How to Homeschool without Making Your Child An OutcastWritten by Michael Nelson
If you are currently homeschooling or considering homeschooling your child, you probably know all benefits homeschooling can provide. You’ll have more control over curriculum, be able to customize teaching to your child’s personal learning style, and avoid pressures and dangers of public schools. However, are you aware of major mental and social damage you can cause if you don’t make right choices?Children need friends. Usually, they meet their friends in school. Take a child out of school, and where will they meet potential play partners? What will other kids think of your homeschooled child? Like it or not, children in public schools often think that homeschooled children are not in public school because of mental disorders, behavioral problems, or “freaky” parents. Your child might be made fun of or picked on because he isn’t considered normal. These challenges must be overcome if you want your child to have a positive social life and be able to function amongst their peers when they get to college. By deciding to homeschool, it becomes parent’s responsibility to find friendships for child. This task is just as important as actual schoolwork. The following tips will get you started towards placing your child on track of a positive social life. Know your neighborhood: Start with where you live. How many children close to your child’s age live nearby? Do you know parents? If not, you need to. Seek out parents nearby. Let them know you have a child that you’d like to set up a play date for. Since you’re one initiating these meetings, you’re also one who needs to do organizing. Have a party. Hire a clown. Invite all local kids over. Invite other kids and their parents to a ballgame, fishing, bowling, or any other activity that children enjoy. Or even offer to baby-sit.
| | A Look At HomeschoolingWritten by Demetria Zinga
For many people, homeschooling is either best option or only option for teaching their children. This is due to various factors: conditions of school systems, temperaments of children, vast learning abilities or disabilities of children, and a wide spectrum of other factors such as school-family incompatibility, multiple intelligences in which certain children learn best under circumstances and environments that are not offered in either public or private schools, as well as religious convictions and beliefs that are not tolerated in public school system (specifically, Christian beliefs such as creationism). These are all valid and unquestioningly solid reasons to homeschool your child. With wide selection of homeschooling programs, curriculum, and both state-supported and/or Christian endorsed programs available, opportunities are endless for a parent who wants to homeschool. The very best thing to do is to check out your resources with your local community in mind. Homeschooling support groups should be available in your area. Do a search online or get a community events and organizations calendar from your local library. Ask neighbors and friends. Most of all, ask around to different churches. There are so many churches today that are offering a "covering" program in which homeschooling parents may fall underneath their program "umbrella". The church will help you with record-keeping such as test scores, your daily homeschooling journal, and vacinnation records for state. Secondly, discover what it is you want to accomplish through homeschooling. Does your child absolutely NEED to be homeschooled for specific reasons or is it a choice that you and your family feel strongly convicted of as a necessity for your child? Either way you look at it, you are justified in your choice. However, be sure that your child will BENEFIT from being schooled at home. As a homeschooling parent, you have now become teacher. Organization and discipline are important disciplines you will need in order to be a successful teacher and to have your child be a successful student. If you need additional help and need to hire a private tutor, for instance, never feel ashamed by any means. Doing what's best for your child is only thing that matters.
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