In this fast-paced world, more parents are moving to homeschool their children. With the growing demand for skills and technical know-how and the problems with the traditional schooling system (Especially after COVID19), parents are now preferring to homeschool over private and public schools. You probably also think that homeschooling is a great way to get your kids out of the public school system which is now un-updated and not teaching them what they need to know for their professional life.
Still, after listening to those facts about why homeschooling is bad, Same as you, many people have a misconception that homeschooling is a better or more “natural” option, but in reality, it can be quite challenging and, when not done correctly, can be damaging to children and their development; There are many and many reasons why homeschooling is bad.
Yes, you heard it right. There are consequences, challenges, and different effortful stages in homeschooling (not a new thing) that you might not be aware of. So let’s discuss all the consequences of homeschooling in this guide!
P.S: The consequences, challenges, and demerits, whatever is written in this guide against homeschooling, are true when not taking serious actions as a responsible homeschooler/homeschooling guardian. However, those who are passionate and excited to take this challenge, greatness is coming.
There are hurdles on this path, but at the end of the day, it’s all worth it. The mentioned cons are for those unconscious people who lack on this journey.
When not acting intentfully, Homeschooling deprives the child of social interaction with peers as well as teachers, which can lead to isolation from others and difficulty forming healthy relationships. Homeschooled students also miss out on important instruction from experts in various fields such as art, music, sports, etc. which can hamper creativity and understanding of certain concepts. Finally, homeschooled children do not generally receive the same academic education as those who attend public or private schools because they often lack access to specialized teachers for subjects like math or science.
Want a short answer to why homeschooling is bad?
Answer: Because it’s not for everyone.
And, If you are also considering homeschooling your child, you should weigh the pros and cons with the utmost care, because your single mistake can lead to the downfall of your child’s academic future. For your convenience, I’ve listed a few constraints that everybody should consider before thinking to homeschool children.
1: Sacrifices, effort, and patience
Homeschooling is not for those who want to do what’s fun. It means that you have to find alternatives for doing extracurricular activities that the typical school-aged children would enroll in. It might even require you to give up your social life.
Scheduling, planning weekly lessons, assessing your child’s progress throughout the year, testing, and evaluating all take time and effort. You have to make sure that you are physically and mentally ready to deal with the homeschooling curricula every day because homeschooling requires proper planning in order not to make any mistakes. Add to that the fact that homeschooling is not a cheap option and you will be able to fathom why it takes time, effort, and patience.
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2: It’s more than just teaching
Homeschooling does not simply mean watching educational videos, reading textbooks, and letting them do their work. There is a lot more to it that cannot be achieved by a parent or tutor. To make sure your child is getting the best education, you need to have professional help in guiding them and make sure that you are always on top of everything, be it homework, lessons, quizzes, tests, etc.
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3: It will lead to bad social skills
Homeschooling families often focus more on having a well-rounded education rather than simply focusing on the curriculum. This means homeschooled kids would have developed poor social skills if they were not exposed to social environments and opportunities to interact with peers.
Checkout: Are homeschooled children socially awkward?
Such children lack the opportunity to develop relationships. This can lead to difficulties in coping with people throughout life, thus others might not appreciate their behavior as they do not have good communication skills to interact and talk with people.
4: Can affect a child’s mental health
Being a full day at home, such children can easily fall into a depression that can lead to serious health and social problems. It requires staying seated most of the time, which often leads kids to suffer from obesity.
Furthermore, Homeschooling requires a lot of time spent on the computer which is already known to cause deterioration in children’s vision. This, combined with the fact that their eyes were not designed for long periods of viewing screens, can lead to an enormous amount of stress on the eyes.
5: Academic performance may suffer
Some kids will be able to do much better in school as opposed to at home because they are influenced by their mates into being more competitive or simply find it easier to socialize at school than at home.
On a similar note, homework is a necessary part of education. Homeschooled kids might simply lack the motivation to do it and fail to achieve even average grades if their parents cannot motivate them enough to study on their own.
Plus, It is possible for homeschooling to diminish a child’s academic performance levels in terms of IQ due to the lack of natural stimulus from other children.
6: Homeschooling requires a lot of time
I believe this is the key point to consider while thinking about the reasons why homeschooling is bad or what constraints you can face in this journey.
You should make sure you will be able to commit the required time to avoid failing as a homeschooler. Although homeschooling can be very rewarding, it is often quite difficult to dedicate the correct amount of time to it. That’s why ensuring that your time availability won’t interfere with the homeschooling curriculum is better.
