Look at The Benefits of Homeschooling Objectively | Your Home For God | Wendy Gunn

Benefits of Homeschooling and Disadvantages of Homeschooling

Look at the Benefits of Homeschooling Objectively. It’s a good thing to look at the pros and cons of Homeschooling if you are thinking of Homeschooling your child or children. You may have a preschooler or toddler and you’re doing the research now, thinking of Homeschooling Kindergarten or even Preschool. Perhaps your children are in public school, and the experience has not been stellar, and you’re considering pulling them and Homeschooling next year, but you need facts to present to your husband, and to reassure your own mind.

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The Benefits of Homeschooling: Why We Chose To Homeschool

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Homeschooling
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Homeschooling

We were all set to send our first born son to Kindergarten, after he’d attended a local preschool in our area, when we found out that, instead of walking literally across the street to the school, he had to ride a bus for over an hour each way! 

Then, when we went to Kindergarten Round Up, we were very displeased with the books they were promoting, and the size of the classrooms had gone up. The negatives were adding up! We knew a close friend who had begun Homeschooling her older two–the second born was my son’s age and friend. I felt less and less at peace about sending our son on that bus for so long, and I read some books on Homeschooling and prayed.

Benefits of Homeschooling Kindergarten

My husband had grown up on a farm and they actually had a one-room school house that he and his siblings went to up until High School, with no Kindergarten at all, so he didn’t see the importance or necessity of Kindergarten at all! So, he said, “I never went to Kindergarten. Go ahead and Homeschool Kindergarten, if you want to.” With that “encouragement,” having read a few books on the subject, and having poured over catalogs, I began my preparations to begin Homeschooling Kindergarten with our son!

What are the benefits of homeschooling?
What are the benefits of homeschooling?

This is my attempt at an unbiased blog post about the pros and cons of Homeschooling. However, we all come at a subject with our own preconceived notions and biases, and our own history and experiences color all our opinions, no matter how objective we think we are. Having Homeschooled our now-grown children start to finish, I have an admittedly strong bias towards the benefits of Homeschooling.

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I LOVE Karen Androla’s writing. What is Mother Culture ®? Karen Andreola believes it is the skillful art of how a mother looks after the ways of her household. With a thinking-love she creates a culture in the home all her own. The home-teacher does a lot of taking care, so she needs to take care of herself, too. Much depends on how she manages her life. Get this sweet book today.

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Homeschool Curriculum 2.0
Have you heard of Generations? I have a lot of respect for Kevin Swanson’s organization and LOVE all the Homeschool Summits Online Conferences that Generations and CHEC have put on!!! I highly recommend them! 
This is a week’s worth of video interviews with 25+ Christian Homeschool curriculum creators and providers.

You get expert guidance with an inside look into the heart of curriculum packages, including:

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…and the right tools to bring it all together.
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Homeschool Parenting Summit

The Homeschool Parenting Summit, an online conference that will help you focus on God’s simple plan for family discipleship, recharge your motivation, and faithfully take action to raise children who love God and others–in the midst of a chaotic culture.

The Benefits and The Disadvantages of Homeschooling

The benefits of Homeschooling far outweigh the negatives, and I won’t try to deny that I think Homeschooling is the best method of schooling for your family! But, I will try to give you a balanced look at the subject, and share with you the disadvantages of Homeschooling, and the cons of Homeschooling. I’m not going to shy away from the negatives.

I’ve seen too many families go into Homeschooling with rose-colored glasses on, not counting the cost, and then either bounce back and forth between Homeschooling and other options, such as public school, Christian school and Charter Schools, or their family or marriage has disintegrated. 

The instability of the first scenario is not positive for the child, in my opinion, and obviously the devastation of the second should be avoided at all costs. These outcomes do no good for the family or the good name of Homeschooling. Information may not prevent it, but perhaps it may more effectively prepare you who are considering Homeschooling. 

I will write from a Christian point of view, though I understand that not all Homeschoolers or readers of this article are going to be Christian.

How Common Is Homeschooling

Homeschooling is now the school choice of well over 2 million people, from every ethnic and religious background. It is also spreading to other countries, such as  Australia, Canada, France, Hungary, Japan, Kenya, Russia, Mexico, South Korea, Thailand, and the United Kingdom.

Do the benefits of homeschooling outweigh the cons?
Do the benefits of homeschooling outweigh the cons?

Will My Kids Be Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers? 

  • An estimated 3.4 million or more U.S. adults have been Homeschooled for at least one year of their K-12 years, and they were Homeschooled an average of 6 to 8 years. If one adds to this number the 2.3 million being Homeschooled today, an estimated 5.7 million Americans have experienced being Homeschooled. [note 1]

Is Homeschooling Legal?

