Benefits to Homeschooling: Making The Right Choice
Young mom wants to share some of the benefits to homeschooling with her public schooled husband...
Hi, I have one son, he's a year and a half, and I'm trying to figure out what is the best choice for him: public school, or homeschool?
I was homeschooled myself; we had a big family, so we had plenty of social interaction, but I felt the one thing that we lacked was discipline. If I had been more disciplined, I would have achieved more. I don't want that to happen to my son, and yet I know that homeschooling is so much more beneficial to the individual if you do it right .
My husband was public schooled, and so you know his preference. :) I guess my dilemma is trying to convince him the benefits to homeschooling versus public schooling. I've been looking at a lot of websites, and all of them say that usually the one con to homeschooling is not having enough social interaction (and that's only if you don't have a big family; trust me, I know). But there are programs that you can enroll in, sports programs, scouts, extra curriculum programs - there are options.
I love the thought that I can be with my son everyday, and help him with his education, to see him grow. I don't want him to have to put up with all of the crap that's out there; its one thing to explain it, so that he's educated , and knows what to expect, and it's another to put him right in the middle of it. So many kids lose their way, because they are thrust into the world, at such a young age, and some kids go down the wrongs roads, and there's really nothing you can do about it, because some kids choose for themselves what they will do, no matter what their parents say. I want something better for my son. I will help my son rise.
Hi Stephanie, Well, I think you have already done a wonderful job at sharing some great benefits to homeschooling!
Yes, a con of homeschooling could be not having adequate social interaction. Most parents considering homeschooling vs public schooling worry about socialization. However, as you state, there are many programs and opportunities for homeschooling children, from having friends over to visit, to participating in organized sports, co-ops, etc., so social interaction really isn't an issue.
As far as discipline, yes, you do need it! I like that you can see where your family struggled in their homeschooling journey; as a parent, you can choose to do things differently. Often though, as children we don't see the whole picture - it's only when we are older, or become parents ourselves that we see what our parents were trying to do, or the "method to the madness".
I don't think anything can compare to the one-on-one learning experience your son will have with you as his teacher and mother. From an educational standpoint, one-to-one is definitely better than the one-to-many situation students experience in often over-crowded public school classrooms.
I have a friend who is a public school teacher AND has a sister who homeschools. She told me that you often don't see a difference between homeschooled and public schooled students in the younger grades. The vast difference isn't seen until students reach the later elementary through high school years; it is then that many homeschooled student stand above their public schooled peers.