If you are considering homeschooling your children, you’ve probably already heard about the problems but this article will focus on why you might be failing at homeschooling in the USA. It will help you navigate these obstacles and make the best choices for your children.
Problems with homeschooling
The benefits of homeschooling are numerous, but it is important to note that problems often crop up. The success of homeschooling often depends on how parents approach the process. While the benefits of homeschooling are great, many parents are wary of the risks and potential pitfalls of this method. For example, homeschooling is not as safe as going to a public school, and it can lead to many social problems, especially if the parents are not savvy about how to educate their children.
Homeschooling is a controversial practice in the USA. It has been banned in several states and is considered a “fringe” movement by some. In the 1970s, only ten to fifteen thousand children were being homeschooled nationwide. In fact, the state laws of only three states explicitly permitted homeschooling. At the time, parents were also at risk of being arrested for removing their children from public schools, and sometimes even jailed.
Costs
Adding extracurricular activities to the homeschooling process can drive the total cost up. The average parent spends $693 per child a year on sports, and some sports come with higher price tags. Additional costs can include art supplies and music lessons. Before embarking on homeschooling, be sure to check your state’s laws to determine what expenses are covered.
You may need to purchase additional textbooks, but there are a variety of free resources available online. Many publishers offer discounted textbooks for homeschooling parents. Other resources include lesson plans, teaching guides, graphic organizers, book lists, discussion guides, and whiteboard activities.
Lack of safety net
There are numerous dangers that homeschoolers face, including a lack of a safety net. Moreover, homeschooling students can face many other challenges, including the lack of health care, paid sick leave, and a lack of access to child care. This lack of support makes homeschooling children a more difficult task, and it can also lead to the child’s loss of valuable learning time.
In addition, the economic downturn is putting pressure on the resources of low-income families, making it more difficult for these children to receive the appropriate nutrition and shelter. The situation is worse for children of colour and those from immigrant families. These issues impact their development in tangible ways.
Lack of regulation
Currently, there is little regulation when homeschooling in the USA. According to the National Coalition for Homeschooling, less than half of the states require homeschoolers to register and take standardized tests, and only a handful require parents to submit homeschooling records to their local school district.
The study looked at 18 years of data from every state in the USA and found no significant association between regulation and the number of abuse cases. In other words, children who attend homeschooling in low-regulation states did not experience more abuse than children in high-regulated states. This lack of correlation shatters the idea that regulation and abuse are linked.