Homeschool Archives | Kids Ain't Cheap

Single parenting is hard. If you are a couple with kids, think of how tough it is to lose weight and double this. Single parenthood has its pro’s and con’s.

The upside to being single parent

Its pro’s include absolute autonomy. You do not need to confer with anyone when it comes to decisions making about the kids. You can impart the values you think they should have, teach them what you know, and basically arm them how you think is best. You are not limited by another person’s thoughts or opinions when it comes to work hours, kids of work, how much you get done or not done around the house. You are completely free to think of the best possible path for yourself and your kids.

The downside to being a single parent

The con’s include the fact that you have to do all this on your own and this means it is on you to mold these precious beings into happy, healthy, and productive people when they grown older. It is on you to make sure that they eat at least three square, healthy meals, are schooled properly, are taught what they need to know to function and be independent. You have no help when it comes to keeping house and home, paying bills, or acquiring assets.

Can a single parent home-school?

All this said, it is hard to imagine how to fit home schooling into a single parents plan. I guess it would all depend on what kind of support system the single parent has. I have heard that in other countries, single parents get a lot of discounts and even financial help from the government. For some countries apparently, health care and even schooling is free. I do not know this for sure or as a fact. What I do know is that in my country, single parenthood is hard.

Here, to manage in maintaining food, shelter, health care, and schooling, a single parent needs to either ask for help from better off relatives or have a really good, high paying job, with lots of benefits. Otherwise, single parents work long hours, some with two or more smaller jobs on the side. Some take on night work to make the most of the higher percentages in wages. And almost all who do it on their own have very little time to spend at home. And to think that there is no real day care system in my country so kids left at home are often cared for by extended family or a paid, stay-in nanny.

Home schooling, from what I have seen requires one main element- the parent’s time and presence at home to oversee the educational development of the child or children. How is this to be done when the parent is out of the house? The recommendation here then is to have a guardian, like an aunt or grandparent take over the teaching. Is it as effective as the parent doing it? Home schooling would be a financially lighter and educationally better choice for single parents. It is cheaper to home school and you have control over what your kids learn, how they learn, etc. But can it be done for single moms like me?

In a situation where the parent has little time to spend at home, is home schooling still an option? If so, what is the work-around for the lack of availability?

If you are a parent, there is one thing for sure you think about from the moment your precious one/s enter the world…how to educate them. This is certainly one of the thoughts that entered my mind and has taken, it seems, permanent residency there. It is just so important to me that my kids get the right schooling, the best schooling for them.

Now, before anyone jumps on me in anger, this is not a ‘Tiger Mom’ post. Far from it. I have neither the years of experience, the certainty, or the guts to let it all hang out there the way Amy Chua did. This is more a post looking at whether to homeschool my kids or not.

Why am I looking at Homeschooling in particular? Of all the approaches, why this? The answer is simple. I have very good friends who espouse Homeschooling and who swear that it is the best thing to hit education since the advent of the textbook. But what is homeschooling exactly? Let me go through a very simplified and brief approach to Homeschooling.

How to get started homeschooling

I am not sure how it is defined or the processes that go into it in other countries but here in Manila, in a nutshell, Homeschooling is the parent or guardian taking responsibility and control of educating their children at home instead of sending them to an institution like public or private school. Here, the parent or guardian signs up of joins an accredited Homeschooling group first. This group must have the proper licenses and must have a curriculum approved by the Department of Education. The parent or guardian must keep in touch with the head of this group and give updates and reports about the progress of their child. There are two main reasons for this; that the parent is able to go to an authority for help should this be needed; and there is some form of check and balance still existing to make sure that the parent or the guardian is keeping up with the level requirements. After this, the parent is left to look at the level curriculum and create their own school schedule for this kids. This should include the subjects and topics in detail, the way this will be taught, the reinforcement, the activities about the activities, the testing. Main testing will be done at accredited centers and exams to certify that the child has passed from one level to the next should be given by the Department of Education.

Here are some Pro’s and cons to Homeschooling:

Homeschooling Pros

Children are taught according to their learning styles and interests.
Parents have more control over how and what their children are taught.
Children can progress slowly or quickly, according to their abilities.
Schedules are based on what the parents thinks is an important distribution of activities.
Flexible schedules allow time for breaks, field trips, vacations.
The cost of homeschooling for a year is about 1/10 the cost of a year in private school.
Parents can transmit their values to children and shelter them from negative influence.

Homeschooling Cons

Parents must help children improve upon their weaknesses and not just cater to their strengths.
Parents take on sole responsibility for their children’s education.
Family crises, illness and lax supervision by parents can interfere with learning.
Parents must purchase own materials and be in-charge of the teaching styles that will best help their children learn.
Parents must search for activities such as sports and music that can be extra-curricular activities or supplements to learning.
Parents must give children increasing independence and a chance to learn to stand for their values.
Parents must be vigilant about ensuring their children still have socialization with their peers.

I have been thinking about this seriously and have had long talks with my friends about whether homeschooling is the way to go or not. I will post again about my progress on this topic.

What is homeschooling like where you live?

Single Parenthood and Home Schooling