I read an article yesterday called The Downside to Homeschooling. It was juvenile at best, taking the “S” word issue (socialization) and shoving it in the readers face. In the author’s defense, she also wrote an article entitled The Pros of Homeschooling. It was surface as well.
In response to that article I would like to address some real issues that can make homeschooling difficult.
1. Parental Capability: They say that a computer is only as good as the programmer. It is also true that the homeschooled child only has the potential that the parent offers. I am not talking about knowledge base, but access to information and necessary instruction. In cases where parents are not willing, or able to provide for the academic, emotional, and even spiritual needs of the child, there is a chance they child might do better in school. Although, I have to point out that these are the same kids who do poorly in school. (These inabilities could be due to physical or mental illness, or just bad parenting.)
2. Responsibility: Parents of publicly educated children can blame the schools, teachers, and administrators for their child’s failure. Homeschooling parents have no one to blame but themselves. The good news is that having such a responsibility on their shoulders generally makes the parents step up to the plate.
3. Financial: Because homeschoolers in most states do not have the benefit of public money, they have to come out of pocket for educational and enrichment activities for their children. In addition to that, by paying taxes they are not getting the benefits of their own money. While it can hurt the pocketbooks of many families, this fact is accepted as unavoidable. Besides, creative parents form co-ops to lessen the financial burden of their child’s educational, physical, and social enrichment.
4. Life circumstances: These past years, I have seen several homeschooling families learning activities come to a proverbial halt because of life circumstances. These life circumstances included death, and serious illness. In normal circumstances, the child would be able to go to school to get a change of pace, in the face of such devastating sadness. Instead, they are intensely aware of all the tragedy. While difficult, I do not know that this is necessarily bad for the child in the end. The child experiences life as it happens, has the opportunity to halt the homeschool program for a while, when they are surely not up to it anyway. (many kids do poorly in school during these times) As life returns to normal, the children can pick up where they left off without an academic hit to their program.
5. Attitudes of others: In no other circumstances do strangers feel it is their duty to openly discuss and put down a child’s education, in front of the child. Homeschooling children have to deal with being forced to defend their education, or watch their parents defend their education to strangers. It is quite absurd really, and just as annoying and disrespectful as touching a pregnant woman’s stomach. These children also have to deal with friends and relatives who are disagree and often publicly ridicule them and their family. Fortunately, this teaches kids at a young age that the popular choice is not always the best choice or the right choice for them.
These are the cons to homeschooling as I see them. I am curious as to what my readers think. Do you have any homeschooling cons that are unique, and or real?