Friday, January 30, 2009

How to Handle Homeschool Nay-Sayers

By Isabel Allen

Everyone will run into at least one person, maybe more, who will tell them that they shouldn't homeschool. The decision to homeschool often isn't popular, and isn't an easy one to make. Dealing with homeschooling nay-sayers will have to be dealt with ahead of time, and the choice in how your child is educated is entirely up to you.

A quintessential arguments of a homeschooling nay-sayer is that regardless if you have a Degree in Education or not, you are not qualified to teach your own child. To this argument, I say bull-crap! If you're a parent, you've already been teaching your child since birth to walk, talk and use the restroom by themselves. If you and your spouse could teach them those skills, why wouldn't you be able to teach them how to read or do math?

Nay-sayers will tell you that besides being "unqualified," teaching a child is too difficult. The thought of having to teach 18-20 fiva and six year olds several subjects in one day is what I find even more difficult. Teaching one child to read is not difficult; as teaching 18-20 children is. You can do it!

Another argument you might hear if you're trying to decide if you want to homeschool is that the children need socialization. Well, I don't know about you, but I'm not sure I want my children to learn all of the things they learn at school. Of course, all of the lessons aren't given by the teachers. Many are learned as the result of being with other children.

95% of homeschooled children are better socialized than the children in public schools. Homeschooled children can carry on intelligent conversations with people of all ages besides being able to deal with their peers. Public schools are not true to life and create artificial societies. There isn't any time at any point in your life that you're going to deal with people all your age. It won't happen, and it just doesn't happen, either.

You will most likely hear comments along the way of researching the possibility of homeschooling your child. It is okay if you don't know everything that you're told you should know. Take it as a learning lesson right along side your child. Since you want the best for your child, you will be giving them the opportunity to concentrate on subjects that they are interested in learning, and learning at their own pace.

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