But today I want to address some other concerns. These are always questions in people's minds when they first begin thinking about homeschooling. If you personally know successful homeschoolers, then you can just skip on down and read another post. Because if you do know a number of homeschooling families, then you know for certain that socialization is not an issue--well, not in the way we often think it is.
What about the prom?
What about sports?
Won't they miss their friends?
What about special classes and extracurricular activities?
These are all valid questions! At first glance, public school has a lot to offer and then of course we all picture those poor homeschool kids all alone at home.
The reality is, unless you live far out in the country (and some do!), there are many, many choices of activities for homeschoolers. In fact, our experience has been that it is difficult to stay home and get our school work done!
For those who want the most support possible, there are classes for homeschoolers that you can pay for. Then you just drop off your child and they sit in a classroom with other homeschoolers and a teacher and learn. (What's the difference in that, you say? Well, there are some differences but yes, it does look a lot like public school.) You can also join a co-op. A co-op (short for cooperative), is when parents get together and offer classes for homeschool students. The parents themselves teach the classes. Some homeschoolers handle the bulk of their core academic classes that way. Others enjoy the "extra" classes through co-op such as P.E., music, Lego classes, cooking, etc. That way, if you feel you can't teach math to your student, but another mom can....then you can use your talents to teach guitar while your child goes to math class. Everyone wins. These classes usually meet once a week. Our family has been involved in a fine arts co-op for the last 4 years. Our girls have been able to take choir, art, band, music theory, and drama classes.
Besides these structured classes, there are homeschool groups that just get together for fun things like holiday parties and field trips. Holiday parties felt like a big deal to me when thinking about my children not going to public school. I'm happy to say there hasn't been a Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving, or Christmas yet that we haven't had a party with our homeschool friends! Of course you can go on field trips by yourself, but with a group you often get a discounted rate.
Honestly, we are happy when we have a day to "just" stay home. The homeschool world is busy and active. Yes, there are proms and dances. Yes, there are sports. Yes, there are friends (and they can still see their public school friends evenings and weekends!). And YES there are special classes and extracurricular activities. In abundance!
 |
| Our daughters were in a book club for years. That club had a lot of fun together! |
And if your child has siblings, don't discount them as friends. When my girls were used to being away from each other all day, they didn't play together very well. But after being home together every day for awhile, their relationship really changed. Brothers and sisters can be great playmates!
My purpose today is just to allay the fears of those who may be considering homeschooling. If you have any other concerns or questions about homeschooling, feel free to ask in the comments or shoot me an email! I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Signing off,
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thoughts? Questions? Want to Sing My Praises? I'd love to hear from you!