| 1. |  | Why do families homeschool their children? |
| | | Homeschooling is becoming increasingly popular, not only in North America, but throughout the world. Parents are concerned about the academic achievement of their children as well as their spiritual and character development. |
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| 2. | | What are the advantages of homeschooling? |
| | | There are many advantages to homeschooling.
1. Parents are able to instill in their children values important to them by controlling the curriculum they use, choosing Christian or other curriculum as they see fit.
2. Families become a more cohesive unit with each member being accepted with the strengths and weaknesses he/she possesses. A real sense of cooperation is developed.
3. A program of study can be chosen which best meets the needs of the individual child. Each child can progress at a comfortable rate.
4. There is ample time to pursue the interests of the children, helping each child to discover his/her own strengths and so make good choices for a career.
5. In the security of the home the child is spared from negative peer pressure and will become confident in his own ability, making choices independent from group thinking.
6. Children truly learn to respect their elders.
7. Time flexibility allows a family to take vacations when it works best and allows them to schedule school times around the parents’ work schedule. |
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| 3. | | What about socialization? |
| | | This seems to be the burning question whenever the idea of homeschooling is raised. Socialization is probably the most important reason to homeschool. Media and society at large would have us believe that children need to play with others of the same age in order to be socially well-adjusted. The truth is that only in the past century have children been segregated in same-age classes. Before the onset of public education children learned in a family setting with siblings and adults. They worked alongside adults and gained valuable skills and confidence.
My experience has been that children who are homeschooled tend to have more confidence and make decisions free of what their peers may think. Moreover, family ties tend to be much stronger. Homeschooled children know that they are secure at home and can count on family support. In school they never know when they will be ridiculed. Studies have shown that children who were homeschooled are as well, or better adjusted socially and emotionally than those who have gone to conventional schools. |
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| 4. | | Are parents legally allowed to homeschool their children? |
| | | A parent’s right to homeschool is protected in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and this has been upheld by Canada's courts. Each province has their own legislation governing homeschooling; some provinces only require notification of intent to homeschool while others require regular reporting as to what is being done. It is important to be well-informed of the legislation and regulations in your province so you are not caught unawares. For excellent guidance on legal aspects of homeschooling contact HSLDA. |
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| 5. | | Can a mother teach her children if she is not a qualified teacher? |
| | | Yes. As a matter of fact it is often said that it is easier for a mom who is not a certified teacher to homeschool her own children than it is for a mother who is a certified teacher. A qualified teacher runs the risk of “bringing school into the home” thereby missing opportunities to meet the unique needs of her child and failing to allow the child to pursue his or her own interests and aptitudes.
Because no one knows a child better than his/her own mother and since a mother’s love runs deep, a mother is well-suited to instruct and direct her child. (This is not to say that a father couldn't do it equally well.) It is well known that one-on-one teaching is more effective than teaching a crowd where each learner is at a different level. As well, the parents do not need to know everything but only need to help direct the child on how to find the information being looked for. This can be a very rewarding experience for both parent and child as the whole world opens up before them.
One final thought, it is precisely the homeschooled student's ability to work independently and think for themselves that make them so successful in the workforce and in post-secondary education. |
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| 6. | | How will I know what I am supposed to be doing? |
| | | Homeschooling has become so common you certainly won’t feel you are alone. More than likely there are homeschoolers in your area who are meeting on a regular basis and they are always willing to help new homeschoolers. They will also be able to tell you about conferences and curriculum fairs in your area that you will be able to attend.
There are also many excellent books on the market to help you get started and to give you some thoughts on what homeschooling is and the various approaches you can take.
And of course, you can contact HomeSchool and More and we will give you some suggestions to get you started.
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| 7. | | Am I a failure if I need to use a tutor for my child? |
| | | Occasionally we will feel inadequate to teach a subject or we may have a child who has special needs or for some other reason we may want temporary or long-term assistance. There is nothing wrong with that and it certainly doesn’t mean we are failing. It is important to recognize when we need help and to act on it. We may not need to look any further than the homeschooling community to find the help that is needed. |
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| 8. | | Will I lose all my freedom? |
| | | Homeschooling requires commitment and self-discipline on the part of the parents and a willingness possibly give up some freedoms if necessary. It won’t be as easy to “just go out for a coffee with a friend” or spend a day shopping. (Just think of all the money you will be saving!)
