By homeschooling, it means where kids are not sent to school to secure education in a traditional manner. They are instead kept at home for a number of reasons and parents find it more beneficial educate them at home than having them go out like all of us did to attend school. Following are the disadvantages:
1. Personal sacrifice
The biggest disadvantage of having your children homeschooled is personal sacrifice. You have to be psychologically and emotionally stable to be able to make time for your kids so that there is no stone left unturned in educating them.
It is a tough decision to reach because not only you are sacrificing your time by constantly staying at home because (at least one of you has to be at home) but your kids’ future is at stake too. You cannot compromise on that! Your job or work may get affected and as a result, your financial position may be impacted.
For parents it is a daunting task because it will be you as a parent who will be organizing lessons, preparing timetables, visits, and resources in addition to field trips and looking for other homeschooled children’s group so that exchange of information and views can ensue between your child and other kids.
2. Cost
This has largely to do what form of syllabus you have chosen for your kids. Although, homeschooling can be relatively cheaper than sending kids to school and pay for their tuition and other related examples. But be mindful of the expense that you think you are saving on.
You will be responsible for their textbooks, software, school supplies, resources for the project and the additional cost of getting their admission in extra-curricular activities. Meanwhile, at school, much of it is taken care in the fee you pay.
3. Socialization
Kids need to learn the art of socialization. They must know how to communicate with their peers. In a school environment, they meet all forms of people and this helps school going children to socialize better in their lives ahead.
With homeschooling, the biggest drawback is that you have no one to talk but your parent(s) or listen to, for that matter. These kids cannot make friends, don’t usually step out of the house or travel as students often do through their school vans, cannot experience recess, P.T., and are devoid of interaction with teachers and/or seasoned professionals.
As a result, it is the duty of parents to instill in their kids an appropriate amount of socialization skills so they are not totally deprived if they have made up their mind to homeschool and not opt for traditional education for their children.
4. Certified teachers
As I made a mention of teachers in the above point that unless one of the parents or both them are teachers themselves or are linked with the education sector, it is alright but if they are not they are being selfish. It is very important that kids know of an environment where certified teachers impart lessons.
If you are sure of homeschooling your children in a way better than trained teachers at school, you should risk educating them, otherwise leave it to the experts. Refrain from gambling on the future of your children and let the experts handle the matter.
5. Family Stress
Stress seeps in when you assume more than you can take. As a parent, you are already busy in handling life’s challenges. To add to that list of challenges a task to educate your children on your own is bound to call upon stress in large amounts.
So if you find that your child is not responding well to homeschooling session, you should consider opting for a traditional form of education. Because if you don’t treat this sign as a warning, a level of anger and resentment will find its way between you as a parent and your child.
6. Messy House
Although, this bit weighs lighter on the disadvantages scale but if you have, say, 3 kids at home and then you too have to stay at home to homeschool them then the house is bound to be messy. As if keeping up with household chores isn’t enough, you have to be vigilant that whatever is being taught is at par with tradition education imparted in school or at least close to it.
7. Doubt
This is the perhaps the biggest fear in the minds of parents who choose to have their kids homeschooled. They don’t always know that the curriculum they have so earnestly designed, is it even relevant to the needs of the 21st century.
The parents ought to ask themselves; are there important exercises they are missing out on by being not in school? Are we forgetting anything that might be otherwise necessary? And the likes thereof. Doubt often engulf such parents.
