Thinking about homeschooling? As someone who went through elementary, middle, and high school, as a homeschooler, here are some of my observations and advice.
Homeschooling can be great for younger kids, if you are up for engaging your kids most of the day, everyday, you can have many adventures and learning experiences. Field trips, cooking, reading aloud, going to the park, random vacations can all be yours! Of course, you’ll also need to make sure your kids are keeping up with their studies, and if any of them start falling behind, it’s up to you to find a way to pick them back up, whether that be tutoring or new teaching methods.
When I homeschooled, there was a good bit of book learning; I’d spend about two hours a day reading my textbooks and doing exercises in them. Because I was very self-motivated this worked out great for my mom who merely had to check on me now-and-then. My younger brother was a bit of a different story, he had more trouble and needed regular guidance, eventually, my mom felt private school was the best thing for him. So, keep in mind each kid will be different and may have completely different academic needs.
Stay social. Growing up, my mom had me in all sorts of supplementary programs for homeschoolers; 3 days a week, in the morning for 2 hours from 1st to 8th grade I attended science classes at the local charter school. I also went to an electives focused school on Fridays from 9 till 3 (made some of my best friends here). On top of that Thursdays were PE class through PE+Plus, a program for homeschoolers. Nearly everyday I had something that was getting me out of the house and interacting with kids my age. I think this was very valuable and I am so glad my mom had me in these.
Math! I don’t know what it is, but most homeschoolers I knew and know have a math deficit (especially compared to their writing skills which are often top-notch). Don’t neglect the math, especially 8th and beyond where algebra and the like become important. I regret not taking to time to really learn my math well, would have been helpful with tests like the SAT, and also, as far as the job market goes, math/science focused majors often earn a lot more than the humanities.
So there you have (some of) it. Let me know if you have questions or are interested in hearing more. 🙂
Yolkeasy 