The homeschool season

November 9, 12:53 PMRaleigh Homeschooling ExaminerStacey Cotrufo

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One year at a time is the best way to think about your homeschool journey
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The motto with homeschooling is "One year at a time".  For many who are just beginning to contemplate the possibility of homeschooling, this motto is crucial.  You see, sometimes homeschooling is just a season in your life.  By committing to doing it for a year does not mean that you have to do it for the rest of your child's educational life.

There are many factors to take in to consideration:  why are you homeschooling in the first place?  If you are starting out that way from kindergarten, chances are that you will stay with homeschooling for a longer period of time than someone who took their child out of school.  Parents who start homeschooling their children from the get-go tend to have really thought about wanting to home educate their children and in most cases, have been waiting for the time that they could start! 

Parents who take their children out of school sometimes have different issues to contend with and homeschooling was probably not on their agenda.  For example, a child with health issues who may have been forced to miss a lot of school would be a candidate for homeschooling rather than getting left back due to attendance issues.  As the parent, you may already be overwhelmed with dealing with getting your child well and the thought of homeschooling during it all never crossed your mind.  Some families end up homeschooling because of discipline issues at school.  You may not have a choice but to homeschool your child.  In cases like these, a child could be suspended for the remainder of a school year and so you have to take over teaching for a short time but your child can return to school the following semester or the following fall without the fear of being left back. 

The decision of how long to homeschool your child is completely up to you!  There is no rule stating how long you have to teach at home.  Should you find that homeschooling is not a fit for your family, you can enroll your child back in school and should not let anyone make you feel guilty about it.  Some families choose to take their children out of school during the turbulent middle school years to avoid a lot of social issues and then place them back in for high school.  Others place their children back in just for high school because they feel that their kids will have more opportunities academically than they would at home.  Whatever the reason for your choice of timing remember that it is just that - your choice!

There is no magical number of years that you have to homeschool.  Some families can do it and make it work for all thirteen years of their children's education, others don't want to do it for that long, while other's don't have that opportunity due to financial issues.  But for whatever reason you choose to homeschool and for however long you choose to do it, homeschooling can be a rewarding experience for you and your child.