I recently came across a discussion where the mother was nervous about introducing the idea of homeschooling to her publicly schooled student. She was afraid he would miss going to school. She was also afraid he would be resistant to homeschooling.
Well, the first thing she needs to do is go ahead and talk to the child. It doesn’t make sense to fret over a conversation that hasn’t happened yet. In my experiences when a parent has introduced homeschooling to a child, most have responded very positively and in most cases cannot believe their luck in getting to have their education at home.
Of course, I am aware of students who were also resistant to homeschooling. The way to approach such a problem, in my opinion will depend on the age of the child.
When it comes to preschool and elementary school, the decision to homeschool should be solely made by the parents. Children in this age bracket may or may not be happy about the decision, but as parents it is your job to made hard decisions that are in your children’s best interest. Older kids beginning in middle school should at least be willing to try homeschooling. Once you get a child to a certain age, drastically changing their entire lifestyle (and homeschooling is a lifestyle) can destroy the relationship between parent and child. Don’t let this worry you however, because it few teens turn away the chance to homeschool. In fact, it is common for teens to ask parents if they can homeschool.
If you are attempting to convince your child that homeschooling can work well for them, you may want to introduce it as a trial with a set time period where you will decide if they should continue or go back to school. During that trial time, (and after) you should make sure that your child’s homeschooling experience is fruitful and enjoyable. Find a curriculum or program that will keep them on track academically, as well as activities that will give them plenty of social activities. Choose an activity that they will be sure to enjoy like a theater group, a dance troop, or a sports activity. This will show them that homeschooling enables them to give more time to activities they enjoy.
*Have a question about homeschooling? Just ask.
* Have you seen the homeschooling curriculum glossary?