7: It can be boring for kids
Homeschooled children don’t have the exposure to people they need to interact with as well as opportunities to try new things that will develop their skills and interests. Children become bored and often find the educational path less interesting than typical school-aged children.
Since homeschooling requires a lot of time, your child may feel that he/she is missing out by being confined at home all day, if you’re always busy with homeschooling lessons. So, your child may lose interest in studies and starts avoiding it.
8: Success of the parent determines that of the child
A lot of parents want to be homeschoolers but fail on many accounts because they lack time or experience. They make mistakes that can affect their children’s future negatively.
For the sake of your child’s future, I always advise them to think about whether they can do it successfully! Same thing you should figure out while thinking of facts about why homeschooling is bad idea for me! For example, if the parent is not able to handle the curriculum well in order to teach it to the child, then there is a high chance that academic performance will suffer. If they are unable to balance between homeschooling and working, the kids might develop bad habits like laziness or skipping classes frequently.
Simple is that homeschooling is not only about homeschooling your child, it is also about parenting.
9: Homeschool kids are more likely to get bullied
Only about 4% of students had been victims of bullying in a survey with 50,000 respondents conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). But when you have homeschoolers who don’t always interact with other people along with the fact that most homeschoolers are introverts, researchers estimate that it could be much higher for this group.
Such kids often have fewer friends and opportunities to socialize online which provides a breeding ground for this kind of bullying. It also means they’re more likely to keep negative emotions bottled up which can eventually lead to serious mental health issues.
Must Read: Habits of highly successful homeschoolers
Long story short,
Homeschooling can be a great option for some families, but it’s not without its drawbacks. The sheer amount of time required to homeschool your child may make this an impractical choice if you work full-time or have other commitments outside the home. Homeschooled children often lack socialization and opportunities to try new things which might lead them to feel bored at times. Academic performance suffers when parents are unable to balance their own needs with teaching their children, and mental health issues may arise from being confined in the house all day long. Successful parenting is crucial because mistakes made by inexperienced or overworked homeschoolers could negatively impact their child’s future success academically and socially.
But who says, you can’t homeschool your child?
I’m saying that homeschooling is not for everyone, but it can be unsuitable in your living domain and environment. That’s why before taking any further decision you should consider a few reasons why homeschooling your child is a bad idea!
You can! if you have enough time and energy to spare. All you need is a particular teaching/learning style, patience, and perseverance to educate your child at home.
It’s not easy, but it is doable with the right approach.
In order for homeschooling to benefit children successfully, parents should consider their own educational abilities and lifestyle before making the decision.
FAQs
What is the biggest disadvantage of homeschooling?
There is not a serious one when you take homeschooling seriously. However, one thing should be in consideration which is time. Homeschooling requires more one-on-one attention, unlike traditional school.
Is homeschooling bad for kids?
Homeschooling can have both positive and negative effects on children. Some parents believe that homeschooling gives them more control over what their children are learning, while others worry about the social effects of not attending a traditional school.
Is homeschooling something good or bad?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as homeschooling can be good or bad depending on the situation. However, in general, there is no bad.
Are homeschooled kids happier?
It depends on how you do homeschooling. If done properly, Yes! Homeschool kids are much happier and feel independent. But the roles may not apply to everyone – Obviously.
Why do so many Americans homeschool?
There are a number of reasons why so many Americans homeschool. Some parents choose to homeschool because they want to give their children a more customized education, while others do it because they feel that their children would be safer at home. Additionally, some parents believe homeschooling is the best way for their children to learn, and others find it a more affordable option than traditional schooling.
Let us know Is it worth homeschooling a child?
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Mo is a home-based Mommie and a passionate journalist. She loves to help other moms to spend a good life.
Who’s going to bully homeschooled children? Their siblings?
I appreciate the question you asked in response to my article. To answer your question, let me clarify that when I mentioned the possibility that homeschooled children could face bullying, I was not referring to siblings bullying each other.
Homeschooled children can potentially experience social difficulties when it comes to interacting with peers outside of the family. The mention of bullying was linked to the fact that homeschooled children have fewer opportunities to socialize with others, not necessarily siblings.
It is important to recognize that the dynamics of homeschooling can vary from family to family, and sibling relationships can be as positive or challenging as in any other setting. Parents play a crucial role in creating a nurturing and supportive homeschooling environment.
If you have any other questions or concerns about homeschooling, please feel free to ask.