Homeschooling is a niche but increasingly popular choice among some parents, who want to take a more direct hand in their child’s education. As with all such choices, it comes with various pros and cons, not all of which are immediately visible at the outset. While proponents of homeschooling can rightfully point to many perks of the process, there are some serious detractions to consider as well.
In this article, we’re going to take a nuanced look at homeschooling, and what’s required for a student to find success in a homeschooled environment. We are going to focus on high school specifically, but much of this advice can be applied to other grade levels as well. Our goal is to help you fully understand this issue, and with this understanding be better prepared to tackle it.
Your Reason for Homeschooling
There are many possible motivations to homeschool students. Yours are your own, and are perfectly valid. You should weigh what these reasons are however, and how homeschooling will address them. One thing homeschooling is not is something you can rush into; this is something you must consider carefully, so you and your children are certain what you’re getting into.
The Benefits of Homeschooling
We’re going to begin by covering some of the benefits of homeschooling, before going into possible concerns. Each of these is not an unmitigated good, and many create things that you will need to work on. In general though, these are the main perks parents and students see from the decision to homeschool.
Curricular Flexibility
High schools have set, rigid curricula, set at the state and district level, with little flexibility for students to explore their interests. They may get a few electives here or there, but in general, students must take the track of courses proscribed for them. This is not the case in homeschooling; here, students may spend more time on the subjects they like, and delve deep into topics of interest.
Of course, this does mean two key things must be done. First, curriculums must come from somewhere. There are plenty of resources out there, from materials made specifically for homeschooled students to community college courses, but if you are looking to take a course in a subject, you will need to locate one.
Next, someone needs to make sure that students actively work to develop their academic interests. Some students are wonderfully self-motivating, but even the strongest high school students are still teenagers. Without the structure of a normal school, it can be hard to keep a student focused and motivated. This is a recurring theme we will see in homeschooling.
Finally, there are some courses that students need to take to be eligible for college. Math might not be your favorite, but you still need four years in each of the core academic subjects (English, math, history/social studies, science, foreign language) to be a competitive applicant to top colleges. While the curriculum and courses you take have flexibility, there is still some structure that is required.
Scheduling Flexibility
One major reason parents choose to homeschool is that students have demands on their time that conflict with a normal high school experience. Artists perfecting their craft and athletes honing their skill (especially for sports like gymnastics where competing young is the norm) often find themselves forced to choose between their studies and their passions.
The flexibility of homeschooling allows these students to fit their necessary school work in around the demands of their passion. Now, there are high schools that specialize in helping students do this, but these tend to be located solely in major urban centers, and may not be available to all students.
Even students who are not devoting themselves to a craft can find use in this flexibility, having much healthier sleep schedules and more freedom to pursue extracurriculars during what would be normal school hours. Everything from museums to libraries are open and available during the school day, and can be explored.
With this scheduling freedom comes an added need for responsibility on the part of the student however, to make sure they actually get everything done they need to. This can be beneficial in the long run, as setting their own schedule is often one of the most challenging things for students going away to college. That said, the learning curve can be quite steep.
The Cons of Homeschooling
As with the benefits of homeschooling having some detractors, so too do these cons often have silver linings. These concerns are not insurmountable, but they should be considered when making a decision to homeschool students, and addressed ahead of time.
Quality of Materials
There are a lot of educational materials out there. Some are excellent, teaching students niche and interesting topics at an advanced level. Others are hokum made by people trying to earn a quick buck. In regular schools, you can usually count on someone having reviewed the materials being used in a classroom, but for homeschooling, this responsibility falls squarely and solely on you.
This is not necessarily bad, as there are many materials you can use far in advance of what regular high schools offer. It does, however, entail a lot of work to find and evaluate curriculums, to make sure students are learning something valuable.
Socializing
There is a well-worn trope that homeschooled students are all poorly socialized and lacking in any interpersonal skills. While this is a gross over generalization, it is true that attending school helps young students build soft skills in socializing with and working with their peers, things that cannot be taught or learned in a classroom. While homeschooled students can master very high levels of academic materials, care must be taken to make sure they don’t neglect this part of their learning and development.
There are collections of homeschooling families who understand this, and who go out of their way to give their students chances to interact and socialize. Many students also take part in group activities, like club sports or orchestras, that give them a chance to socialize with their peers. These opportunities are available, and valuable to students in their own right; this is simply another to remember and make sure you avail yourself of.
Time Demands
Being a teacher is a full time job, requiring both training and certification. This does not mean all teachers are great (though many are), but it does mean that there are certain skills needed to teach a subject that are not immediately apparent. It is quite possible to be a master of a subject and not be any good at teaching it; indeed, anyone who has taken college coursework has run into this several times.
This means whoever is serving as the student’s primary teacher will need to both master the subjects the student is learning well enough to teach them, and master the art of teaching itself. This is something of a time commitment. Now, many homeschooling parents are quite ready and eager to make this commitment, but it is still something worth noting before you begin.
Homeschooling and College
Homeschooled students are not at any inherent advantage or disadvantage when it comes to college applications, but the process is a bit different for them. We cover those differences, and how to approach them, in this article. In this section, we’re going to talk about how this is both a pro and con when it comes to deciding whether or not to homeschool your students.
In regular high schools, counselors assume the job of helping students prepare for college. In public schools, an unfortunate lack of budget and resources often leaves these counselors overwhelmed putting out fires, and most students get very little college counseling. Private schools do often provide more, but the quality of this can vary wildly depending on the private school in question.
When homeschooling, you are not just the student’s primary teacher, but also their counselor and principal. You will need to figure out generating and sending transcripts, writing letters of recommendation, and including notes to explain the curriculum students undertook.
This can be done very well, as can college counseling, but is another responsibility to be aware of when you make the decision to homeschool a student. College applications are always a stressful time, and assuming all of these responsibilities is simply another wrinkle to navigate.
On the plus side, however, this can ensure a student starts thinking about college much earlier, and has a much better developed plan in place when it finally comes time to apply. As with other aspects of homeschooling, this can require more work, but can lead to exceptional results.
Final Thoughts
Homeschooling isn’t right for every student, but can be an amazing opportunity for some. We hope that this article has helped you better understand the pros and cons of homeschooling, and whether it makes sense as an option for you to consider. As with every option for high school, there are tradeoffs, and you can’t have everything.
One way to make the process easier, however, is with help. One of the services Ivy Scholars offers is consultations for homeschooling parents. From helping make sure parents are on track for college to finding open enrollment community college coursework, we can make your life much easier. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more about what we can offer you.
