Pros and Cons of Homeschooling

Whether you are a parent considering homeschooling a child, or an adult considering studying online, it is important to first thoroughly consider all the pros and cons of homeschooling.

Pros and Cons of Homeschooling a Child

Pros of Homeschooling

1. Easier to teach and easier to learn

Teaching one-on-one means that you can adapt your teaching method to the child’s individual learning style. This makes for more effective learning. If the child is visual, you can include photographs, graphs, and charts in your teaching in order to help them absorb the material more easily. If the child is easily bored, you can include more activity, movement, and interactivity and take more breaks.

2. Discipline issues in the classroom are avoided

As your child isn’t sharing a classroom with 20 to 30 other children, the educational material can be studied more rapidly, as behavior and discipline issues in the classroom do not waste a significant percentage of the learning hours. This means that there is more free time, more time for extracurricular activities and socializing, and more rest/sleep time, which aids in concentration.

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3. Adaptation to special considerations

If your child has a special consideration, perhaps a learning disability, physical disability or has ADHD, for instance, then you will have the complete flexibility to adapt the learning to the child’s specific needs.

4. Makes good use of time

By teaching a child at home, you can move along faster on subjects that are easier, without having to wait for other children to catch up. You can also spend more time teaching difficult concepts in order to ensure that your child understands fully, without holding up other children.

Cons of Homeschooling

1. Cost

There are plenty of free resources available as well as paid ones. However, when asking yourself the question “should I homeschool my child?” you need to take into account the cost of the homeschool educator not working outside of the home. This would mean that the family would need to live on one income, which may not be possible for every household.

2. Adapting your child to a new reality

When your child is transferring to homeschooling from a school environment, there will be a period of adaptation. They would need to adjust to the flexibility, to being with a parent all day long, to the lack of extra-curricular school activities like competitive sports, school assemblies, social activities in the playground, etc.

It will be necessary for the parent to ensure that the child has social time outside of learning hours in order to ensure that they have friends and that they develop social, intercultural, and interpersonal skills.

3. No social interaction during study time

Homeschooling means that the child is not socializing with children all day long as in the school system. They will therefore need additional activities outside of learning time in order to be with other children. Perhaps a gym class, basketball, soccer, art, music or swimming. You will therefore need to invest time making contact with other children in the neighborhood and being proactive to encourage them to socialize.

Homeschooling For Adults (AKA: Studying Online)

Now, let’s take a look at homeschooling for adults — or more commonly known as studying online.

Online learning can include short skill-based courses from programs like Coursera, Udemy, and LinkedIn Learning. It can also include studying for a bachelor’s or master’s degree online.

There is a wide choice of online colleges, but it is important to always make sure that you research them first to ensure that your chosen degree is fully accredited.

Just as with homeschooling for children, there are advantages and disadvantages.

Pros

• Affordable and accessible
• Keep your existing commitments with no disruption to family or work
• Avoid student debt and financial stress
• Flexibility

Cons

• Less social interaction during study time
• Requires determination and motivation
• Requires planning, organizing and good time management

If you are ready to start a new, well-paid, rewarding career, remember that it is not an inaccessible dream, but a realistic goal that can be achieved. If you are up for the challenge, we’ll show you how to achieve it.

Accredited online universities, such as University of the People, will enable you to have access to top-quality higher education while keeping all your existing commitments.

It’s easier than you think and all you need to do is follow our 5-step process:

1. Select a profession or subject. A good place to start is to compare salaries in your country. Payscale, Glassdoor, and Indeed are excellent places to start. They will also give you a clear indication of the numbers of advertised job vacancies in your region. This will help you to make an informed decision.
2. Choose an online university. A good place to start is bestcolleges.com.
3. If you have existing credits from prior learning, check first if they accept credit transfer. This will save you money and unnecessary study time.
4. Secure your spot at the university.
5. Sharpen your learning skills. This will help you get better grades and improve your learning and memory. Check out these study skills tips. too!

UoPeople is the first non-profit American accredited, tuition-free university designed to enable anyone who wants to study overcome financial, geographic, political, and personal constraints. We offer associate and bachelor’s degree programs in Business Administration, Computer Science and Health Science. We also offer an MBA and a Master’s in Education.

If you are interested in learning online, there is an array of options. We have compiled a list of the least expensive online degrees to help you choose a school that won’t leave you in debt upon completion.

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You will need to invest time in researching your online college, as not all of them are accredited. Accreditation means that the college meets high requirements for educational standards and quality of teaching.

The increasing popularity of online higher education can no longer be ignored by employers. The worldwide e-learning market was $164 billion in 2014, and it is forecasted that by 2022, it will escalate to $243 billion. Clearly, e-learning is here to stay and has been fully embraced by today’s generation of employers.

Conclusion

There are pros and cons of homeschooling, whether it is for a parent teaching a child at home or for an adult studying online from home.

If you are a parent, you need to consider the needs of your child and weigh up whether or not you can make the commitment, both financially and emotionally.

If you are an adult wanting to get ahead in your career, remember that it is not an unachievable goal and can be done flexibly from home while keeping your existing commitments. It’s easier than you realize!