Having said that, it is not as if your whole day will be tied up in teaching the children. When the children are in the early elementary grades, they do not need to spend more than an hour or two at “formal” school work. As they get older this will gradually increase until the junior high and high school level when it may take five to six hours per day but at that point most of the "school time" will be spent in independent study, so again, it won’t take much of your time. You will need to encourage them, help them stay focussed and on track, and monitor and mark their work daily or weekly as appropriate. |
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| 9. | | Is there anything all homeschoolers should be doing? |
| | | I feel strongly that we should all be reading to our children, regardless of their age. When our oldest child was born, a lady in our church gave me as a gift Honey for a Child’s Heart. This book has had a profound effect on how we handled reading in the home and I cannot recommend it enough. It encouraged us to continue reading to our children until they leave home. Now we didn’t go quite that far but we did read to the oldest boys until they went off to university and work. Reading to children builds vocabulary, teaches sentence structure, allows us to “share” adventures as a family, and is a good springboard for discussion. It is probably one of the best habits we can cultivate in our homes!
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| 10. | | How will I manage to teach several children at once? |
| | | This is not going to be as daunting as you may think. There will be subjects, such as Bible, Social Studies and even Science at the elementary level that you can do as a family. As you and your children adjust to homeschooling, they will become more independent. It allows them to move at a faster pace than if they always have to wait for you. Older children can help younger children and can even help with the marking as long as a parent oversees this. Having a daily or weekly schedule will also help you stay on track and ensure that the important things are getting done. A very helpful book is Managers of Their Homes, especially for those with several children.
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| 11. | | Is homeschooling going to be difficult? |
| | | It depends on what you mean by difficult. Is parenting difficult? Certainly parenting is not always an easy task and neither is homeschooling. Just as parenting when done well is very rewarding, so is homeschooling. Parenting actually becomes much easier and more enjoyable when combined with homeschooling.
The issue I most often hear causing a problem for homeschoolers is lack of confidence. It is so easy to fall into the trap of second guessing ourselves. As the year rolls along and things don’t always go smoothly we wonder if we should be doing more, or less, or whether we should switch programs. This is especially so in the first and second year of homeschooling. Generally by the third year we have gained some confidence and by the fifth year we are feeling much better.
Entering the highschool level can again bring on the jitters. The best way to deal with this is to speak with homeschoolers who have children whom they have homeschooled through highschool and who are now in some post-secondary institution or in the work force. Studies are showing that students who homeschooled through highschool do better than their peers both in the work force and in institutions of higher learning. I suggest you keep focussed, check out the options available to you and your student and encourage your child to work diligently. If you do then you will be rewarded! |
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| 12. | | Is there good material available? |
| | | There is no shortage of good material, regardless of your style of homeschooling, and new material is being developed all the time. More and more of the material available to us was written specifically for the homeschool setting. The majority of good material is written from a Christian perspective but even non-Christians will be able to find material to suit their needs. If you are new to homeschooling or have a specific need and would like some help to decide what you need, feel free to contact HomeSchool and More and we will gladly give you some guidance. |
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| 13. | | Do I need to use textbooks? |
| | | There are several different methods you can use to teach your children and using textbooks and workbooks is only one of them. As you begin homeschooling you will hear of the Charlotte Mason, the Traditional, the Classical, the Eclectic, the Unit Study, and the Unschooled Approach. All approaches are valid and it depends on your own character and philosophy as to what approach you use.
Very briefly the Charlotte Mason Approach uses “living books”, narration, and life’s experiences. The Traditional Approach uses textbooks and workbooks, the Classical follows the trivium which divides a child’s development into three stages: the grammar stage which focusses on the basics of language as well as memorization of important dates and events, poetry etc.; the logic stage in which a student develops his reasoning skills and learns critical analysis; and the rhetoric stage in which the student learns to express verbally and via writing what he has learned. The Eclectic Approach uses the best of different approaches, considering the unique needs of each child, their strengths and weaknesses as well as their interests. The Unit Study Approach combines the study of science, history, writing and art around central topics. Finally, the Unschooled Approach largely or completely lets the child direct what he will learn and when. Often in this approach parents provide a rich environment of books and experiences, whetting a child’s appetite to learn. |
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| 14. | | Will my children be able to go to college or university if we homeschool through highschool? |
| | | It is becoming increasingly easier for our children to be accepted at post secondary institutions. Neither of our two older boys had any problems and though some people do experience difficulty, I feel if we do our homework and check with these institutions two or three years before the child is ready to enter them, we shouldn’t have any real problems. HSLDA has been very helpful to it’s members who experience problems and they are usually quick to clear up misunderstandings.
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| 15. | | How will our children do in post secondary institutions? |
| | | Once homeschooled children have been accepted, it generally becomes evident very quickly that they are well prepared indeed. Professors and instructors often comment on how well homeschooled students learn, how they are able to think for themselves, and solve problems. They are certainly not waiting to be spoon fed as are many of the students coming out of conventional schools.
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