  • Homeschooling – that is, parent-led home-based education; home education – is an age-old traditional educational practice that a decade ago appeared to be cutting-edge and “alternative” but is now bordering on “mainstream” in the United States. It may be the fastest-growing form of education in the United States. Home-based education has also been growing around the world in many other nations (e.g., Australia, Canada, France, Hungary, Japan, Kenya, Russia, Mexico, South Korea, Thailand, and the United Kingdom).
  • There are over 2.3 million Homeschool students in the United States.  That is, there were an estimated 2.3 million in spring 2016, and this was up from one estimate of about 2 million home-educated children (in grades K to 12) during the spring of 2010 in the United States (Ray, 2011). It appears the Homeschool population is continuing to grow (at an estimated 2% to 8% per annum over the past few years).

The Cons Of Homeschooling

Homeschooling is not easy. Dare I say it requires discipline? Perfect discipline is not required, but a good level of discipline in all members of the family is really beneficial. To Homeschool well, discipline and organization is needed. Planning, scheduling, setting goals and accomplishing them are all part of Homeschooling. This is true, though, in all walks of life, and in all methods of education! It could also be said that Homeschooling encourages and promotes discipline in a family.

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Homeschooling
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Homeschooling

Homeschooling is hard work! It is a marathon, not a sprint! And, most moms do the lion’s share of the work. If you have a very large family, the number of years you’ll be Homeschooling could be 30 years or more, if I figured correctly.

Disclaimer: Though I am giving you facts and statistics and sharing the negatives, as well as the positives of Homeschooling, I do not recommend making your decisions based on this. You can’t possibly know all the disadvantages of Homeschooling, nor all the advantages of Homeschooling! We do not know the future, and need to rely on, and trust the Lord. 

You need to follow God’s Word, pray, ask Him what you should do, and then do it! His will is not always going to look like it was the best decision, based on whether you live an easy, or “successful” (by the world’s standards) life! Obey God, and live your life one day at a time, and don’t try to swallow the elephant in one bite! That is just foolishness!!!

Is Homeschooling Good? Can I Do It?

Deciding whether you have the strength or stamina to do anything over 30 years, or whether you want to do it, whether you’ll have the financial resources, for example…well, there is a fine line that you should not cross in your planning and counting the cost. Being a good steward, and counting the cost are important, but who can absolutely know what will happen over the next day, much less over the next 30 years! Of course you won’t think you can do it! (or perhaps you will proudly think you can! And, that would be wrong, too!) Homeschooling is hard! In your own strength, you can’t do it! But, God can!

This kind of thinking is very humanistic. It leaves no room for the grace or power of God in your life. It does not recognize His goodness, or give Him praise and glory. It does not allow for His provision of help and support through your brothers and sisters in Christ. It does not allow for the added strength and joy that each and every one of those children will bring to the family! It does not recognize the truth of multiplied joys in the love of family. And, that many hands make light work. If God calls you to it, He will provide the grace and strength to do it.

What are the benefits of homeschooling?
What are the benefits of homeschooling?

Finally, who has not experienced what the Bible records in Genesis 29:20 of Jacob’s experience, when he was required to work 7 years for the privilege of marrying Rachel: “And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, (emphasis mine) for the love he had to her.” Give praise in your days, and your years will take care of themselves. Commit your days to the Lord, and live in obedience to Him. Leave the rest to God.

Benefits of Homeschooling vs. Public School

It is impossible to train children in righteousness, without the Holy Spirit’s working, and yet, God instructs us to train up our children. Deuteronomy 6 is a verse that many Homeschoolers hold as their charge to Homeschool: 

And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

3 out of 4 of the places mentioned in this passage in Deuteronomy 6 are in the home. 

Do the benefits of homeschooling outweigh the cons?
Do the benefits of homeschooling outweigh the cons?

Reasons Not To Homeschool

The Bible says that God held Eli responsible for not restraining his sons from sinning. It is important that your children listen to you and obey you. It is a huge responsibility to not only train your children in righteousness, but also be responsible for their schooling. It will be much more pleasant and easy to Homeschool if your children are trained in first-time obedience.

The Disadvantages of Homeschooling

You are “forced,” as Homeschoolers, to be together much more than the norm for families in our society. If you can’t stand to be with each other, don’t Homeschool. But, then, if you can’t stand to be with each other, you won’t easily succeed in any method of schooling, or in raising Godly children, and where you school your children is perhaps the least of your problems.

If you are not prepared, as a parent, to be an example, work hard and train your children well, don’t Homeschool. If you think that you’ll be able to just play and have fun and do the least amount of work possible, don’t Homeschool.

If you think, as a Christian, that Homeschooling will automatically produce:

  • A wonderful loving family
  • A husband who leads in spiritual things 
  • Children who are respectful and well behaved
  • Success in schooling 
  • Spiritual growth in your family members
  • Unsaved children becoming saved

or any of a host of other desires of your heart and wonderful outcomes … don’t Homeschool. These are not guaranteed outcomes. 

