What are the Pros and Cons of homeschooling?

Question

My mom is starting to homeschool my sister, brother and I on MONDAY.
What am I to expect?

Answer 1

Expect the best! She wouldn't be doing it if she didn't love you. I homeschooled my children and we had some great times, tough times and we are closer than ever. They are adults now and have considered homeschooling their children when they have them.
Don't listen to the criticism--- they are ignorant and jealous.

Best wishes!

Answer 2

There are only pros IMO.
....and you do not need a diploma. You need a transcript that any homeschool teacher can create for you as time goes by. You need good SAT and ACT scores.
The information on how to do that is out there. Homeschoolers get into universities all the time.
Your social life can be phenomenal as a homeschooler. You life is what you make it, even at your age.
No matter what you CAN do, you should get up, get dressed and start the day just like you did when you went to public school. Unless you feel ill or it is a special day, treat it like any other school day. Sleep about an hour later, for comfort if you like. Then get on a schedule that feels good to you. It will make the adjustment easier. Get dressed, put on a little make up, whatever you normally do. Then, sit around the table and have breakfast with your family. Pass the newspaper, talk, chill. You are going to love it! At least once in a while, have classes outdoors, or at a coffee shop or the library. Take a class that is physical, like dance or spinning that gets you out of the house and on your own. (Your mother should do this too.) We all need that sometimes.
Thank your mom. She's going against the grain for you. She wouldn't do this if she didn't think it was the best thing to do. That also means that your mom trusts you to thrive, enjoys your company and wants to give you the best life she can provide. She must love you very much


EDIT: High fives have not been "cool" since the 70's. Thus, they are not a good indicator of well developed social skills. You do not have to sit home with your family "all the time". You WILL NOT become "socially inept". You will have more opportunities to learn to socialize on a more mature level than if you only had people your age to talk to. What you do with your opportunities will make or break you in any realm of life. Don't let anybody make you panic. Enjoy yourself.

Answer 3

Since it's your frist time it might take a while to get the hang of it. It's hard to say what to expect because homeschooling is different from family to family.

In my family, I am the only one that is homeschooled. I have two younger siblings that go to school. I chose to be homeschooled and I also choose what I want to learn each week.

My question is this...what have you always wanted to do, but never had the time to do it?
For instance, have you ever wanted to play an instrument, take up a sport, or be in a play...,etc... If you have wanted to do something that you never had the time to do, now you Will have the time to do it.

The trick to homeschooling is to do everything that you have always wanted to do.

Join a homeschooling group in your area. You will be able to meet new people and see all the different ways that people are homeschooled and what their day to day is like.

Answer 4

The pros and cons depend a lot on how you and your sister and your mom go about it all. What to expect depends on how your mom sees it all.

Some of the pros are that it should take you less time to get all of your work done, which means you'll have more time to follow your own interests. A false-con to this is that many students who spent years in school really no longer know what to do with free time and they claim "boredom". It's a false-con because it is only that way due to the transition. If you want to have your extra time be interesting, it's up to you to make it that way.

Some people will tell you that you won't have a social life. This will depend on you and your mom. There are soooooo many things out there you can do with others--you just have to get out and do them. Sure, it might take some time to find things, but they're out there. If you live in an area with a lot of homeschoolers, there are bound to be regular things going on. I know that if we took advantage of every field trip, every homeschool class, every activity going on, we'd be out most of the time. Also, make sure to keep in touch with your friends--go to the mall on the weekends, go out to a movie, call them up or MSN them, etc. Treat it like you've just switched schools. You have the opportunity to make new friends, but that doesn't mean you have to lose the old ones. Just know that YOU will probably have to be the one to put in the effort initially.

Other than that, it really depends on what your mom chooses to do--the program, the structure, the expectations, etc.

Btw, there is absolutely no reason to think you are going to miss out on important things by being homeschooled. You can actually live much more in the "real" world as a homeschooler than you can as a student sitting at a desk for a large portion of the day. You can also still do sports if you want to, can still participate in activities that occur after school (although both may have to be through community programs rather than schools), I've heard of homeschool groups going on trips, homeschoolers can still go to parties, can still have boyfriends or girlfriends... A lot of people think things about homeschooling that aren't at all true.

Answer 5

My kids are younger than you, but so far our pros are:
--one on one time with the teacher (me)
--we can go at our own pace, not the school's
--we can study in-depth the things that interest my kids
--we don't have to wake up at the crack of dawn to head off to school--we'd rather do it early in the afternoon
--we spend more time together as a family

We haven't really run into any cons yet.

Answer 6

Welcome to the homeschooling community!

First, a bit about pros and cons, then onto what to expect over the next few weeks...

