The first dilemma that may enter a parent’s mind when he or she decides to homeschool his child is what to teach. Fortunately, some states require certain subjects to be taught to students. Colorado, for example, requires children be taught in communication skills of reading, writing and speaking, mathematics, history, science, literature, the Constitution of the United States and civics.
Different states require different subjects and different numbers of teaching hours for homeschooling; however, this should not limit the potential of homeschooling. Homeschooling is the most lenient of the schooling systems, and as long as the minimum requirements are attained, a parent shouldn’t have any problem.
One of the good points of homeschooling is the freedom to teach almost anything to your child. Parents should focus, aside from the general subjects, on things that their children are most interested in, on skills that they enjoy using, as these will be very useful to the child when he goes to face the real world.
Consequently, homeschooling need not be confined in the four walls of the house, as schooling in itself isn’t confined to the four walls of the classroom. Some parents of homeschooling children organize get-togethers and field trips with neighbors. Homeschooling doesn’t have to be an anti-social experience; rather, it should be a way to promote socialization using the parameters of the real world. There are no school rules, but the ethics of the real world apply.
There are may types of homeschooling approaches. Those most popular are structured, interest-initiated, and eclectic. Structured is more like the formal education you get at school and is probably the most formal of all approaches. The interest –initiated approach, on the contrary, focuses on real life experiences, and the children learn based on their interests. The eclectic approach makes use of a random, or chosen combination of all other approaches, depending on the family’s needs.
Indeed there are times that homeschooled children excel in socialization and communication more than formally schooled children. However, not all homeschooling is good schooling, and not all homeschooling programs are applicable to your child. This is why you, with or without professional programs, should monitor what to teach and when to teach it.
