For many children, homeschooling can be a positive and beneficial experience for them during their formative years – allowing them to achieve and thrive outside of the confines of what would be considered normal and mainstream education systems.
As such, many parents often consider this for their children – especially if they do not properly fit into mainstream schooling, or if they have specific issues that limit their potential within such systems.
But what does homeschooling entail, and does it have to be permanent?
How Does Homeschooling Work?
Generally speaking, homeschooling is when parents take charge of their children’s education – guiding them through various curriculums from their own home.
This can often be with a pre-purchased curriculum – complete with tests, papers, coursework, and all the other tools they will need – or it will be devised of a personalized curriculum that meets with educational standards for the state.
As well as parents taking charge, they might also choose to hire personal tutors to handle the schooling process – usually former teachers who are well versed in promoting a beneficial and positive learning experience for the student.
The latter is usually a better approach, as they are usually more up to date with the current educational standards than parents, have a wider subject knowledge than parents, and have the benefit of being able to create a differentiation between home life and homeschooling – something that can help avoid procrastination, favoritism, and other negative aspects.
Can Homeschooling Be Temporary?
One of the benefits of homeschooling is that it can be as permanent or temporary as the student/parents require.
As such, the nature of homeschooling can be dependent on various issues pertaining to the family – such as long term illness, behavioral problems, learning difficulties, or otherwise difficult periods in the child’s life that make mainstream education problematic.
What Are Some Reasons For Temporary Homeschooling?
Of course, there might be any number of reasons why parents might choose to homeschool their children for a temporary period – and they are usually to help ease some problem, or period of transition, that their child is going through.
Bullying
If a child is experiencing problems with bullying in mainstream school – a common and unfortunate problem that many children face – parents may decide to remove their child from school, either placing them with a tutor, or handling their educational needs themselves for a short spell.
This could be the case if the bullying is severe, there has been significant risk to safety, mental health, or wellbeing, or if the school is handling the situation poorly.
These decisions are never taken lightly, but can often be a godsend for the student, their health, and their educational progress.
Medical Reasons
If the student is going through some serious or prolonged medical issue, then homeschooling can be a great option to ensure they do not fall too far behind, and that they can continue to learn in a safe, comfortable, and familiar environment that is conducive to their change in circumstances.
This is the case when mobility might be an issue, if they are severely disabled, or if it is just not feasible for them to be in mainstream school – for example if they have serious illnesses that cause them to require round the clock help.
In these cases, homeschooling can be the logical option, and can make life easier for everyone involved – not to mention for the schools, who might not have the resources or expertise to handle the specific requirements of the child.
An Impending Move
If the family is planning a large move – either to another country, state, or city – then it might be better for the children to be educated at home, so as to ensure there is as little disruption to their education as possible.
This is usually the case if they are having to move in the middle of a semester, or if they will be out of mainstream education for a prolonged period of time.
Periods Of Travel
Some parents might have demanding jobs that require them to travel and move a lot – such as the military – and as such, their children might be better off being homeschooled with either a tutor or a family member to ensure that they do not fall behind with their education.
Moves can be disruptive, as there is usually a grounding period where childrens and teachers alike need to get used to one another’s styles.
However, with homeschooling, parents can ensure their child remains happy, familiar, and as settled as possible during even the most hectic times.
Are There Downsides To Temporary Homeschooling?
Of course, as with anything, there can be certain downsides associated with homeschooling – be it permanent or temporary.
Loneliness
One major problem that homeschooled children can experience is loneliness – something caused by the extremely limited socialization that they will get as a result of these teaching methods.
As they are not in mainstream school, they do not get as many chances to meet kids their own age, which can lead to social withdrawal, personality issues, and difficulty making friends in the future.
Ill-Equipped Parents
Homeschooling also depends entirely on the parent’s efficacy as teachers, and if they happen to be ill-equipped for the role, then the child’s education could suffer dramatically.
Procrastination
The often lack of differentiation between home and school time can make procrastination, and a lack of discipline and motivation, commonplace – calling for strict boundaries to be set.
Final Thoughts
And there we have it, everything you need to know about temporarily (or permanently) homeschooling your children.
It’s true that, for some children, homeschooling can indeed be a positive and incredibly beneficial educational tool – offering them a personal, hands-on, caring approach to learning within which they can have all the help necessary to thrive.
So if you are interested in homeschooling your child, then be sure to check out this handy guide!
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