not knowing how to support any learning struggles that arise - Every now and then a child needs a little extra support and it can feel overwhelming when you aren’t quite sure how or what to do to help your child. Don’t be put off though, public schools offer learning services to homeschooled students (at least they do in GA).
Can be pricey - Years ago I knew families that wanted to choose homeschooling because they thought it would be cheap, but I think they forget about buying all the curriculum for each child. That can add up! I’m sure you can do it cheaply by creating your own curriculum, but that is a HUGE time investment. So, as long as you understand what you are getting into financially or time-wise then you will be prepared.
Being too lax about finding social opportunities - This is one of the benefits of choosing a hybrid model for me. I am very comfortable in my home bubble, and forget to seek out opportunities to be social. So, if we weren’t doing a hybrid school then my kids’ opportunity to meet friends and learn social skills would probably suffer.
Unfortunately, homeschooling can’t be all rainbows and sunshine. But for our family, the pros outweigh the cons. For your family, that might be different or maybe just different in this season.
