One of the most often heard questions when considering homeschooling is, “Aren’t you worried about socialization?”  I’m not sure if those questions are truly about socialization, or if they’re about socializing.  There’s a big difference between the two.

While this issue of socialization seems to be on the minds of people against homeschooling, those who actually homeschool never give it much thought.  They know that their children are not going to suffer by foregoing public school socialization. In fact, most homeschool children are probably better socialized than public school students.

Socialization is basically learning to conform to today’s society.  What is it about homeschooling that would keep a child from learning to conform to today’s society? And do we really want children that conform and become little automatons?  Or do we want children who can think for themselves while having something to offer society as a whole? 

Children are little sponges, so just by being a part of a family they will begin to learn what society expects of them.  The only way a child would fail to be socialized is if they were secluded away from everyone.  The image of a backwoods, backwards, misfit homeschool family is just not accurate.  Homeschooling families are generally active in their local communities, and often involved in volunteering to help others.  These activities will help solve any socialization issues.

So if you plan to homeschool, how should you respond when asked about socialization?  Are the questions really about socializing instead?  Well, I can honestly say, my kids are very social.  Not only do we attend church every week, we have days during the week that we meet with other homeschool families, and they’ll strike up a conversation with anyone, no matter their age.  If those activities aren’t enough, homeschool children have play days, skate days, and trips to the bowling alley.  How much more social does a child have to be?

When thinking about socialization, one has to wonder, are the lessons they learn in public school really any better than what they’ll learn at home?  Since public schools create artificial societies which rarely mirror real life.  In public schools children learn about drugs, alcohol, violence, and sexual promiscuity.  Most homeschool parents are very happy that their children won’t have to learn those lessons.

If socialization is supposed to teach your child how to behave in society, how to properly respond to people, and be responsible adults, it isn’t very likely that a child will learn that from public school.  All one has to do is go to nearly any public middle school and walk the halls.  After witnessing the behavior of the students there, ask yourself which of those behaviors you would truly want your child to emulate.  That should get any parent’s attention and quell any further questions or concerns about a homeschool child’s socialization.

You’ve done it! You’ve made the choice to homeschool your children. But now what? There are different methods of homeschooling:  school-at-home, Charlotte Mason, classical, and unschooling, to name a few.  If you unschool are you really homeschooling, or is it something else entirely?

Unschooling, as it’s often called, is one alternative to public school and even homeschooling.  Also known as natural learning, independent learning, or child-led learning, unschooling is an approach that flies in the face of traditional thought when it comes to educating your child.  So what exactly is unschooling, and how does it differ from homeschooling?

The biggest difference between unschooling and homeschooling is in the mindset.  Where homeschooling is basically concerned with your child learning what it normally taught in public schools, unschoolers have a completely different way of looking at their children and at life.  Unschooling is based on mutual trust between parent and child and in finding what works best for them.

Homeschoolers might choose to use a specific curriculum as a base for their teaching.  Unschoolers, however, may not even use a pre-planned curriculum at all.  Unschoolers believe that children learn at all times, and that what they need to learn doesn’t necessarily have to come out of a set curriculum.

Another term for unschooling is delight-driven.  It’s not that a child is given complete freedom from learning; it means that the child is allowed to learn the things that interest them instead of what an institution says they should know.  Most often those who unschool learn those things that they will be using in life rather than just what is in a book. 

It may seem to an outsider looking in that an unschooler isn’t actually doing school work at all. In fact, unschoolers believe that living life is the best education a child can get, so they aren’t quite as concerned about what others think.  Of course, if you live in a state that has more requirements for homeschoolers, it might seem a little daunting to prove that actual learning is taking place.

Since homeschooling can take on so many faces, it seems that unschooling fits right in after all.  All homeschooling parents want the opportunity for their children to learn in an environment where they are encouraged to grow, develop, and flourish.  What better way than to allow your child to learn the things that interest them?  In doing so, they’ll pick up the things that traditional education believes they need to know.

If your child is struggling in public school, for whatever reason, and is getting more discouraged as the year progresses. Choosing to homeschool might be a valid option to consider.  However, be prepared for a transition period after taking your child out of public school before jumping into homeschooling.

If your child is currently in public school, before you withdraw them, you need to determine your state’s homeschooling laws.  Make sure you meet all of the state’s requirements before taking further action.  After you’ve met each of the laws of your state, contact your child’s school and formally withdraw your child.  Failing to formally withdraw your child may lead to truancy issues in the future.  Also, be prepared for them to ask questions.

The manner in which you withdraw your child will probably vary depending on where you live, possibly writing a letter to the superintendent of your child’s school system.  Explain to them that you have chosen to homeschool and are formally withdrawing your child. Provide proof that you are following your state’s laws and are legally allowed to withdraw your child from school.  If you can quote part of the law in your letter, it will show that you understand the law and your rights as a homeschooling family.

•  When you have your child at home, be prepared to take some time off of actual school work.  This will give your child a chance to learn a new lifestyle.  After all, your child has been used to the school’s way of doing things.  They are no longer imprisoned by the rules and regulations they’ve come to know.

