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Am I Qualified to Homeschool My Child?
By Lynn Moore
Introduction
Are you considering homeschooling? Are you already homeschooling but having second thoughts? Maybe you are the grandparent of a homeschooled child. This article outlines some things to consider if you want to homeschool. First, take our quiz to see your score on being qualified to homeschool.
Homeschool Qualifications Quiz
Answer Yes or No to each of the questions below. - Do I understand child development and not simply “know” my child?
- Do I feel competent in the necessary subjects?
- Am I willing and able to seek others to teach subjects in which I don’t feel competent?
- Am I comfortable following a guidebook for lessons?
- Do I understand different methods of assessment?
- Will I be able to separate the parent-child and teacher-child relationships?
- Do I have 3-4 hours a day to devote to teaching?
- Do I have 2-3 hours a week to devote to planning?
- Do I work outside of my home less than 50% of the day?
- Am I able to make arrangements for my child to participate in socialization activities?
What was your score?
9 or 10 You are most likely ready to test the homeschool waters.
7 or 8 You will want to seriously think about whether homeschooling is right for your family.
6 or fewer Homeschooling is not your best option right now.
Child Development
Are you familiar with the stages of child development? Many homeschoolers argue that a parent knows her own child best and that all children develop at different rates. While both are true, it is important to understand the general steps in child development. For example, parents are often concerned if their six year old child has a speech problem with the letter “s”. In reality, many six year olds cannot say words with the letter “s” because they have no front teeth or teeth that are coming in.
Teaching the Necessary Subjects
First of all, what are the necessary subjects? Most curriculums (as well as state and federal learning standards) include reading, English, spelling, science, and social studies / history as necessary study. Many homeschoolers also include a Bible study or lesson. The expectations for each grade or age level, of course, are different and increasingly more advanced. Reviewing the curriculum you have chosen or reviewing curriculum used by other homeschoolers will give you an idea if you understand the material at your child’s level. Maybe you feel confident in most of the subjects, but you always had difficulty with one or two. (Let’s say math or science.) If that is the case, you may wish to seek other homeschoolers who could teach your child in that area. If you are unsure of your ability to teach in more than two subjects, homeschooling is probably not the route to go.
Following Curriculum Guides
Let’s say you have made the choice to homeschool your child, and you are ready to plan your lessons. You have the curriculum material in front of you. Do you feel comfortable following instructions for how to teach a particular lesson: review, introduction, explanation, practice, and assessment? You may be saying I haven’t even made that decision yet. The bottom line is whether or not you will be okay with following a guide book so that your lesson follows a progression instead of just being random activities.
Understanding Assessment
Do you understand the kinds of assessment that will give the over all picture of your child’s understanding? Practice work, your child retelling / explaining the information, and formal testing each serve a purpose. Granted the child who is homeschooled may not “need” as many paper-pencil tests as he would get in public school. He does need some practice with tests, though, because they give a snapshot of a child’s understanding from a different angle. In addition, there are paper “tests” in life that cannot be avoided (whether it is a driver’s test or a math test to work in a store or restaurant).
Parent-child / Teacher-student Relationship
You obviously have a strong, positive relationship with your child. Will you be able to become the teacher who is also the parent in order to homeschool? Will you wearing a different hat be difficult for your child to respect or adjust to?
Balancing School, Home, and Maybe Even Work
The million dollar question is how much time homeschooling takes. It seems logical that with the whole day ahead of you, you will have plenty of time for school, taking care of your home, and maybe even a part time job. So how much time does it really take? It is true that you will not have travel time to and from school. Your child will not have to wait in line at various times throughout the day or even wait for other children to complete work before moving on to the next task. These things all save the homeschooler time. The things that you will need to allow for are:- Review of the previous lesson
- Introduction of the new material
- Supervised practice – You want to make sure that your child has the basic concept.
- Independent practice
- Some type of assessment to see how well your child really learned the material
Some sites give figures like two hours a day for homeschooling. At first, allow at least half of the time that your child would have been in school (3 ½ - 4 hours). After you get a pattern to your day, you may find that you can cut back a little on the time.
Conclusion Our society is fast paced, and indeed children in our society are pressured from all sides. Homeschooling would seem to offer a haven from the rat race and from unwanted influences. Homeschooling also brings responsibility. Consider carefully your qualifications for the important task of teaching your child. If you are looking for more information on homeschooling your child, check out these books .
Copyright © 2006 Lynn Moore
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