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Homeschooling
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Homeschooling

There are Benefits of Homeschooling, But It’s Not a Magic Bullet

You will not automatically change character the second you become Homeschoolers. The character you have now will still be the character you have then. If you are lazy/slothful, disinterested in spiritual things, bickering and fighting and selfish, you will still be that way after you begin Homeschooling.

A statement I frequently make about Homeschooling is that you cannot sweep your family’s bad attitudes and ungodly character under the rug, as Homeschoolers. 

I want all of you who are considering Homeschooling, to realize that this is both a pro and a con of Homeschooling, but that it’s very difficult to continue Homeschooling with bad attitudes and conflict in the home. Recognize you will need to face sin in your lives, repent of it and take God’s steps to change. 

Ungodly characteristics, and sin, which is present in all of us, will surface and you will have to deal with it, in order to have the benefits of Homeschooling in spiritual and academic success.

Benefits and Reasons To Homeschool

What are the benefits of homeschooling?
What are the benefits of homeschooling?

In my opinion, that’s one of the pros. Unfortunately, I see many Homeschoolers who don’t want to deal with the unbiblical, and ungodly, character in their children or in themselves, so when they have problems Homeschooling because of sin, rather than repent of the sin, they give up on Homeschooling and put their children into a government school, charter school or Christian school, rather than have to deal with the character issues and change.

related resources 

Homeschooling requires accountability. There is work required in record-keeping and reporting. You must give tests, write reports and evaluate your students. Research is necessary to discover what laws need to be obeyed in your state and what subject and knowledge requirements each student has each year.

Financial Sacrifice May Be Necessary 

Though not every Homeschool family is a one-income family, most are. If you are accustomed to two full time salaries, it will require a major adjustment in your budget for one of you, usually the mother, to quit her job to stay home and educate your children.

What are the benefits of homeschooling?
What are the benefits of homeschooling?

Weigh these sacrifices. For those mothers whose job outside the home is extremely important to her, she needs to think about it. Devote time in prayer about this decision, no matter what your circumstances, if you’re a Christian. There are many ways to save money and be frugal, as a stay-at-home-mom (SAHM)! Many families start home and family businesses. You may decide to start a blog!

A Few of The Benefits of Homeschooling

Homeschooling has the potential to bond your family together. It has the potential to increase your discipline, your sense of responsibility, as well as your children’s, and facilitate the character training of your children.

It has the potential to elevate your child’s poise and confidence. It may open up to him or her opportunities to pursue interests which will look good on a resume and/or land him a scholarship or a job offer. 

Do the benefits of homeschooling outweigh the cons?
Do the benefits of homeschooling outweigh the cons?

Given your direction is supportive of this, he /she will learn to interact with ALL ages and gain valuable social skills. He /she will learn to think of others, to put others’ needs ahead of their own, to serve them, to be compassionate to those with disabilities and those younger and weaker than themselves, and to help them. 

Tailoring Your Child’s Education Is One Benefit of Homeschooling

Homeschooling gives you the flexibility to tailor your child’s education to his or her bent, learning style, preferences and interests. It allows for vast creativity and a very personal education.

It gives you, as Mom, the joy of seeing the light bulb go off in your child’s eyes when they understand a concept. You have the joy of being the one to teach your child to read, of opening up the world to them.

You and your husband have the opportunity to learn alongside your children, and experience, (because you’ll be there for it all and won’t miss it!) through travel, taking classes together, and living out many aspects of life together, side by side, learning every moment.

“You can’t possibly know all the disadvantages of Homeschooling, nor all the advantages of Homeschooling! We do not know the future, and, ultimately, need to rely on, and trust the Lord.”

Wendy Gunn

Learning Alongside Your Child Is a Benefit of Homeschooling

You can have an intimate knowledge of what your child is learning. You can learn to love learning, too! When your child graduates, you will experience the exhilaration and pride of that achievement as well!

When a family embraces what God is teaching them through the trials and joys of life and homeschooling, and the parents are training their child from the Word of God, God’s Word does not return void.

What are the benefits of homeschooling?
What are the benefits of homeschooling?

One result often is that your child will show respect and gratitude to you.  Sometime down the road your child will thank you for your sacrifice.

How Much Does it Cost to Homeschool

  • Taxpayers spend an average of $11,732 per pupil annually in public schools, plus capital expenditures. Taxpayers spend nothing on most homeschool students and homeschool families spend an average of $600 per student annually for their education.

