The concept of homeschooling has been with us for a while now, but due to the COVID-19 situation, more and more people are exploring this option. Homeschooling is gaining popularity as it seems like the safest option to provide education to your children and, at the same time, ensure their safety. Additionally, in public and private schools, there are physical barriers imposed due to the current situation. Regularly following the protocols is not everyone’s cup of tea, which is especially true when it comes to children. That gets the ball rolling regarding the advantages and disadvantages homeschooling, so let’s dive into it.
Advantages of Homeschooling
Everyone has their reasons to choose to homeschool. People who constantly have to move to places make this choice. Those who think they can provide better education to their children than the educational system, make the same choice. Here are some benefits of homeschooling.
1. Flexible schedule
Flexibility is the best part of homeschooling. It gives a sense of freedom to both kids and parents. Each child is different and only once they explore they can understand what’s the best time for them to learn. So, homeschooling means no more rigid schedules. Along with deciding the time of learning, homeschooling allows for selecting the sequence of lessons. This means that there is no pressure on kids to study specific topics at specific timelines. They can learn any topic whenever they feel they are ready for it.
2. Builds strong connections
We have few relationships in our lives that will always remain important to us. One such relationship is between the parents and their kids. Homeschooling gives the perfect opportunity for parents to build strong connections with their kids. What’s the better way than homeschooling in achieving this objective, and getting involved in the essential part of their lives? Education is more than just learning concepts, it’s about developing a perspective to look at life. Parents get to influence kids’ opinions and thoughts through homeschooling.
3. Focuses on learning style
We have specific times when we can learn better. Likewise, we have specific ways, following which we can understand better. Some are visual learners, preferring visual aids to understand concepts. Others are verbal learners, preferring words to express themselves. Similarly, there are many types of learning styles that influence the way kids learn. Homeschooling allows the parents to understand their kid’s learning style and choose types of lessons accordingly, making the educational experience interesting for them.
4. Educational trips
If you look at the educational system, you’ll find that there are daily schedules and semester breaks. But, doesn’t this makes you wonder, is this the ideal way? Why can’t you learn and have fun together? Homeschooling makes this possible, it allows kids to have fun while still learning something new from it. Take examples of educational trips. These trips are not supposed to be boring. Instead, they should entice kids to want to explore more and get involved with things in life.
5. Protects from negative influences
You might have heard stories of so-and-so kids falling under bad influence and throwing their potential and life away. At least, with homeschooling, you know you’ll protect your kids from negative influences. Many negatives things go on in schools, such as bullying and violence. The best way to protect your kids from these bad things is to eliminate their exposure by homeschooling them.
6. More time for other activities
Sports, music, and other extra-curricular activities are as important as studies. Unfortunately, the current schooling system gives very less importance to these things. If kids want to pursue these activities, they must sacrifice their studies. But with homeschooling, there is no need to make such sacrifices. Kids can do both and excel in every field they choose.
Disadvantages of Homeschooling
We explored the positive side of homeschooling, now let’s take a look at its opposite side. Here are some drawbacks of homeschooling.
1. Requires 24×7 availability
Not everything that can be done from the comfort of the home is easy. Homeschooling is definitely not. Just because parents and kids live together most of the time doesn’t mean it’s easy to convince kids to study. You have to be available to them round the clock, which can make it difficult to take out time for yourself. Furthermore, it takes up a lot of time and effort. Parents have to do research and ensure that they are providing the best education to their kids.
2. Too much interaction
Too much interaction can be draining sometimes. It can create differences that can be resolved better with little time off. In homeschooling, the concept of time off is almost non-existing. Parents cannot take time off from teaching their kids as it will impact their learning experience. They have to take complete responsibility for their kid’s education, making it impossible for them to make impulse decisions to quit or take a break.
3. Expensive
When children are at school, parents can go to work without worry. But, the parents homeschooling their kids have to think about it twice. The amount of time, energy, resources that homeschooling takes, compels them to either leave their full-time job or look for part-time opportunities. Additionally, they have to spend more to get all the educational resources, making homeschooling an expensive choice.
4. Less socialization
This is one of the fears of parents who are considering homeschooling. There is less interaction of kids with others of their age, leading to social isolation. It can make kids feel different from others, and further go back into their shells. Some interactions are needed to make things seem normal. Even though there are alternatives, such a reaching out to other homeschooled children and attending playdates, homeschooling can still limit the kid’s opportunities.
5. Clash of opinions
If you speak to people about your thought of considering homeschooling, the first thing you’ll get is a look of disapproval and then never-ending questions. Some people still think sending children to school is the only way to provide education. They are not open to exploring options like homeschooling or any other similar alternatives. If these people are not directly related to you, then a clash of opinion can still be managed. Even people living in the same house can have conflicting opinions about homeschooling. This can lead to arguments, and cause a delay in deciding on kids’ education.
6. Limited teaching methods
In a school, there are different teachers for different subjects. They have their unique way of teaching the students, which ultimately helps children learn in a better way. In homeschooling, one parent takes up the responsibility of teaching all the subjects. While this gives the child and teacher more time to understand each other, it also limits kids’ exposure to different teaching methods. It can make learning monotonous for them and further impact their concentration levels.