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.

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.

Homeschooling is legal in every state, but the choice to homeschool should not be made lightly.  Research and discussion are required to make a wise decision.  How do you tell if homeschooling is right for your family?  Here are a few questions to ask yourself when considering homeschooling as an option for your family.

Am I comfortable spending all of my time with my children?
One of the main reasons that people homeschool is because they love their children and want what’s best for them. They also genuinely like spending time with their children, which is good since you’ll be spending all of your time with them.  If your children frustrate you easily, homeschooling might not be a good match for you.

Will questions bother me?
Homeschoolers are usually asked a lot of questions.  Those questions could be about what curriculum they’re using or about socialization for their children.  If you homeschool, it helps if you don’t mind answering the same questions more than once.

How can I find out about homeschooling?
Check out books from your public library.  There is more than likely a large selection of books that will tell you everything you need to know.  The librarian might even be able to tell you if there are any homeschoolers in the area, since most homeschoolers rely heavily upon the library for source materials.

Is there a support system available?
After you’ve read some books, find local homeschoolers, or do an online search for “homeschool groups (your city)” or “homeschool groups (your state).”  There are homeschooling co-ops available in many places, as well as opportunities for families to get together and have fun.

What if I have other questions?
After you’ve found some families that already homeschool, and ask them about the pros and cons of homeschooling.  Most families will be honest about their reasons, and will be more than happy to help you make an informed decision.  Ask them what types of hardships they had to deal with when starting out.  Should you be concerned about socialization for your children?  What about curriculum?  Do they have suggestions about what to use or not to use?

What curriculum do I choose?
Curriculum choices are astronomical – in the variety available, and often in the price.  While it is possible to have “school at home” by choosing books very similar to what are offered in public schools, it is also possible to homeschool without using a set curriculum at all. The library books you checked out earlier should have explained about the different methods, and should have given you an idea of what your child should learn in each grade.

If you are considering homeschooling your child, or children, answering the above questions should help you make an informed decision.  Not everyone will choose to homeschool after investigating the option.  However, if you want to be more involved in your child’s education, homeschooling might just be right for you.

People choose to homeschool for any number of reasons.  Some of those reasons include homeschooling for religious reasons, not subjecting their children to many new schools if they move a lot, or having a child with health issues that could be made worse by attending public school.  For whatever the reason, homeschooling is a great option.  Homeschooling does not have to begin when a child first starts school, you can start a child on their homeschool journey at any point in their school career.

Many people think that homeschooling must start at kindergarten.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  In fact, you can begin to homeschool your child at any age or in any grade.  When you begin homeschooling depends on when you’ve decided to take your child out of the public school system and bring them home to teach them.

While it may be easier to begin homeschooling right from the start, it isn’t unheard of for parents to pull their children out of school in any grade.  Depending on the student, parents may decide to teach when they’re starting high school.  It’s not unheard of in homeschooling communities to choose to homeschool as their child’s educational career is nearing a close.

One reason parents may choose to bring home a student starting high school is that the parents don’t feel their local school is safe.  With the possibility of being introduced to drugs and alcohol, parents may choose to keep their children from those influences.  They may also bring their child home because of the threat of violence on campus.  These and other issues may cause a parent to pull their high school student out of school to homeschool.

If unhealthy influences aren’t an issue, some parents decide that high school is the right time to homeschool because of opportunities that arise.  Some high school students are already in advanced classes, however if they homeschool, they may be able to attend some beginning college courses while still in high school. 

Another possible reason for bringing a child home while they’re in high school is so they can participate in a work-study program.  Whether they are interested in a work-study program, or an apprenticeship, public high school students may not be able to work these programs into their schedule.  As a homeschool student, however, they have the ability to work ahead and therefore may be finished with high school courses which will free them to pursue an apprenticeship position.

Homeschooling is an awesome opportunity for students, no matter what grade they begin.  Things may be easier on both the parent and the student if they begin homeschooling when the student is younger.  However, that doesn’t mean you can’t bring your child home as they near graduation.  Listen to your child, understand what they want to accomplish, and then let them spread their wings and fly.