{This week’s Spotlight on the Crew article is brought to you from Laura, at My (re)Viewpoint}
In 2010, over two million children were being homeschooled in the US, and this number continues to grow exponentially every year. It sometimes seems, though, as if there are just as many families who express an interest in homeschooling, but rule out the idea before giving it serious consideration. For those unfamiliar with homeschooling, the mental obstacles to becoming a homeschooling family can seem overwhelming. What those not already in the homeschooling world don’t understand, though, is that for every possible objection, there is an answer. There are just as many different ways to homeschool as there are homeschooling families.
Objection #1: I am not patient enough to homeschool.
I’m here to tell you that patience is not a requirement. God called you to be a parent in spite of your lack of patience. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that parenting has taught you more patience than you ever thought possible. Remember, He doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies the called. God will give you the necessary grace to do your job as a parent and as a teacher. Will you become instantly patient? No. If impatience is one of your crosses, will you likely struggle with it every day? Of course, but lack of patience is no more a reason to eschew homeschooling than it is to eschew parenting.
Objection #2: I’m not qualified to homeschool.
Whether your main issue is that you don’t feel you have enough education yourself, or you feel like teachers require special training that you lack, all it takes is an afternoon of web browsing to realize that you don’t need any kind of education or training to homeschool. Homeschooling has completely entered the 21st century. From YouTube videos to formal online curriculum choices to discussion forums too numerous to list, there is no homeschooling course or question that is out reach of the homeschooling mom. You can find answers and assistance everywhere.
Objection #3: I can’t afford to homeschool.
Homeschoolers budget anywhere from zero to thousands of dollars for each homeschooling year. You truly can spend as much or as little as you desire. Is it possible to homeschool for free? Absolutely. A list of free homeschool materials is outside the scope of this article, but a web search will turn up thousands of results. Websites like edHelper and Enchanted Learning offer enough free content to keep your preschoolers and young elementary students learning for years. With a small fee (around $20), you can upgrade to the full site and get much more material.
For high school students, free online college courses are easily available. Your homeschooler won’t get college credit, and some content may be too secular for some homeschoolers, but it’s a great free way to learn everything from art history to math to literature. Money should never be the thing preventing you from homeschooling!
Objection #4: I don’t want my children to end up weird/unsocialized.
Given that I was public schooled my whole life, I think it is fair to say that being homeschooled is not the prerequisite for weirdness; it seems to be a predetermined trait. Seriously, though, homeschooling today is different from homeschooling of yesteryear. Homeschooled children often enjoy more activities, more field trips, and even more one-on-one or small-group time with friends than do their public schooled peers. Think about homeschooling as providing all of the positive socialization your kids need with none of the negative. Is it true that you may need to work a little bit to make sure that your children are around other children? If you’re introverted like me, it’s definitely possible. However, you very quickly find that between sports, church, and afterschool activities, your children get all of the socializing they require.
Objection #5: We both have to work to support the family.
I know that the need to bring in enough income to support the family is a hugely pressing one, and that trying to figure out how to homeschool on one income can be hard. For some, it truly is an impossibility. In many cases, though, it is possible to homeschool your children even with both parents working. I know of more than one homeschooled family in which one parent works days while one works nights in order that they can homeschool. This choice is not one that will work for everyone, but the need for two incomes should not be what keeps you from homeschooling.
For each of the objections listed here, there are dozens more. Hopefully, though, it is clear that where there is a will, there is a homeschooling way. Don’t hesitate to ask for help and enjoy the homeschooling journey!
Laura Delgado homeschools in Houston, TX where she lives with the five loves of her life. She is the editor of the Sons channel at BellaOnline and creates educational materials for edHelper. She firmly believes that all families can homeschool and considers it her mission to create as many converts as possible. Laura blogs her reviews at My (re)Viewpoint.