I got a really good question in my email box today, so I thought I would share it with you.
As a teacher, I am just somewhat curious about his one…
We have several parents that go back and forth from homeschooling to public school. How do you feel about swapping back and forth between the two from year to year?
I do not like it at all. I assume that teachers do not much care for it either. If you read my blogs The Dangers of Short Term Homeschooling (Part I), then you know that I think such inconsistency is bad for the child, the teachers, and the parent. If you read and The Dangers of Short Term Homeschooling (Part II), then you know that I feel the only time short-term homeschooling is Ok is during an illness or “give it a try”. Another really good reason to homeschool for just one year would be an extended family vacation or a parent working in another country. The uniqueness of the experience would negate any negative affects. However, waffling back and forth between homeschool and school, and back to homeschooling, and back to school again, based on a whim, is just a bad idea.
To begin with, using homeschooling as a crutch to avoid certain teachers or for a short change of pace is actually an abuse of homeschooling. Doing so, is just using the title of homeschooling, while not actually being committed to the endeavor. Here is an illustration:
A child wants some apple pie. Therefore, mom gathers together all of the ingredients and together they assemble the pie and put it in the oven. Then, mom decides that they should have a store bought pie instead. She goes to the store, and picks up the pie and they have a little piece, and it is good, but not really what they wanted, so they once again begin gathering all of the ingredients for a new home made pie. But making the pie is hard work, so again, they decide that the store bought pie might be better, so they go back to the store to get a new pie.
This is what not being able to commit to homeschool or public school does. It gets you all worked up and ready to enjoy the pie you have created with your own hands (homeschooling), only to end up with a store bought pie (public school), which you decide you are not happy with, only to start making a new pie all over again (homeschooling). At some point, you just need to sit down and eat the pie!
There can be no progress when you are going in circles. Parents really need to commit to one or the other, so that the child can move forward with his or her education.
*Have a question about homeschooling? Just ask.
*Want to know more about homeschooling? Start with the 2006 homeschool blog in review!
* Have you seen the homeschooling curriculum glossary?