The homeschool option

For many families who practice attachment parenting with their babies and toddlers, homeschooling seems like a natural next step. For families with strong religious convictions, keeping their children home enables them to imbue their everyday life with their values. For families who have an ill family member or who travel a lot, homeschooling offers great flexibility.

Some parents have children who were not thriving in school and brought them home. Some parents remembered their own school experiences and wanted an opportunity to provide a more personal and relevant education for their children. Some parents, like me, simply wanted to continue to share in their child’s life and learning. I didn’t miss out on my daughter’s first steps or words; I didn’t want to miss the first sentence she read either.

Homeschooling families are a diverse group, and so are their learning styles. Some families do school-at-home, with assignments and tests. Some families follow child-led learning, often known as unschooling. Some families use a unit studies approach, in which math, reading, science, and social studies are all learned in relation to a particular topic. Some families use one approach for one subject, and another for a different subject. There are many options and homeschoolers are able to adapt as their children grow and their needs change.

Even if the idea of homeschooling appeals to you, you probably have some concerns. Some of the most common concerns are about the parent’s abilities, the child’s needs for social interaction, and the legalities of homeschooling.

Parents often question whether they have enough patience to homeschool. Consider this, if you can be home most of the day with a toddler you can certainly handle an older child. Why send her to school just when she is getting really fun?

Other parents wonder if they are smart enough. Luckily, there are so many amazing resources available, from books and computer programs to classes and mentors, that you truly can help your child learn just about anything. Much of a homeschooling parent’s job is to facilitate the child’s learning, not to necessarily be the teacher.

If you are concerned about socialization, one of the major benefits of homeschooling is that your child is less exposed to the bullying, teasing, and peer pressure so often found at school. Of course, your child still needs opportunities to play with other children. There are homeschooling support groups that offer park days and field trips, extracurricular classes, and sports teams your child can join.

As for the legality, homeschooling is legal in all 50 states. For information on Washington state law, check out the Washington Homeschool Organization’s website.

Homeschooling really is a lifestyle choice, not just an educational choice. It allows you to raise your child in a holistic fashion so you can address her educational, personal, nutritional, social, medical, physical, and spiritual needs in a manner that complements and supports her.

If you’re interested in homeschooling and would like learn more, check out the following resources:

The Homeschooling Book of Answers, The Art of Education and Homeschooling: The Early Years by Linda Dobson

Teach Your Own, Learning All the Time, How Children Learn and How Children Fail by John Holt

The Homeschooling Handbook and The Unschooling Handbook by Mary Griffith

Washington Homeschool Organization

A to Z’s Home’s Cool Homeschooling Website

Home Education Magazine