Is Homeschooling Hard?

You thought you’d never homeschool, but as things stand now, there’s a high probability that you’ll start homeschooling your child.

We are in an unpredictable time, and nobody knows when this pandemic is going to end. The news is full of victims who succumbed to this pandemic, and the government has insisted that school activities remain suspended until further notice.

Parents are in a dilemma, and you wonder if you should start homeschooling your child. You’ve heard about how homeschooling can be challenging, how it has interfered with other parents’ activities.

Not to worry, this guide will give you insight into how you can homeschool your child and whether or not it is stressful. Hopefully, by the end of this article, you should decide whether you’ll be homeschooling your child.

Let’s get started.

Is Homeschool better than Public School?

Now, you’d probably wonder why you’d go the homeschooling way if your child can secure a fully-funded government school. Homeschooling has become popular over the years, and more parents are adopting it. In a survey carried out between 1999-2007, the number of homeschooled children hit the 1.5 million mark. But why do parents homeschool?

Why Parents Homeschool?

The homeschooling trend is growing, and there are more reasons why parents would homeschool their children. In this section, I’ll walk you through some of the reasons parents feel that homeschooling is a better option.

First, parents homeschool their children because of religious practices. Government schools usually don’t have well-structured religious studies, plus government schools instill different sets of values and morals, contrary to what parents may want for their children.

Parents may also decide to homeschool their children to avoid the negative influences that their children could face when going to government schools. Drugs, bullying, among other practices, make parents insecure about their children.

Also, when parents homeschool their children, they’ll give more personalized lesson plans as they dictate everything. As opposed to a public school, where lessons are generalized to accommodate all the children, you can tailor your child’s lessons to match his understanding level. You will be able to know your child’s weaknesses and strengths and structure lessons to accommodate the same.

Finally, homeschooling allows parents and children to bond while also strengthening their family values. This is not something you’d get in a public school, where there are shared values every child has to adhere to.

Now that you know some of the reasons why parents choose to homeschool their children, let’s now look at a head to head comparison between public schooling and homeschooling, shall we?

Head to Head Comparison: Public vs. Homeschooling

Public Pros

Gives parents the flexibility to work away from their homes.
Public schooling is affordable as it’s free.
An in-depth curriculum.
Your child is trained and taught by professionals.

Public Cons

Parents get the pressure to succumb to additional expenses such as fundraisers, extracurricular activities, etc.
Slow learners may be disadvantaged as they don’t have the freedom to learn at their own pace.
Some teachers don’t have a passion for what they do and may not take good care of children.
Children could succumb to peer pressure and indulge in drugs or other negative influences.

Homeschooling Pros

Parents have control over their child’s education.
You control the spend on homeschooling materials.
Parents can tailor homeschooling lessons as per their child’s strengths and weaknesses.
Your child is safer under your care as they are free from bullying and negative influences.

Homeschooling Cons

Homeschooling requires time and moment investment.
Homeschooling materials are expensive and may need parents to dig deep into their pockets.
Lessons may not be well-rounded if parents don’t incorporate foreign language into their curriculum.
Parents with poor parenting habits might find challenges homeschooling their children.

Is Homeschooling Less Stressful?

Homeschooling can be stressful, but there are things you can incorporate to make it less stressful. In this section, I’ll walk you through how you can make homeschooling less stressful and even best, enjoy it.

How to Make Homeschooling Less Stressful?

1. Have a Schedule

The first step to homeschooling is to draft a schedule to guide your operations—portion-time for every activity, including meal and playtime. Also, set aside some time when your child can read and do their homework independently.

Once you finish drafting the schedule, put it at a strategic point where everyone in the family can access it. Additionally, make sure you stick to it. This will help everyone know what they should be doing and at what time.

2. Don’t Give Grades

Some states and cover schools may require you to grade your child. However, don’t push yourself to grade your child if there’s no point.

The advantage that comes with homeschooling is that it focuses on the mastery of content. That means your child will score all As if you graded them.

3. Leverage Good Resources

You don’t have to worry much, even if you’re not a professional teacher. There are so many helpful resources on the internet that you can leverage.

There are a few schools with online resources you can use. You don’t need to pay a penny to access them. This can relieve you of some stress to buy homeschooling materials.

4. Jot Down Your State’s Standards

There’s no point in stressing yourself about the homeschooling standards. Check out the standards laid down by your state and borrow a few that would be helpful towards homeschooling your child.

Keep things simple and straightforward. Focus on helping your child reach the standards you have borrowed from your state and other relevant resources. Avoid overwhelming them, but help them get the end goal.

How Hard Is It to Homeschool High School?

Homeschooling isn’t hard as some parents make it look. You need to be more focused on the basics that will help your child get the best out of the learning process.

However, the complexity might be intense when your child joins the high school. You’ll need to restructure your schedule to accommodate the busy schedule that comes with high school education.

To better answer this question – how hard is homeschooling in high school, we’ll go through some myths and clear the air. That way, you can understand the complexity of homeschooling in high school.

High School Homeschooling Myths

1. High school homeschooling is too difficult

High school homeschooling may appear hard, but the reality is that it’s way easier because your child has grown and can follow instructions easily. Usually, the trick is to find the best curriculum. And to do this, you need to start by evaluating what you can do and what you can’t.

Elementary homeschooling and high school homeschooling are almost similar, except that high school homeschooling will need you to step up a little bit to offer more guidance. That means that you will help them make the right career paths as they prepare for the life ahead.

2. Homeschooling can limit your child from securing a job

Most parents feel that homeschooling their children might complicate their chances of securing a job. This is not true. Homeschooled children have the advantage of taking part in voluntary activities, giving them a better hand in securing gainful employment.

According to a study carried out by Dr. Linda, 78% of high school homeschoolers secure well-paying jobs. Even more, studies have also shown that the rate of unemployment is infrequent in high school homeschoolers.

3. High school homeschooling will limit your child from joining college

Back in the days, this perception was true, but not anymore. Homeschooling has proven to produce the best results, and colleges are now becoming more flexible in accepting high school homeschoolers.

High school homeschoolers score higher grades in the college entry exams, especially for the ACT and the SAT exams. According to a study, the number of high school homeschoolers who get scholarships increased by 500 percent between 1995 and 2003.

High School Homeschooling Tips

1. Involve Students in Decision-Making

As your child grows, they need to start making independent decisions. As a parent, you have to help them in decision-making as often as you can. Listen to your child’s ideas instead of dismissing them. Make them feel like they can also make their own decisions.

2. Access the Resources at Your Disposal

Sure, you have the potential to do anything but not everything. You can use a ton of free resources from the internet, your local library, etc. It would help if you utilized these resources at your disposal to lessen the stress that comes with high school homeschooling.

3. Importance of Community

While it is your duty as a parent to raise your child, it would even be better if the community can interact and shape your child. Like the African proverb saying, “It takes a village to raise a child.” Find like-minded individuals who can help with ideas that would help homeschool your high school child.

Is Homeschooling Really Worth It?

While it is cheap and convenient for most parents to take their children to public schools, it may not work for parents who want to instill different values. Besides, homeschooling is becoming popular day by day. There is a total of two million homeschooled children in the United States alone, and the number is said to increase by 10% every year.

While some parents may not welcome the idea of homeschooling their children, studies have shown that homeschooled children outperform their peers in college, become independent, and secure well-paying jobs.

Bottom Line

So is homeschooling hard? Homeschooling is not hard if you draft a well-thought plan. Know your strengths and weaknesses as a parent and leverage the free resources available. That way, homeschooling will be less stressful.