Can a single parent homeschool their child successfully?

Answer 1

The short answer is yes, they can. HOWEVER... there are a LOT of factors to consider.

First question: how old is/are the child/ren in question? If they are old enough to safely be left home alone for a few hours, they should be able to do some work independently. If they are younger, you will probably need to block out some time for learning.

Second question is: are you working from home or outside the home? This will help determine how much time you really can devote to schooling. Obviously, if you work outside of the home for 8 or more hours each day, you will only have a few hours for school (and you may need to have someone watch your child while you work). That may be all the TIME you need, but can you arrange your work schedule so schooling can be done at the optimum hours for your child to learn (the time when s/he is most alert, not drowsy).

Next question: what method of homeschooling will you be following (classical, unschooling, unit studies). Classical homeschooling requires lots of teacher/student interaction (think Aristotle and Plato). There's a lot of discussion of books and ideas going on. If you are unschooling, then schooling takes place any time, anywhere, but you still need to be around for those "teachable moments".

My personal experience as a full-time stay-at-home homeschool mom (following the classical method) is that school is a full-time job (or pretty near). Between planning the lessons, teaching the lessons, and grading the lessons, then keeping house, making meals, doing laundry, ... I don't have much time left over. I know a single mom who works from home and homeschools her 14 yo son, so it CAN be done (at least with older kids). Not sure how well it will work out with younger kids.

Food for thought: when we decided to take our older son out of PS at Christmas break, we figured if we did nothing with him the rest of the school year, we could put him back in the following fall with no harm done. That was almost 4 years ago and now younger brother is homeschooling, too.

Answer 2

i think that you can. if you are also working, or have some type of support system, financally. it would all depend on the situation. if the child needs to be homeschooled, then yes, i think that it can be done, but if it is not necassary, then i would really make sure that this is what you want to do. also, dont forget the cost of a childs education. my siblings are in elementry school through calvert, a homeschool provider, and it is over a thousand dollars a year, and then when they hit high school, like i currently am, it can be anywhere from 5 thousand, to 10 thousand. it will all depend on if you have the finances and resources, not to mention the time and patients to do it. good luck

Answer 3

You know, so much of what I've learned in life has been through experiences of other people.

I believe you an educate your child and teach them to read and write and tell them stories from history and teach them geography and math and science and all...but you are limited as to your knowledge as we all are and can teach them what you know and what you learn as you learn it.

Nothing replaces the experience of people. I love people and will strike up conversations with anyone who is willing to and so much of what I learn is from others and their experiences. I don't know that something like that can be taught. I suppose with all the time you may have, if you use it wisely and to read and learn, you could become very knowledgeable indeed.

Look at that Austrian girl that has been kidnapped for 8 years. WOW, am I impressed with how smart that girl is. She held it together, didn't fall to pieces, did what she had to do to survive and escaped, and she even knows what she wants to do with herself. I am in total awe at how she didn't let that experience destroy her.

Even the officer who first interviewed her was struck with how intelligent she was. And if she could do that in captivity imagine what anyone else can do if they put their mind to it.

You give your kids the magic of curiosity and inspire them to use their minds, and nothing but good things will come of it.

Answer 4

Depends on how qualified you are and if you can afford to sit at home and teach instead of work and provide.