Homeschooling another family

The idea comes up more often than you think.  Someone really wants to homeschool their child, but can't; so they approach a homeschooling friend to see if they will teach their child for them.  Is it legal?  Yes.  In the state of North Carolina you can legally homeschool one other family besides your own. 

But for all of the times that it is asked, this practice is not done very often.  In the case of an emergency, it is possible that you will find someone that is willing to assist you, but in an ordinary case of just wanting your child taught at home, you'll find very few takers.  Why?  For starters, we all homeschool for different reasons.  The decision to homeschool, is a personal one and no two homes are the same.  While you may be wanting your child taught at home because you do not like the public school environment, the people that you are asking to teach your child may be homeschooling because of religious beliefs.  By going in to this situation with two basic, yet different, reasons can cause some conflict.

Another reason you don't see more two family home schools is because of the inconvenience.  When you are only teaching your own family, the day is yours.  If you want to sleep late, you can.  If you want to take a day off, you can.  If someone is sick, you work around it.  If you have another family coming to your home, you lose that right to choose.  Your time is not your own.  There will always be somebody else there expecting you to teach.  This can put a lot of pressure on you as the teacher.

The situation can work if both families are in one hundred percent agreement on why they are homeschooling and if ground rules are laid out in advance:  who is paying for the curriculum, how do you work around sick children, how flexible is the second family willing to be.  It's not that the situation can't work, it's just that it is not ideal and you need to go in to it knowing the facts.  Actually, a positive aspect to the situation can be that having a friend involved in your home school may raise the bar for your own child.  A little friendly competition can be an asset, especially if you have an only child. 

If someone were to approach you today about teaching their child, what would you say?  What is your home school like?  What are the expectations of the other family?  How much more are they asking of you than you are willing to give?  And by the same token, are they willing to keep up with your work load and your standards? 

Don't make a hasty decision.  This is a situation that should be approached prayerfully and carefully.  One thing is for certain, you will be influencing the life of another child and it is a great responsibility.  Be sure that you are ready for it.