Pros: being with your family; having the freedom to learn what/when/how much you want; less family illness (we rarely go to the doctor's office, now; we used to be there at least twice per month during the school year); reading all sorts of books because you now have time to read them; less overall stress; being able to work in PJs; going on field trips with just your family (not in a huge group of other kids who might not be at all interested in the trip); not having to deal with peer pressure (this one was big for both my kids); being able to sleep in (sort of! we have a farm with all the animal related chores that go with it); not having to panic about missing the bus; I could go on and on, but the FREEDOM to live life the way you and your parents want you to live it, not the way the school says you should live it, is probably the biggest PRO I can think of!

Cons: loneliness can be a problem sometimes, but my kids have eachother and their pets and by being involved in other activities, they get to be with other kids occasionally; not being able to participate in school-sponsored sports, though that can be overcome with community sports leagues (we have hockey). I honestly can't think of anything else... :o)

As for what to expect...
Perhaps you should expect a little chaos during the first few weeks as you adjust to this new lifestyle. Yes, it is a little scary, but after a time of adjustment, you and your siblings (and your Mom!) should find homeschooling very fulfilling -- notice, I did not write "easy!" Learning can be a wonderful way to pass the time, especially on your own interests (you can learn a lot by studying one subject for a time), and because you will not be under any school-imposed deadlines, your stress levels will go down a LOT!

Please keep in mind that parents don't decide to homeschool on a whim, we do take it very seriously. Just remember to take the time to talk to your Mom when you feel unsure about this new way of learning. Find a support group with other kids so that you may not feel alone. Befriend the librarians at your local library (they LOVE homeschoolers!), because they will help you find whatever you need, even if you need only a shoulder to lean on.

For the next few weeks, at least, your whole family will have to have some patience with the process; some kids can decompress from school within a matter of weeks, others take much longer (it took us a good 18 months to finally feel like we were free!).

In the meantime, try to keep busy, start reading all those books you never had time to read while in school, take the time to dig deeper in your studies (believe me, even if your Mom has chosen a published curriculum, you will have a lot of freetime). A lot depends on why your Mom made this decision and how much you and your siblings support it. But if you have patience with eachother, you will get through the adjustment period and be well on your way to learning fun!

Please feel free to email me for support (you, your siblings, and even your Mom is welcome to ask for advice), and maybe my daughter can also help you through this transition. Take care and good luck!

Answer 7

It depends on your mom. We are very relaxed in our homeschooling. I like to use the child-led learning so my children can follow their interests and explore new things. Every family is different....some do the 8-3 thing and are very strict and then there is the other extreme of unschooling where the child is allowed to do whatever they want and it's considered learning.

Good luck to you! Talk to your mom and see how she plans on doing things.

Answer 8

If you don't go to HS you miss out on a alot, but if you had college aspirations, it doesn't matter too much.

You'd have to leave your friends and stuff to go to an out of state college anyway, and depending on how smart you are their chances of getting into the same top tier school are small.

Basically I was home schooled, I have always wanted to go to MIT, and I know I'll get in somewhere good (out of state).

If I did go to HS (even if I had the SAME smarts (not likely)), the friends I made wouldn't have matter so much, because I would go far away for 4 years, and make new friends.

Answer 9

I read your other question about moving to Boston and thinking your life is over.
So, look at the pros and forget about the cons.
Expect to learn.
Expect to have free time to pursue your dreams.
Expect to have time to make friends and meet people from all walks of life and of all ages.
Expect this to be an adventure.
Enjoy!

Answer 10

+ Fewer distractions so you can stay focused on your schoolwork.
+ You're around 3 people you're already familiar with.
+ Your mom sets the rules, so she can decide to do what she wants along the lines of uniforms, gum, etc.
+ There are usually other homeschooled children around your area that you can become friends with.

- You're around the same people, day by day... and that gets boring after a while. I love my family, but it doesn't work if you can't be around them for prolonged periods of time on a daily basis.
- You don't have socials like homecoming, prom, etc.
- Your mom has to focus on 3 children learning several different subject matters, making it a little difficult to thoroughly learn subject matter.
- You can become socially inept. It makes having a social life harder than if you stay in a regular school. (I have relatives who home school, and they are quite awkward to be around because they lack social skills. For example, I tried to give 15 year old cousin Eric a hi-five. He did not know what a hi-five was or how to give one.) You sound as if you've already experienced traditional schooling, so this may not be such a problem. My mom started to home school me along with my 4 sisters... we only lasted about half a school year before she gave up. We couldn't take being around each other for too long (That was in second grade, and I am now in college.)

You may have a better experience with it than I did. I wish you luck.