Bullying is one of the long-standing issues that cause sorrow to many people, according to therapists. “Bullying is not only isolated as a childhood problem, but also affects adolescents and adults as well,” Kristen Fuller, M.D. After all, the act tends to make the victims want to get away from the place where they have been bullied. If it is an adult, he or she may quit the job they have always wanted to have peace of mind. If it is a kid, the parents may decide to pull him or her out of the school where the bullies are and enroll the child to another school or trying homeschooling.
Considering you live in a town where finding a new elementary or high school for your kids is impossible — or you cannot move to that location because your livelihood will be left behind — homeschooling is the next best option. Your bullied child can stay away from the bullies, for one. You don’t have to get up every morning to prepare them for school as well because any part of the house can turn into a classroom.
The thing is, more and more parents turn out to find some aspects of homeschooling a bit disappointing. After all, this new education system entails your kids won’t be studying with their peers. As you know, some children perform best when they see their friends doing the same thing. Since they are at home, they may prefer playing more than listening to their tutors. Then, you may wonder, “Is this genuinely helping my kids?”
In case you need to stick with homeschooling at the moment, here are a few things you can do to deal with the disappointments that come with it.
1. Look For The Best Teachers
The first thing that you may want to do is to make sure that your children have the best tutors among the teachers that their previous school may have recommended to you. I am not exactly talking about the accolades that each teaching professional has gotten or how many years of experience they have. The teachers you need are the individuals whom your kids will want to listen to during their classes.
Say, find out if your child has a favorite tutor at school. If he or she has, you can ask the higher-ups whether you can hire that person for private tutoring or not. Considering your kid is not fond of any of his or her past teachers, you may ask for recommendations from other parents whose children are being homeschooled as well.
2. See If You Can Become Their Tutor As Well
If the kids do not respond well to whoever comes to your house to teach them, the next best decision is to become their tutor. The truth is that not all states allow this idea. However, let’s assume that you live in Washington, North Dakota, New Mexico, North or South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Georgia, Ohio, or Pennsylvania.
The essential requirement is that the mom or dad should have a high school diploma or passed their GED exam to qualify as a tutor. In Washington, to be specific, the parents need to take a home-based studying course or have gone to college before the state allows them to teach their kids.
3. Invite Your Friends’ Kids To Hangout With Them
Another thing that you can do is to ask your friends to bring their children over to your house. The purpose of doing so does not entirely have to be educational, considering they may not even be homeschooled like your kids. You may think of it as a playdate. Laura Brodie Ph.D. explained that “Conscientious homeschoolers must exert effort to ensure that their children interact regularly with people of all ages and backgrounds, so that they can learn to handle the difficult social situations that will continue throughout life.”
The reason why it is essential is that your children need to be around other kids to avoid feeling lonely. They have to learn how to mingle with their peers and share their toys with them and whatnot. Homeschooling may be best for your kids right now, but there will come a time when they will have to face the world outside of the comforts of your home. Before that happens and shocks them, you better allow the children to hone their social skills as soon as possible.
Final Thoughts
I know that some parents may be doubting the essence of homeschooling now, especially if you had gone to regular school only when you were studying. Despite that, this new educational system has been set up to help the children who either get overwhelmed by the circumstances that take place at school or need to be on-the-go due to their parents’ work. As what Dona Matthews Ph.D. said, “Most research findings show that structured homeschooling leads to higher achievement test scores than regular schooling.” Follow the tips mentioned above to overcome your issues with homeschooling instead of immersing the kids back to the conventional system before they are even ready.
Cheers!