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Getting Started - Frequently Asked Questions
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Q) What about socialization?
A) Why should a person think that "good" socialization can only occur when children are placed
with a large number of children their own age? How "natural" is that? Are most adults working
with coworkers who are all the same age? Study after study has shown that children who
spend lots of time in an age integrated group tend to be calmer, better behaved,
and better able to relate to others. This is one of the very real and tangable
benefits of home schooling. Home schooling allows for higher quality socialization.
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Q) Is it legal?
A) Yes. See our legal page for more info: Home School Legal Issues
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Q) What if the teaching parent (usually mom) does not have a good education?
A) Research has shown that almost anyone with a strong commitment can home school successfully
even if their health is bad, their education is poor, and their income is quite low. The
primary component of success in home schooling is commitment.
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Q) What curriculum should I use?
A) Twenty five years ago, this was a real problem because there was so little good material to choose from.
Now we have the opposite problem. You could spend your lifetime looking at curriculum and books.
Three factors must be considered:
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Learning style - Each child has different strengths and weaknesses. They each have
different learning styles. Some are strong visual learners while others are very auditory
and others are more into doing things. You can also see that this changes some as the child
grows and matures. One child will despise workbooks but do well with more traditional
textbooks. Another learns much better with a hand-on approach. Why? Because they have
entirely different learning styles. Here are some links on learning styles:
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Educational philosophy or approach - What is your educational philosophy? You may not know until you
spend some time reading about it. There are many approaches to teaching children. Here are some
links to get you started:
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Finances - Most home schoolers are giving up extra income that could be made by the teaching
parent if they were not schooling their children. Finances are often a strong consideration in
what curriculum to use. Some are quite expensive while others are more economical. Just be
reasonable and remember to allocate sufficient funds in your budget. It helps if you remember
that even "free" public school costs money for gasoline, uniforms, parties, sports, etc.
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Q) What if my children are unruly and difficult to deal with? I just don't think I could home school them.
A) This is a difficult issue. While discipline is foundational to a quality educational environment,
many home schooling parents have discovered that home schooling can be a significant part
of the solution to this problem. Many home schoolers notice an increase in discipline problems
after putting their children back in public or private school.
There are many Bible teachers who provide useful information in this regard.
As an example, here are some web sites to get you started:
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Copyright © 2005,2006,2007 P.A.T.H.
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