"As parents we ask ourselves many things when it comes to raising our children...we worry about what they eat, what they watch, who they play with, how they behave themselves when we're not around. Of course, we also worry about their schooling. But how many of us feel confident enough to take charge of our children's education and what advantages are there to doing so?"
Seriously, have you ever thought about teaching your child? It's quite a concept, isn't it? The truth is, most people never dream of taking on the responsibility of their child's education, at least, not in this day and age. It doesn't even enter into the heads of most parents. Most don't consider it an option because they have so much faith in the school system and the teachers who operate it. Well, is that truly the case or do most parents overlook the option of homeschooling their children because they simply don't feel qualified. Most parents who think about homeschooling feel overwhelmed by the very idea. They stop dead thinking about how much work will be involved; how much patience they'll have to maintain. They wonder, can I be the parent and the teacher? Will I have to learn all of the subjects? Why should I home school? These questions and more have risen every time I speak about homeschooling, every time I discuss the great benefits of this educational approach.
Home schooling does require time and energy, there's no getting around this. But if you play your cards right and focus on getting your kids excited about learning, in time, you can leave most of the teaching up to them. What I mean by this, is the first few years of their life until the age of seven, you teach your children to read, write, and apply basic math skills..
Here are some other things to consider:
o Once your children have mastered the basic skills of learning, once they know how to read and apply numbers, then you can have them start working independently.
o Gradually, children can learn to teach themselves.
o In the beginning, homeschooling requires three to four hours of work a day, supplemented by the odd field trips.
o By the time your kids reach seven or eight years old, however, homeschooling only requires about one hour from you and about five to six hours from them every day.
o The major advantage of this approach to learning, however, is that your kids eventually develop a habit of studying independently.
Of course, most parents worry about having the patience to teach their kids the basics study skills. As a business woman, the idea of staying at home with my kids every day never really occurred to me as a lifestyle unto itself. On the other hand, I was very focused on raising my kids the proper way did. When I first started home schooling, the whole process took some getting used to; the process was both difficult and demanding, with the first two months being the hardest, like most new things we begin. Once my kids and I had settled into a routine, however, things started to become a lot easier. Only seven months later, homeschooling for me and for my kids is a piece of cake. It's thrilling to see my kids really benefiting from the experience.
At the end of the day, the curriculum you choose also helps you to teach all the subjects relevant to a rounded education. As the teacher, all you have to do is follow the curriculum and the agenda that is written for you on a daily basis by home school advocates. You will learn as you go.
When it came to distinguishing between school and home, I began my homeschooling odyssey by explaining to my kids that when I am a teacher I will speak English only, and when I am a mom, I will speak Dari only. However you establish it, you need to make sure that your kids know that you have two different roles. In school time, my children get to be students who ask thousands of questions; as their teacher, I have to answer. In home time, I am teaching manners, and showing them what good behavior is. Above all, I've found that it's important to always be the best person you can so your children have a good role model to follow.
So, why should you home school? There are many reasons:
1. To allow your child to learn at their level, and excel at their pace.
2. To teach them all the things you think are important, including religious studies.
3. To let them become creative and find the gifts they were blessed with.
4. To give them confidence in their abilities.
