Should I Homeschool My Child?
Homeschooling is a big decision, and it affects everyone in the family. If your student currently attends a traditional school and you feel that something needs to change, homeschooling may be a good option to explore.
In this article, we’ll go over some things to ask yourself when deciding whether or not to educate at home. Homeschooling can be a great educational option, but it isn’t always the best fit for every child. At Miacademy, we want every child to thrive in their education, even if homeschooling isn’t the solution for them. We’re here to help you on your educational journey, every step of the way.
Here are five important questions to ask yourself before you commit to homeschooling:
1. Why is traditional school not working?
There are many reasons why parents decide to homeschool their children, like frequent military deployments, a lack of resources for students with disabilities, a shift in parental responsibilities, or a desire for more control over what and how your child is learning. It’s important to pinpoint what about your current situation isn’t working — homeschool may not be the best solution for the issue.
For children with developmental differences, homeschool can give them the support they need. For gifted children, a challenging at-home curriculum can help them grow and bolster their curiosity without growing bored in a classroom. For parents who wish to teach their children more than what their public schools can offer or who wish to instill their beliefs and values in their student’s education, homeschooling can help strengthen the parent-child bond.
Because homeschooling is a large change that affects the whole family, it’s important to consider your options before diving in. Not all parents have the time or resources to be able to homeschool, and that’s perfectly okay! For example, attending a charter or private school, attending public school online, or simply switching districts may be an easier fix that still makes a huge difference.
2. What does my child enjoy about school?
If your child enjoys public school, suddenly switching to homeschool can be upsetting. Children may enjoy seeing their friends every day, have a bond with their teacher, or be afraid of missing out on school activities, such as field days or school carnivals. If your child gets along well with others and is academically successful, switching to homeschool can cause a severe disruption. It’s important to consider your child’s needs and feelings, so they don’t feel left out of a decision that affects them greatly.
If your child doesn’t enjoy going to school, is easily bored or distracted, doesn’t get along with their peers, or often falls behind, they may be a good candidate for learning at home.
Homeschooling creates a comfortable, more flexible environment so students can learn in the best way for them. It’s often self-paced, so students can take their time to grasp a concept instead of being rushed into the next unit. Consider your child’s feelings and performance at their current school before deciding to homeschool them.
3. Do I want to become more involved in my child’s education?
Some parents want to be heavily involved in their child’s education, and others simply may not have the time. Both are totally okay! Your involvement in your student’s education is a personal choice, and it depends on many factors, such as time and available finances.
In some states, home educators must have some proof of formal education. In addition, homeschooling is a time commitment! You’ll need to set aside time each day to help teach your child new concepts.
Being a parent and a teacher can be hard work. If you know you won’t have the energy for it after your 9-5, that’s totally fine! Or maybe you aren’t the most patient person in the world or don’t have a passion for education. Simply identifying the degree of involvement you’re willing to have and knowing your own limitations are big factors in whether or not homeschooling is a good fit for your family.
4. Does homeschooling fit the family lifestyle we have or want?
Homeschooling affects everyone in the home, especially if you’re switching from public school. If you don’t already have someone at home to teach, it can be difficult to homeschool if you have to go to work every day. Homeschooling doesn’t always fit into a parent’s work schedule, and it can be expensive to find solutions such as tutors or nannies.
Many homeschool families in the U.S. have to pay out of pocket for home education. Supplies such as curricula, devices, books, and other materials can add up quickly. While it is possible to homeschool on a budget, sometimes it just isn’t feasible.
In addition, homeschooling requirements vary by state, so it’s important to know what is required of you. Are you willing to keep up with portfolio evaluations and annual assessments and keep in regular contact with your local superintendent? Can you teach for a minimum of four hours per day, for no less than 180 days per year? These are just a few of the many different ways that states mandate homeschooling. It’s important to know the requirements ahead of time to determine how much of a commitment homeschooling will be.
Finally, your new role as teacher means you and your child will be spending a lot of time together. Homeschool burnout is real, and it’s more common than you think! If you’re not used to spending all day, every day with your children or if you tend to stress easily, letting someone else teach or homeschooling part time may be better options in the beginning.
5. Am I qualified to teach?
For many states, homeschooling simply requires that you are the legal guardian of the student and that you educate them in good faith. However, some states may require that you have a high school diploma, bachelor’s degree, or even a teaching certificate. While some states provide workarounds, such as hiring a tutor or getting teacher supervision, some parents may not be interested or able to go back to school or obtain a license for the sole purpose of homeschool. For legal reasons, it’s important to know the laws in your state to ensure that you’re qualified.
Homeschooling with Miacademy
At Miacademy, we know that homeschooling is a big decision and no small commitment! Our goals are to make a quality education accessible to every student and to support all of our homeschool parents with any questions or concerns. Here are some of the ways that Miacademy can help you have a stress-free experience:
1. Powerful reporting tools
All assessments are automatically graded and reported to your Parent Portal. You can see how long your student spent on an assignment, how many attempts they used, and what grade they got, as well as a cumulative grade for each subject. You can easily generate comprehensive reports and keep track of which courses your student has taken and what they’ve learned.
2. Easy-to-use, intuitive interface
Our innovative user interface is designed for ease of use, so your students can progress from one topic to another with as few problems as possible. We know how busy parents can be, so we want to make the educational experience as smooth as possible, so you can have more time to do other things! This can be especially helpful when homeschooling students of varying ages or abilities. You’ll be able to accomplish more during the day when Miacademy takes care of the teaching for you.
3. High quality, engaging materials— all in one place
With Miacademy, our all-inclusive memberships provide you with everything you need to get started. No more hunting down books or supplies or making sure that your curricula stays up-to-date — we take care of all of that for you! Our curriculum offers multiple learning formats, such as engaging videos, interactive learning games, practice quizzes, activity-filled PDFs, and more! In addition, we release TONS of new content each month and continually update our existing content to ensure it remains as high quality and relevant as possible. With thousands of lessons and games, there’s always something new to learn on Miacademy!
If you have any questions about how homeschooling with Miacademy or MiaPrep may be a good fit for you, please feel free to reach out to our friendly customer service team! They’ll be happy to help you with any questions you may have.
FAQ
Is homeschooling a good idea?
Homeschooling is a very personal decision to make, and it varies family to family. If you’ve considered the questions above, you feel that your student is a good candidate for homeschool, and you’re willing to make the commitment, it can definitely be worth a try! However, if it doesn’t work out, you can always return to public school if you need to.