Questions to Ask Before Homeschooling

Have you been thinking about homeschooling, but weren’t sure how to get started? Maybe your child has been asking to be homeschooled, and you have considered it, but have thoughts such as: What if I mess up my kid? I’m excited to tell you all about homeschooling. No doubt homeschooling can look scary from the outside. For all of those who are considering leaping into homeschooling, you need to ask yourself these questions and read these tips before taking the leap.

Questions about homeschooling

Leaping into Homeschooling by Answering the Following Questions

This list of questions is designed to get your creative and organizational juices flowing. You will learn at lot about yourself and your children by figuring out the following:

Picture your homeschool. What does it look like?

Are you all sitting at desks in a “school room” with you lecturing and writing on a chalkboard? Or are you going to the park everyday, shopping, and visiting museums?

By answering those questions, you have just taken the first step toward  homeschooling. However, you probably answered them based on what you either learned as a child, or you misconceptions about what homeschoolers actually do. Before leaping into homeschooling answer question number 2.

 

Why did you answer question number one the way you did?

In fact, before homeschooling, everyone should exam their expectations and toss them out the window. The reality is that your homeschool will most likely not look like your answer to question number one above. And that is a good thing. In fact, there are so many different methods of homeschooling that you may find you use several different methods over the years.

Homeschool crafts

How much money do I have to devote to homeschooling supplies, curriculum, field trips and traveling?

I have homeschooled for 26 years. There were years that I spent $1000 per child, and there have been years I have spent $100 per child based on our income and curriculum I had available.

The money you have available does not equate to the quality of education your child will receive at home, but rather it will help you plan before you take that leap. Generally, you need to ask questions about money before homeschooling so you can plan. It is easy to spend way more than you expected because of all the resources out there for homeschoolers.

How much time do I have to devote to helping my children learn?

Do you want to be a hands-on homeschooler or would you prefer to sit your children in front of the computer and let someone else teach them? While I personally believe limiting screen-time is best for young children (and experts agree), I know children who have had a quality education through the computer.

When I was in school what was my weakest subject? Which subject did I hate the most?

Most likely, these answers are the same. I can honestly say, a) I hated diagramming sentence, and b) history was my weakest and most hated subject. Ironically, when teaching my children, it quickly became one of my favorite subjects because of the style of learning I choose for my children.

Selecting a curriculum that excites you, even in your weakest subject, is key to exciting your children. If your kids see you passionate about homeschooling and learning, they will become passionate too.

What subject do I have no confidence in teaching?

This may be an area that you seek outside help. My “no confidence” subject ironically was writing – I laugh at that now. I knew I could write, but I wasn’t sure I could teach my children how to write. That just seems silly now. This was a subject that I employed a teacher.

Beth was a former teacher who was staying at home with her children until they got a little older. She offered tutoring in writing and English. She would meet with my boys once a week and give them assignments. She was the one that helped me to see that I was being overly critical of my children’s writing. I expected perfection and that is a surefire way to squash the love of learning in children.

By allowing Beth to work with my children, she taught me many valuable lessons that I still use today. Bringing another perspective into your homeschooling can be very useful.

What do I believe is the purpose of public schooling?

Do you think it is to learn? Or do you think it is for socialization? By asking these questions before homeschooling, you will give yourself some insight into how your perceive education. If you felt that school was for socialization, you will need to find plenty of opportunities to enable your children to socialize.

However, if you believe that school is for learning, and socialization is just a natural part of life, your approach to curriculum, travel, and field trips will be very different.

Am I afraid of what other people will think if I homeschool?

If you are afraid of being labeled “weird” or “odd,” you may have hesitations about homeschooling. Losing the fear of what other people think is key to a successful homeschool.

Once you ask yourself these questions, the next step is to make a decision to homeschool.

Homeschool family hiking

Decide You Are Going to Homeschool

 The next step in leaping into homeschooling is deciding that you’re going to do it. It can be scary, nerve-wracking, and super exciting. Of course, deciding you’re going to do something carries fear. I encourage you to make the decision and stick with it. I have met far too many people who waiver every single month. I actually met a person who homeschooled two days and then re-enrolled her child in school. Once you decide, make a commitment for at least a year.

Kids learning globe and encyclopedia

Check Your Resources

When it comes to homeschooling, you need the right resources. In other words, knowing what curriculum is available is important. There are some free resources out there, so if you’re on a budget, feel free to utilize those. There are also curriculums that you can buy. Some of the more popular curriculums for homeschoolers are A Beka, Bob Jones, Timberdoodle, Sonlight, Master Books, and Veritas. It’s hard to know which one to choose.

Begin asking yourself another series of questions related to your child’s learning style, and then move forward from there. You could ask for recommendations from friends, however, if you ask 100 people, you will probably get 70 different answers.

Also, you don’t have to use the same curriculum for all your kids. You can mix and match which curriculum you will use. It makes life a little more complicated, but it helps each child learn best.

Homeschooling Questions Chalkboard

Set Some Goals for Your Family

I always loved setting goals for us as a homeschooling family. But I asked more questions before homeschooling each year. Where do I want my kids to be a year from now? What academic goals do my kids have for themselves? You can set large goals and small goals to help you achieve academic success. Most homeschoolers would agree that homeschooling is not just about the academics though.

Your kids will learn more life skills than you thought possible. They will also learn how to act in situations. Furthermore, they will learn how to adapt to situations, and become an overall well-rounded child. More importantly, they will have more time to be a kid, which is especially important.

Asking yourself questions before homeschooling requires time and commitment. To be successful takes some thought, planning, and courage. It is often hard to undertake tasks that others are not in agreement with. Having the determination to swim upstream takes commitment. But with the right frame of mind, anyone can homeschool.

What is your biggest fear about beginning to homeschool?

 

QUESTIONS BEFORE YOU BEGIN HOMESCHOOLINGQuestions to ask before homeschoolingQuestions to ask before you begin to homeschool

 

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