How Much Time Does Homeschooling Take

The actual time it takes to accomplish the subjects required, especially in the younger years, is considerably less than what you and I experienced in the public school. There is so much time wasted, herding the group, getting their attention, waiting for all the students to catch up, and disciplinary action needed. You will find Homeschooling, your younger children who are just in the room while the older one is being taught, or you are reading something more difficult, will catch on to so much.

I love the unit study approach. Teaching all the children about a subject in a general way, then giving age appropriate assignments for the older ones, accomplishes so much, in so little time. Several children who are within 4 years of age of each other, can study the same curriculum, too. Our two who are almost 4 years apart, did most of their work together, and just had separate Math, and later in High School, other specific subjects separately. 

One of the biggest benefits of Homeschooling, in my opinion, is how it encourages a love of learning! That is the main job of a Homeschool Mom. To foster a love of learning. In Homeschooling, learning is taken outside of a textbook, and set free in life! All of life becomes a learning opportunity, then, and a teachable moment can happen anywhere, at any time! Curiosity and interest in Why? and How? and What? spark the imagination, the senses and produce a harvest of knowledge! Now, you can teach your child how to find out the answers to his questions! And he will never have to stop learning!!!

What About Socialization and How Is It a Benefit of Homeschooling

Homeschoolers hear this “socialization” question a lot. The Webster’s dictionary definition of socialization is:

“…the process by which a human being beginning at infancy acquires the habits, beliefs, and accumulated knowledge of society through education and training for adult status.”

He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. Proverbs 13:20

Note two things: socialization 1) begins in infancy (therefore not in school), and 2) involves teaching beliefs. Who is transferring this information all the child’s life before they reach school age? Obviously, it’s primarily the parents. Wouldn’t you prefer your child to be a companion of older, wiser people (his parents) during his most impressionable years?

What are the benefits of homeschooling?
What are the benefits of homeschooling?

The Benefits of Homeschooling With Wise Companions

What most people don’t think about when they ask about the socialization of a Homeschooled child, is that there is good socialization and bad socialization. Socialization is not neutral.  Many Christian parents choose to Homeschool purposely to avoid the bad socialization that is present in the government schools!

As Christians, we follow God’s Word. God says in Proverbs 13:20, “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”

Of course, our own children can be the fools to avoid! We aim to train and teach them from God’s Word in wisdom, to encourage them to be each other’s best friends, as siblings, and for older siblings to help with younger ones, to mentor and disciple and be an example to them.

As we Homeschool, we encourage interaction with grandparents, aunts and uncles, neighbors and other families. We participate in community service and ministry in the church as a family. As we interact in all these ways with the vast differences of people, our children learn how to communicate, and interact with people and show honor to all ages, and from many walks of life, unlike the age-segregated interaction which is most of what they experience in other school settings. 

The Benefits of Homeschooling: Resources, Support and Help for Homeschoolers

HSLDANHERI, your state Christian or secular Homeschooling organization, a local co-op or your church co-op are all possible sources of support and help. If you don’t know anyone in person who homeschools, check out my Pinterest Boards (Homeschooling Tips, Homeschooling with Preschoolers, Charlotte Mason, Veteran Homeschool Advice). There are also Facebook Groups which are excellent! Here are some Resources to help you and I have included a few more at the bottom of this post. 

God has promised guidance in His Word. He also instructs the younger women to look to the older women to guide them. If you do not have someone in person who you would call a mentor, please reach out to me or another veteran Homeschool mom! We love to help!”

Wendy Gunn

How Do Homeschoolers Know What Is Required

The Pros: Look online for  a Scope and Sequence for each grade level (specify your state). Each district has their requirements. There are State Homeschooling Organizations and Local Groups for Support in most locations.

There are now multitudes of companies, catalogs, and conferences to guide and provide Homeschoolers with curriculum choices and direction.

The Cons: This is also a con! There are now so many choices (companies, catalogs and conferences) to guide and provide Homeschoolers with curriculum choices and direction that it can be overwhelming at times. 

However, God has promised guidance in His Word. He also instructs the younger women to look to the older women to guide them. If you do not have someone in person who you would call a mentor, please reach out to me or another veteran Homeschool mom! We love to help!

related resources 

Have a Great Day Making Your Home For God!

Wendy Gunn at Your Home For God helps Christian women raise Godly kids, find & fulfill their purpose and achieve God's goals for their life.

I help Christian moms raise their kids according to Biblical principles, get organized to manage life, achieve their unique God-given goals and dreams, and fulfill God’s purpose for them to make a difference in the world through my workshops, courses, and coaching founded on Biblical principles. You are already successful in many areas. I can help you in those that you’re not. Dream big dreams, and see God transform and use your life in amazing ways! Let’s work together for your success!

In Your Home For God’s Store, discover resources to help you get organized, raise Godly kids, and have the support and encouragement to know who you are, know what God wants you to do to fulfill His purpose for your life, and achieve His unique goals for you!

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