Recently, homeschooling has emerged to be a feasible option for many parents. New-age parents are dissatisfied with the conventional schooling system, the unreasonable fees, and rising crime rates in traditional educational institutions. They are also becoming more aware and better educated than ever before. They are confident about homeschooling their kids, even though this system of providing education was not very popular in every country, prior to the pandemic.
However, with consideration of the present situation, if you prefer homeschooling your kids, you must acquaint yourself with the potential for various pitfalls. Here are some of the most common mistakes to avoid as you provide your child’s education.
Having Over-Ambitious Goals
As a new homeschooler, it is highly likely that you will place undue pressure on yourself to provide exceptional experiences for your child. More often than not, this gets unnecessarily stressful. In some time, you may feel like switching back to traditional schooling Instead, start with one or two curricula rather than trying to commit to every single activity offered.
Absence of a Homeschooling Routine
It is not essential to follow the 10-month, 5-days-a-week school calendar. In fact, it is a much better idea to settle for a structured curriculum that suits your family, whether that means schooling in the summers followed by an extended winter break or having a year-round homeschooling routine. The plan should be compatible with the needs of the child as well as the family. Predetermined schedules and timelines set by a curriculum publisher may end up under-scheduling or over-scheduling your child in terms of lesson plans, practice work, and extracurricular activities.
Using a Learning Resource Just Because You Bought It
If a learning resource does not seem to work with your kid, be open to change. Continuing an ineffective resource in homeschooling just because you paid for its subscription or anything of the sort will hardly be beneficial in the long run. In fact, as a homeschooler, you have the advantage of switching textbooks and programs at any point. So make the most of the flexibility that traditional schools don’t enjoy!
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Comparing Your Child to Yourself
Individuals vary fundamentally in their learning patterns. While you may be more of a visual learner, your kid may be comfortable with kinesthetic learning. Many homeschooling parents make the mistake of not identifying the preferred learning mode of the child. Don’t presume that what worked for you will work equally well for your child. Delve deep into your young child’s psyche to understand their best learning style.
Trying to Replicate Traditional Classrooms
Are you thinking of converting your dining room table to your child’s school desk? Or maybe setting up a dry-erase board in front of the cabinet? Well, reproducing the setting of brick-and-mortar schools is hardly advisable if you are planning to homeschool your kids. So let them do their school work on a bean bag in their bedroom or study while standing at the kitchen counter snacking in their pajamas.
Unlike homeschooling, traditional schools cater to a large group of same-aged children following a single curriculum. Such standardization is not a good idea when it comes to homeschooling. You should aim to redesign lessons, grade-specific materials, tests, assessments, etc. to suit the needs of your child and your family’s lifestyle and not fit into the typical mold of conventional schooling.
The best part about homeschooling is that you can school on weekends and take a day off sometime mid-week. You can have your fifth grader solve sixth-grade sums, skip an unnecessary chapter, and many more such customizations, depending on your approach. It can prove to be the best educational option since it’s up to you to determine the boundaries.
You can also get in touch with other homeschooling parents to learn from their experiences. If you steer clear of the pitfalls mentioned above, you can offer your child a unique educational journey. When done right, homeschooling is the best option to avoid several loopholes of public education.