•  Take some time to get to know one another again. You may think you know your child, but it’s quite possible that you don’t know them at all.  There may be parts of your child’s personality that you never knew existed.  They might learn some new things about you, as well.

•  Don’t be surprised if your child continues to do the things that they’ve become accustomed to doing.  Some new homeschoolers will raise their hand if they have a question or when they need to use the restroom.  It may take some time to do, but those habits will need to be broken.

•  Keep some of the better habits they’ve gained.  If your child has been used to having spelling tests on a particular day of the week, continue to keep that schedule.  If you allow them to stop doing everything they did in public school, you may have a situation that is worse than they left.

•  Take the time to enjoy the process with your child.  Choosing to homeschool, while primarily for the student, should also be enjoyable for you as well.  Cut loose and have fun.  Don’t take yourselves too seriously, and remember that you were a parent first.  Most of all, remember why you chose to homeschool . . . to enjoy the freedom homeschooling affords.

When one decides to homeschool, there is so much to consider, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.  Along with being overwhelmed, you may feel confused about what to expect.  How will homeschooling affect your daily lives?  The homeschool family may choose to create a schedule for everyone to follow, or they may choose a routine that will be effective for their families. 

For some people, a set schedule is the best way to run their lives. For others, however, having everything planned out in fifteen minute increments doesn’t sound like fun.  Where structure might be desired, it isn’t always practical. Conversely, while being relaxed might be great, some routines are needed to be effective as homeschoolers.

Schedules and routines for homeschooling are as varied as the families that homeschool.  Here are a couple of routine types that a family can follow:

1. School at home would have the children keeping a similar schedule as those in public school.  This would include getting up at a specific time every day and then starting their day with either breakfast or chores as the first order of the day.  Following that, the children would be given 45 minutes per subject, just like if they were in public school, and they would have a printed schedule to go by for their day.

2. If you’re not enthused by this approach, a more relaxed routine might be more what you’re looking for.  If this is the case, you may start your day whenever one of the children gets out of bed.  You can work with that one child, undisturbed, until the other children make their presence known.  This type of routine would be more staggered, with mom giving special attention to each child as they rise.

3. Some homeschoolers don’t really have a set schedule or routine for actual schoolwork. They may allow the children to choose which subject they want to do first, and continue in that way until all subjects are covered.  This type of routine is great for those students who are self-starters and can work without supervision.

4. While these routines might be helpful, there are the people that completely against anything planned and live life by the seats of their pants.  This is the type of person that allows the day to happen to them, taking each moment as it comes and living their life to the fullest. They often have more fun, but may have a little bit of a problem finishing projects and school work.

Whichever routine or schedule you choose to follow, just remember that all work and no play make Jack a very dull boy.  Take some time out of your scheduled day to enjoy your children.  Plan some free time on your calendar to allow them to just relish in being a child.  After all, part of the reason you chose to homeschool was so you could spend quality time with your children. Let the schedules and routines slip every now and then.  You’ll be glad you did, and your children will thank you for it.

Homeschooling, while it affords you certain freedoms when educating your child, is not always easy. But there are things that you can do to make homeschooling easier for yourself as a parent.  The following tips may help make your job as a homeschooling parent a little easier.

•  If in doubt, look on the Internet.  If you are in doubt about your method of homeschooling, use the internet to seek another method.  In fact, you can use the internet to help you in regard to nearly everything homeschool related.  Do you need something to keep your little one busy while you’re working with an older child?  The internet has coloring sheets galore, as well as worksheets, mazes, and puzzles.

•  Choose a complete curriculum.  Complete curriculums will also make homeschooling easier on you as a parent.  Instead of having to search through multiple catalogs to find just the right curriculum, choose a complete curriculum.  Not only will it save you time, it may even save you money, in the long run.

•  Cut yourself some slack.  Don’t expect yourself to be the perfect teacher.  Unless you have an education degree, you most likely will make mistakes along the way.  Don’t beat yourself up about them.  Learn from the mistakes and try not to repeat them again.

•  Allow your children to help themselves.  You can’t be expected to know everything, so if your child wants to learn something you don’t know, give them the freedom to follow their interests.  You might be pleasantly surprised to find that they learn more on their own than they did while you were more involved.

•  Seek the help from others.  When in doubt about anything dealing with homeschooling, seek the advice from those who have been homeschooling for longer than you.  Even though they may not have dealt with exactly what you’re dealing with, chances are they will be able to give you advice or point you in the right direction.  Take advantage of your homeschooling peers’ offers of help, there might be a time where you’ll be able to return the favor.

•  Online communities are available.  If you don’t know people that homeschool in your local area, there are literally hundreds of homeschooling communities on the Internet.  Search online for homeschooling groups or forums.  They can be found in every state, and even some outside of the United States.  You may have to register to join a homeschool group or forum, but you can be as active as you like and remain anonymous if you like.

Homeschooling doesn’t have to be hard.  In fact, one of the reasons most people choose to homeschool is the ease and freedom associated with it.  When you have difficulty, however, you may feel as if you need help.  The above tips, when followed, can help make homeschooling a little bit easier.