Homeschooling Pros And Cons

I am a homeschooling mom.

Before I started a family, I didn't know anything about homeschooling. Honestly speaking, I only heard about it with celebrity kids so that they can be flexible with their time and they don't have to physically appear in school.

When my bundle of joy came into our lives, the only thing I could think of was giving her the best in the world that I can offer.

So the time to choose a school for our daughter became a dilemma for me. I chose three out of eight of the best private schools around our area with affordable tuition fees.

I was ready and just waiting for the enrollment for the school year to start when the option of homeschooling crossed my mind.

I remembered the emails I received about homeschooling from the newsletters of Bo Sanchez - a preacher I've known of for many years. So I attended the orientation on the school he founded and it was like an awakening for me, light bulbs started flashing and all my questions were answered.

So here are the Advantages and Disadvantages that hopefully can help you decide whether homeschooling is for you or not. These are all my personal opinions and experiences, and without any intention to discourage traditional schooling.

Pros:
1. No bullies!
2. No need for school uniforms.
3. No school buses needed.
4. No take-home assignments.
5. No worries when it’s raining so hard, if the school will get flooded and cancellation of classes happening in the middle of the typhoon (and don’t forget the thunders and lightnings).
6. You and your child don’t have to spend two to three hours of preparation before going to school and the time traveling to and fro.
7. You can choose the time and which subjects to do first depending on your child’s needs. Like if your child is really good in one subject and finishes it early, then you can spend more time teaching him in the subject/s he is having problems with.
8. No competition between students.

Cons:
1. There will always be bullies.
2. You will need to buy more than 1 set of regular uniforms plus extra uniforms for Physical Education and Girl/Boy Scouts.
3. School bus arrangement is necessary if the school is not within walking distance or you’ll have to take your kids to and from the school.
4. Take-home assignments and/or projects after school.
5. Instances of classes getting cancelled hours after the students arrive at school because of unforeseen typhoons signals.
6. Spending two to three hours of preparation to go to school and the possibility of getting stuck in traffic during rush hours.
7. No flexibility on the time and subjects to be studied.
8. Competition between students. Don’t get me wrong, I know that competition can be a good thing for some students because it makes them strive to be better but it can also be the start of a bad thing.

Again, these are my personal opinions and experiences. So far, I am very happy with my decision to homeschool my daughter. There have been easy and also tough times for us but nobody knows your child better than you. You'll find that as you teach your child virtues, you also learn with him/her.