What do Washington, Lincoln, Jefferson, Monet, da Vinci, Einstein, Newton, Pascal, Edison, Mozart, and Bach and lots of other creative, world-changing people have in common?

They were all homeschooled! (source)

Don’t be put off by worries about supposed disadvantages that you won’t give your child the chance to soar!

Homeschool students have many more advantages than disadvantages.

When someone says the word “homeschooling,” no one sees the same image in their mind.

Some might picture a row of desks and homeschooled children saying the Pledge of Allegiance out loud in their neat school-at-home style classroom, while others might imagine kids in flour-speckled aprons casually doing math while measuring out a recipe for baking cookies.

While both styles are different in their own ways, they illustrate homeschooling parents who have overcome fears they may have had around homeschooling.

Some may let worries keep them from getting started homeschooling, fearing that certain disadvantages can’t be overcome.

However, let us share with you some perceived disadvantages that are easily conquered! There are many myths about homeschooling that we are happy to clear up for you.

How can I afford to homeschool?

One fear that THSC hears from parents thinking about homeschooling is that the curriculum will be too expensive or that they won’t be able to afford to change work schedules to have one parent homeschooling.

• How can I afford the curriculum?
• Check out our article about curriculum for many free resources in a variety of learning styles to help ease any budgeting concerns. You can set your budget for as much or as little as you want to spend for curriculum and resources. There are no rules for this!
• How can I afford to have one parent home?
• Parent schedules still have to adapt when kids go to public school, since someone has to care for the kids past 3 p.m. or whenever they get off, and also get the kids to practices and such. It can be done!
• Here is an article about working while homeschooling.
• Don’t forget about appropriate work clothes, second cars, fuel for work commutes, more frozen convenience food or takeout due to lack of time, more need of babysitters and daycare—these are factors that vanish when homeschooling and can really make a positive impact on a family’s budget!
• Sometimes families realize one parent is essentially working just to break even after paying for childcare and learn the reduction in stress they achieve by homeschooling children is worth a change in lifestyle. There are also many free computer software resources out there for budgeting, like Mint for instance, to help you get started being intentional about your finances.
• Check out these two books for much more practical information on how to make homeschooling work for your family:
• You Can Afford to Stay Home With Your Kids: A Step-By-Step Guide for Converting Your Family from Two Incomes to One by Malia McCawley Wyckoff and Mary Snyder
• You Can Stay Home with Your Kids! 100 Tips, Tricks, and Ways to Make It Work on a Budget by Erin Odom

What about getting enough socialization?

A big reason parents worry about homeschooling is the fear that kids won’t get enough interaction with others, called “socialization.”

Socialization is generally very misunderstood.

There is no evidence that homeschooled students lack social skills or that traditional schools have any kind of benefit over homeschools in this area.

Public or private schools don’t have any socialization benefits over homeschools as a whole.

As a kid in public school, teachers often say something along the lines of, “Stop socializing!,” but ironically public school is where kids are supposed to be getting the most socialization.

• How can I provide opportunities for kids to interact with others?

• • Most communities have activities galore for homeschoolers! You name it, there is probably a homeschool group out there for it!
  • Find a homeschool group here with our handy guide.
  • You can also start your own group if for some reason there is not one in your area. THSC has resources to support group leaders.

• • There are many options, like:
    • Field trip groups
    • Homeschool choirs
    • Bands
    • Spelling bees
    • Sports teams
    • Tutoring groups
    • Church groups
    • Chess clubs
    • Lego clubs
    • Library events
    • Volunteering opportunities
    • And much more…
• What does the research say about socialization?
  • Dr. Susan McDowell addresses this issue in her book, But What About Socialization? Answering the Perpetual Home Schooling Question: A Review of the Literature. She says, “It’s a non-issue today. All the research shows children are doing well.”
  • Richard G. Medlin of Stetson University notes that “Compared to children attending conventional schools, however, research suggests that they [homeschooled students] have higher quality friendships and better relationships with their parents and other adults.” (source and source)
  • In addition, homeschoolers are even more skilled at having conversations with people of different age groups and making new friends with their public-schooled counterparts, who are usually only with other kids that happened to be born within 12 months of their birthdays.

