Education has such an impact on our children, and with home schooling you get an excellent opportunity to influence your child’s education. Not only do you get to shape the curriculum and schedule, but you are given the chance to spend more time with your child.
Schooling is such an important part of a young person’s life. And education 
continues throughout life, so whatever you can do to inspire learning, and cause your children to have curiousity, and a thirst for more knowledge – well, all the better. Help your youngster to hone his talents, and encourage him or her to explore things in this world. That is how your student will begin to know where his or her interests lie.
Parents instinctively know many things about their kids; so, because of this, a parent can make an excellent teacher. The parent(s) have more drive to see to it that their child becomes learned. So who better to teach them? Additionally, the parents (or guardian) want the best for their children. Also, if a parent homeschools, he or she can see to it that the homeschool schedule fits the student. This more easily allows for afterschool curriculum.
Homeschooling: Does it Seem Challenging to You?
It is natural that in the beginning, choosing homeschooling seems a bit overwhelming. Many parents are worried they won’t be up to the task. How can I tackle all the 
subjects, plus do the recordkeeping, and the homeschooling field trips?! Yikes!
You need to allow yourself time to get used to the idea; and you need to start visiting libraries, and places like amazon to order materials on homeschooling. If your children are older, then you may already have an idea as to what their strong suits are. But if you’re starting from Kindergarten or first grade, you’ll need everything as far as resources go.
And you’ll have to look at your particular state’s rules, as to homeschooling requirements. Some states have very requirements, while others are more strict. Make a phone call to your local school; find out what you can from your school district; sometimes they can make suggestions you may not have thought of.
At its core, home schooling is just another choice, when it comes to educating our kids. Nowadays, there are so many more choices. I will give you a brief synopsis of the kinds of homeschooling:
- The Charlotte Mason Method
- Eclectic Homeschooling
- The Montessori Method
- Unschooling
With the Charlotte Mason method, classics in literature, poetry, fine arts, crafts, and classical music are all emphasized; also, with this method, nature is observed as an important part of the curriculum (drawing one’s observations).
Next, parents who use the Eclectic Homeschooling method are generally utilizing a lot of materials and are frequently going on field trips to the library and other places – this method is adaptive, and so parents tailor the curriculum to what is in the best interest of the student – mapped around a timetable which truly suits the individual (relaxed homeschooling). It can be characterized as being halfway between unschooling and structured schooling.
As to the Montessori Method, spiritual development is emphasized; the materials for this schooling method are quite costly. Montessori originated in Italy, by Maria Montessori. Here are 2 quotes by Maria: “Imagination does not become great until human beings, given the courage and the strength, use it to create” and “We cannot know the consequences of suppressing a child’s spontaneity when he is just beginning to be active. We may even suffocate life itself. Education cannot be effective unless it helps a child to open up himself to life.”
Unschooling is rather unconventional; John Holt, who came up with the idea, felt, “children are able to learn best whenever they are free to learn at their own pace and when their own interests guide them.” With this homeschool method, the teacher is supposed to get their cue from the child. There isn’t a set schedule, or set curriculum. It is child directed learning, and so it is without the usual trappings of school .
Home schooling has provided many benefits and advantages to both parents and children. Increased flexibility, a better and more complete education, and spending time together are some of the best benefits. This is the reason why many parents have opted for homeschooling, and never regretted the choice.
Further Reading: 8 Homeschooling Tips to Get Under Way (Part 2)
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