Homeschooling

Homeschooling can quickly become an overwhelming enterprise. There's so much for parents to learn before they can begin to provide education for their child! But like any large and complex goal, breaking it down into easy-to-digest parts makes it possible to swallow each one without stomach upset.

While homeschool programs vary in approach, almost none attempt to incorporate or extend the type and level of education available in traditional colleges. Though many state and even private colleges and universities educate as poorly as public schools in general, there remain many outstanding ones.

One of the most daunting challenges is faced by those who wish to homeschool a child, but have no partner. For most in that situation, the need to earn enough income to support both parent and child is paramount. That can leave little time to devote to education. Private school is often economically out of reach for single parents, even when a good one can be found.

One common concern of parents contemplating homeschooling is the prospect of legal restrictions. They fear that homeschooling is either illegal, or that individuals have to jump through many hoops to avoid the government cracking down. The fear is somewhat justified, depending on where the family lives, but is usually larger than appropriate.

Many families whose children are struggling in school wonder if homeschooling is a valid option. While these facts about homeschooling may make deciding whether to homeschool a little easier, there is so much to consider before choosing this option. And remember, even though homeschooling is a great option for many families, it isn’t right for everyone.

One of the first questions parents ask about homeschooling is: Does it work? They know the public schools have problems, but they wonder if they can do any better. Maybe, they say, we should try a little harder to afford private school. With something as important as their child's education at stake, they're understandably cautious.

Some parents just aren't particularly suited to providing education. Yet they want the best education possible for their child and know that public school can't provide that. Private school is often economically out of reach, and still often a second-best in terms of quality. The solution is to hire a tutor.

Unschooling is an approach to homeschool education that represents the most unstructured approach to learning. It means, as the name suggests, not designing a curriculum at all. Instead, the child is allowed to explore any and all interests, at any pace and in any order they choose.

There are a dozen popular approaches to how to design a homeschool program for a child. They range from highly structured courses, to no structure at all.

Taking into account that schools are a realtively modern invention, children have been home-schooled until the late 19th century. From then, laws compelled children to go to public school. However, public schools were not seen as the best option for the early advocates of homeschooling.