Negatives are :
-Get separated by their friends.
- Dont get as much opportunities as other Children than go to School

But i would love to be home Schooled ! Loisan

Whatever you do, if you homeschool your children, make sure they spend a decent amount of time in public school before switching to college… then again even that transition can be very difficult.
I know 3 kids who were homeschooled
1. Switched in and out of public and homeschooling. Understands being social, interacts well with others, and is extremely fun to be around
2. Only homeschooled, extremely religious as was not taught any other viewpoints to the point it can be offensive, often tells people they are going to go to hell, not understanding that this is not socially acceptable to say. Still a nice guy, but I pity him more than anything.
3. Completely socially awkward and out there. Doesn’t have many friends, not religious, just doesn’t speak to anyone.

I’m a college student and all of these kids are college aged. sarakinzz

For us, some of the pros are:

My children work at their own pace. This means that they are not rushed along before they are ready, or held back needlessly.

My children use the methods and materials that best suits their learning styles. Not everyone-child or adult- learns in the same way and limiting instruction to one method is handicapping to some children, as they will not learn as well as they could if that same information were just presented differently.

We work in a way to strengthen the areas they are weak in, and build upon the areas they are strong in to give them a good foundation.

Our lessons are generally completed by lunch time, giving us a lot more time than they would have if they were in a traditional school setting. That extra time allows them to participate in a variety of activities- church, 4H, Scouts, baseball, basketball. They take classes and are involved in community programs, we are members of a homeschool group that gets together for PE and field trips, etc.

That extra time also allows them to experience the real world by living in it. They accompany me to doctor’s appointments, the post office, the grocery store, the bank, etc. There, they socialize with the baby in the waiting room, the mail man, the old lady in line behind us, the teller, etc. They learn how things work in life, and often they ask questions of the doctor, mail man, etc. and learn new things.

A more frivolous pro is the fact that we can take vacations when we want, instead of being bound by a school schedule. This often means that we can go when the prices are better, crowds are less, weather is nicer…making it a more enjoyable experience.

I could go on, but you get the idea and like I said above-the pros and cons will vary from person to person. I hope you find the answer that is best for YOUR child, no matter which option that might be. BraxOwl

CONS:
- You can also give him a very bad education this way. You have to be ready to 100% commit to this - I knew kids who were homeschooled just because they didn’t like getting up to catch the bus, and by 5th grade were still having a very hard time with basic concepts, like phonics and addition.
- It can be very lonely. Make sure he’s in at least one activity where he gets to see friends on a daily basis.
- He won’t get the experience of presenting to a class or working in a group unless you sign him up for a “homeschool group”. These are important skills to have.
- Some people will tell you that it’ll make him socially retarded. However, I’m almost positive that the homeschooled kids with social problems would be like that anyway, because often they come from radical families (both liberal and conservative.) If he does Little League or Cub Scouts or something, he should be fine.
- Oh, and many people will also tell you your kid will be “sheltered”. That all depends on you, but I honestly was corrupted as any of my public school friends in the sense of knowing a lot of swear words and a lot about sex…you can take that as either a pro or a con haha. I have friends who went to public school their entire lives who are far more sheltered than I ever was.
Hope this helped. Good luck! luckytacs

I believe homeschooling may not be ideal for every child/parent and a lot of it depends on just how much thought, planning and energy the parent puts into it as well as the personalities and relationships involved. Not every parent has the patience or desire to teach their own child. If someone had suggested I do this anytime before now, I would have told you that my son and I would be at war all day long! The time was just right and the place where he and I are in our relationship is a lot better. I’m not sure if it’s his developmental age, or maybe I’ve become more patient or a combination of the two, but three years ago this would have never worked.

PROS: I can focus specifically on my son’s problem areas. I can see right away if he’s not getting a subject and if we need to try a different approach or just do more review and practice. For subjects like reading, we have the flexibility to pick books that really grab his interest. The same goes for writing assignments. He loves to watch “Myth Busters” so I have designed writing assignments around watching segments of that show. I have the opportunity to make every-day chores and errands into learning experiences for him, dragging him to the grocery store and showing him how to comparison shop and use coupons has real-world value! As for socialization, there are these fabulous organizations called homeschool co-ops in which several home school familes pool their resources and have classes, teachers, curriculums etc. Whatever your need is, you can probably find it. My son goes to a co-op once a week, sees his friends, takes geometry, world trade, spanish & hands on science and guitar lessons. He always leaves with a smile on his face, and it’s just one day, so we have plenty of time the rest of the week to work on the curriculum I have chosen.

CONS: Most of the cons are on my end of things. I worry that I’m not covering the right material, enough material etc. Some days I am more patient then others, some subjects I don’t find that exciting and I think it might come across to my son that way as well! There are some days that my son talks about going back into public school, and I do think we may try that some day, perhaps for high school. It can be hard to get him together with his friends from public school, and I try to keep those friendships going for his sake just in case he does end up going back. We are such a busy family that “play dates” can sometimes fall low on the totem pole. reddevilbloodymary

Homeschooling can be good in many cases, especially to those children with special needs, or children who need any sort of extra attention/care. Some benefits of it are that the child has no chance of being bullied everyday (as children can be very cruel), the child(ren) will get more one on one attention, they graduate at 15 or 16 I believe as apposed to kids who attend public schools, they graduate at 18 or 19. It can be beneficial also, as I’ve heard, home schooled children are apparently ahead in their studies, and do well in college/university.

Now, home schooling has negatives just like public schooling does. I think personally that every child should have a chance to be educated by someone who is a certified teacher, and went to school themselves to learn about child development and has earned a teaching certificate. Children who are home schooled won’t experience prom and graduation the same way public school children will. I understand that home school kids do have a prom and graduation, but it’s just not the same. It’s not with the people you grew up with for so many years, and saw every single day. By no means to I think that home schooled kids are outcasts. I know that they hang out with friends, join clubs, do extra curricular activities, go out, date, have friends…ect. I just mean it’s not the same no matter what you say. I also do think that they are in for a big shock when they attend real school (college/university), because they WILL be exposed to all types of different people who smoke, drink, do drugs and ‘party hard’ every single day. They will experience peer pressure on a whole different level.

I’d just like to say that I definitely do see why parents who home school chose to do so. I am not against them, and it really bothers me when I say what I said above, and parents tell me I’m uneducated and ignorant. No, I am not thank you very much, I went to college AND university, I’m just being realistic and NOT judgmental. Mama to a princess 10/27/09