How do I deal with criticism from others about my choice to homeschool?

1. There are several ways to deal with homeschool critics, whether they are family or friends.
2. Prepare your children on how to answer graciously when others ask why they aren’t in school when you’re at the grocery store or out and about.
3. Check out this article with practical ways to address people in a kind way.
4. Educate yourself about the benefits of homeschooling so that you can easily share them with others.
5. Know why you chose to homeschool.
6. Be familiar with common homeschooling pros and cons in order to have a productive conversation and not be shocked by whatever the critic brings up.
7. Don’t allow yourself to be bullied.
8. Ask the critical person leading questions to get the interrogation spotlight off yourself, shifting the burden of proof to the other person.
   • Greg Koukl’s book, Tactics, teaches how to do this in conversations related to sharing your religious convictions and these tactics can easily transfer to other areas of conversation.
   • Tactics helps you learn how to stay in the driver’s seat in these types of conversations.
   • For instance, say someone approaches you with something like “Well, I think that public school is the best way for a child to learn.”
   • Instead of trying to argue, simply ask them how they came to that conclusion. That shifts the conversation to their corner and lifts the burden off your shoulders.
   • Remember that you might be the only representative of homeschooling that person has met and it’s an opportunity to share the joy you’ve found homeschooling with them.

How do I stop worrying about my choice to homeschool?

Keeping track of your child’s grade-appropriate milestones will help you see their growth in a concrete way and reassure you that they are not behind their peers.

Make friends in the homeschool community to keep yourself focused.

Find online resources of encouragement like podcasts from optimistic voices in the homeschool community, like Pam Barnhill or Sarah Makenzie.

How do I know where to start?

We’ve got you covered with this! Check out our five easy steps to start homeschooling.

Finding a method that suits your family is easy, too. Homeschooling can be personalized for your family’s schedule and uniqueness.

Here is an article about how to do just that and how to find the best resources.

How do I find the time to homeschool?

Keep in mind that homeschooling doesn’t need to be for a full seven hours a day!

So much time in public school is spent getting in line, switching between classrooms, waiting for teachers to take care of discipline issues, having to review concepts that your student might already understand, lunch breaks, etc.

In addition, some studies show that on average, only two of the seven hours of a public school day are hours spent in actual teaching time.

Homeschooling is much more efficient and doesn’t require as many hours a day to accomplish the same amount of learning.

Author Laura Vanderkam points out, “You can work 40 hours and homeschool for 20 hours, sleep eight hours a night (56 per week), and still have 52 hours for other things. The key is moving the pieces around.”

You may need to arrange for your child to go to co-ops, have a tutor, or take music lessons or do other extracurriculars when you are working.

Or, with more jobs having work-from-home options available, homeschooling has become much easier.

Scheduling out your time is easier than you think. How much time you spend each day doing purposeful tasks is due to your decision to be intentional with your time.

Check out resources on scheduling here and here.

How do I deal with isolation and burnout?

Isolation and burnout are not unique to homeschooling, but can happen regardless of what type of schooling you pursue for your family.

• Keep focused on the positive impacts of your homeschooling.
• Take a field trip or two to get rid of cabin fever.
• Do craft or baking projects together.
• Listen to voices or reason and encouragement, like Susan Wise Bauer, about dealing with burnout.
• Listen to uplifting music like The Piano Guys or Steven Curtis Chapman to put a spring in your step.

Got more homeschooling questions?

There are obstacles to overcome in homeschooling, just like there are with whatever schooling method that you choose for your child.

Choosing homeschooling does come with some unique challenges, but we are here to help you leap over those hurdles!

We believe homeschooling is one of the best models for educating children, which is why we support parents choosing to homeschool with encouragement and practical resources.

Become a THSC member to access expert homeschool coaches to support you in getting started, curriculum and resources, schooling multiple ages or a special needs student, college/dual credit prep, and more!