Why Parents Consider Home School Programs
In recent years, many families have turned to a more untraditional form of educating their children - home school programs.
There are usually several reasons for this:
1. First, some children have special learning needs, which can be met only through a very individualized system.
2. Second, a family’s lifestyle may necessitate a more flexible mode of education for their children. This may be true for expats, military personnel, missionaries, and other families that travel or transfer often.
3. Lastly, there are many families today that would want their children to experience a well-balanced educational system that offers the following:
a. a sound academic foundation without the pressure of keeping up with grades or classmates;
b. one which also ensures that their children will imbibe the values most upheld by the family;
c. and one which allows their children enough time and energy to attend, not only to academics, but also to other hobbies and interests about which their children may feel passionate.
The pros
There are many advantages to doing a home school program with your children:
1. First and foremost, it is the most ideal classroom setting in which there is an individualized system of learning. Without the many distractions and pressures of the traditional classroom, this allows most children to understand deeply and master the skills and concepts taken on a daily basis.
2. There are also more chances for the student to connect these lessons to his daily life through in-depth discussions with one’s home teacher and at times, even with one’s siblings and family members.
3. Your children will also have more energy and time on a daily basis to pursue and hone their non-academic talents in art, music, sports, culinary arts, etc. This is especially advantageous for students who are gifted or who are struggling with some of their academic courses.
Click here to read more about the advantages and disadvantages of considering home school programs for your child.
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Read on to learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of considering home school programs for your child.
Sometimes all it takes is for these children to excel in a particular hobby and be given a boost in their confidence. You may still see your child bloom into a better and happier scholastic achiever. Daily home routines, such as chores, prayer time, bonding time with family members, etc. become an intrinsic part of the children’s education.
This is especially so when the parent becomes the home teacher. The values of hard work, earning one’s privileges and treats (e.g. computer time or hang-out time with friends, etc.), respecting elders, being accountable to one’s family and home, having a healthy work-life balance, stronger bonds among family members and friendship among siblings, etc. may become more deeply developed in a child. This is so since the basis of these values are rooted and experienced on a daily basis from a nurturing environment - the family.
Children will also get sick less as they are exposed to less viruses. They get more rest, generally have less stress, and are able to eat healthier meals and snacks within the day.
4. Lastly, and certainly not the least, there are financial gains in store for the family. Even the priciest home school package from the US will save a family around P50,000.00 yearly per child. Most home school programs also have a re-use policy in which younger siblings will no longer have to get an entirely new package for their specific grade / year. Parents may simply order only the books that need updating. This may allow you to save up enough for a local or international trip, which is another great educational tool for the entire family.
The cons
There are also some disadvantages to home school programs:
1. First, the deep level of commitment in terms of time and energy for the parent who decides to become a home teacher may be quite daunting. This is especially so when teaching multiple academic levels. These parents must have their own hobbies and routines that will allow them to replenish their energy and creative juices on a daily or weekly basis.
Click here to read on about the cons of considering home school programs for your child.
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Read on to learn more about the cons of considering home school programs for your child.
2. Second, the logistics of finding and driving your children to and from their extra-curricular activities may also be quite demanding. Before committing to a home school program, check your community for interesting and safe venues for these activities. This way, you don’t have to drive too far and you can drop them off with peace of mind.
3. Lastly, although certainly not impossible, a child returning into mainstream education from a home school program, will go through some degree of adjustment socially and academically. Also, the additional step of taking a Dep-Ed accreditation test, (if one chooses a home school program that is not Dep-Ed certified and is enrolling into one of our local private schools) is also a must.
There are also some situations in which a home school program may not be the best option for your children:
1. First, if there is turmoil in the home. Family conflicts do not make for a conducive atmosphere in which to learn. Going to school may actually be a healthier escape for children in such a predicament.
2. Second, never use learning through a home school program to try to mend your relationship with your children. The deep sense of discipline and commitment needed to teach and learn from a home school program can be very demanding for a parent and child. There must first be a strong and generally healthy and open relationship between a parent and child underlying a successful home school education.
3. Lastly, if you have only one child, a home school program may not be the best option for a long term educational system. This may stifle the child’s social abilities. This situation is best consulted with an expert.
There are many and diverse home school packages available today. One simply may go on the internet and do a search on these, including some locally made and accredited ones.
It is also advisable, when discerning whether you would like to put your children into a home school program, that you interview parents and / or tutors and their kids / students who are actually doing this.
Even go a step further by graciously asking them if you could witness a few hours or half a day’s work. This is the only way you and your kids with get a clear idea of what home school entails and feels like.
Lastly, certainly allow your children to have a say in the decision, if they are old enough and especially if they are to be pulled out of their current school. This will greatly ease their adjustment into home school. These are some of the facts regarding this fast growing educational trend today. We hope these will prove useful to parents and children contemplating this decision. I wish you good luck and I hope you enjoy as much as my children and I have for the past three years.
Photo from flickr.com
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