What is Homeschooling

Wondering exactly what is homeschooling and how do you get started? It really is a continuation of all the things you naturally do when you have a child. So, figuratively, all parents are homeschoolers!

Schooling your children at home is a method of motivating and assisting your child to learn and explore for him or herself!

Remember, how you taught your child to walk, ride a bicycle or even bake cookies for the very first time? Well, schooling at home or home educating continues that process to include the academics, too.

How to Homeschool

There are numerous ways to go about doing this. Basically, you want to include all the state required courses for your child at each grade level.

The basics like reading, writing, history, science, and math are required. Then, you want to add fine arts, such as music, dance or drama. A foreign language and physical education course pretty much wraps up the necessary work.

That is a summary of the "what" to teach your children when you start homeschooling.

Facts about Homeschooling

One of the undeniable facts about homeschooling is that it can be and generally is, an improved method of teaching most children.

The small group setting, personal attention, and hand-chosen instructional resources used in a setting tailored specifically for that child almost certainly guarantees success!

Several myths have been circulating over the ability of parents to teach their own children. Well, who really knows a child better than their parent?

I don't deny that licensed teachers have the pedagogical training that many parents do not, but today we are able to research the best ways to teach our children and are having incredible success.

Unfortunately, that is not the same as we are seeing in most of our public schools, today. I'm not school bashing here, just stating the obvious.

Pros of Homeschooling

One advantage of home schooling I most enjoy is that I am able to choose the homeschool curriculum I want to use. I can select resources that adhere to our Christian values and beliefs.

Also, I can go at a pace that works for our family. I decide if we want to study Algebra I, Geometry then Algebra II or whether Algebra I & II, then Geometry.

I decide which of the sciences we are going to study for our third credit, not someone else. And, when our children have a profound interest in a topic, we can choose to spend more time covering that subject or include relevant field trips and projects.

I hope that this perspective of "what is homeschooling" according to me has been helpful. There is no exact formula for how to do it and there will always be many permutations to going about it.

It is a calling and a sacrifice that I feel privileged to do for our children.

Of our ten children, only our oldest son has attended school outside the home which has been a different situation, although positive, and one I'll write about some time later.

Check elsewhere on this site to read about the specifics of home educating such as styles of teaching, homeschool laws, and homeschool curriculum suppliers as you continue to learn more about what is homeschooling.

Some helpful pages to learn more of what homeschooling is about: