Problems with Home Schooling

As with everything in life, there are some disadvantages and problems with home schooling which you should be aware of before you start home schooling your children. Bear in mind, though, that a problem for one family may not be a problem for another. Some of the common problems are outlined below:

• You are solely responsible for educating your child. This is a big responsibility. There is no one else to blame. If your child cannot read, write, or speak properly, it is your fault and it reflects badly on you as parents and educators.
• You will at times be tired of home schooling and need a break. You need to be prepared to take the frustration and aggravation with patience and enthusiasm. You will need to give up your personal life for the time with your child many times. This is a critical part of home schooling.
• It is hard for a parent choosing to homeschool his or her child to also work and have a career. This means your family will live on only one income which could cause stress within the family. Stress will greatly affect your ability to homeschool your child. You will need to adjust your lifestyle to live on a budget. If you choose to have a full time career while home schooling your child, you may need to hire extra help to do so.
• You may feel guilty taking a day off. When you are home schooling, you can effectively never take a day off. Even if you set some homework for your child to do on your 'day off', you are still around and your child may need help with something. For positive attitude and encouragement, you can never refuse to help your child. This effectively means that everyday you are around your child is work day for you!
• It is hard for your child to obtain a athletic scholarship if you are home schooling your child. You need to be the coach and do what a normal school would do. This means you need to be skilled at many things to ensure the success of your child's home schooling.
• Some homeshool children perform well in college admission tests but not so well in the SAT. SAT scores are important for college admission and parents have to make sure that their children are equipped to score well in both tests.
• Sometimes homeschoolers have problems entering the military without a diploma or GED. However, this is becoming less and less of a problem with many military families home schooling their children.
• A home schooling child may need go on excursions or travel more than usual. This stems from being at home most of the time for home schooling. The child needs to get out and have interaction with other kids and adults.
• If your child wants or needs to re-enter the public school or private school system, there might be a period of adjustment before he or she can be comfortable.