Is homeschooling for everyone?
Question:
My daughter, age 12, no longer wants to be homeschooled. She has been home schooled since third grade. In the past two years Mom states “she appears “down in the dumps” most of the time and has become more and more resistant to cooperating with her homeschool program.”
Answer:
Mom, there is not an easy answer or tip for your request. But, I will say that one size doesn’t fit all, meaning homeschooling is not for everyone. Homeschooling vs. public or private schooling often depends on logistics, circumstances, quality of learning and mostly your child’s personality.
Homeschooling is popular and studies show that many children flourish with this type of approach to learning. But we have discovered that not all children are cut out for this method.
Is it possible that your daughter may be of the personality that thrives on day-to-day structure, consistency, interaction and change? She may enjoy the challenge of a larger environment that offers different teachers, changing classrooms and peer competition. Some children appear to mature better in this type of setting.
A helpful key to determining what type of schooling is best for your child, is an unbiased assessment of her personality and what methods of teaching motivate her. It’s also helpful to determine if her resistance to homeschooling is the “real” problem or if there is another cause for depressed mood and displeasure.
Here are a few questions to ask:
Is your child only complaining about her homeschooling program?
Other than your child’s complaints about homeschooling, is she happy most of the time?
Does your child interact with her peers daily?
Is your child maturing at the same rate as her peers?
Does your child have friends she visits often and that often visit her?
Does your child have friends outside of the homeschool program?
Has your child been able to give realistic reasons for favoring public or private school?
As a parent, have you asked yourself why homeschooling was your choice? Does that preference still remain the best or only choice?
If you’re not already connected to a homeschool website we recommend you join one so you can have conversations with other parents experiencing similar issues.