Homeschooling can be an option that provides families with flexibility and customization in their children’s education, however it can often be misinterpreted or misunderstood. There are several disadvantages to homeschooling that should be taken into consideration before beginning this path. This article dives into 13 reasons why homeschooling may be a disadvantage for many families.
1. Lack of Socialization
One of the more pertinent disadvantages to homeschooling is the potential for a lack of socialization. Socialization is a key part of development and crucial for children to learn how to interact and communicate in the outside world.
Without an opportunity for socialization, children lack the ability to practice these skills and may find difficulty when engaging in the real world. While homeschooling does have the possibility for socialization with groups of homeschoolers and outside activities, these are often limited due to the flexibility of homeschooling and restrictions of current pandemics. Another challenge in socialization concerns age.
In traditional schools, children are usually grouped with those of the same age or similar grade. This allows the ability to relate to others and form important social bonds.
In homeschooling, this isn’t always available as depending on the family, the ages can vary greatly. Lastly, homeschooling can separate children in terms of friendship groups. Traditional schooling allows children to progress forward with friends they can relate to and connect with on a social level.
When homeschooling, this is not always available, and even more difficult when living in an area with limited access to other homeschoolers.
2. Limited Resources
Another disadvantage of homeschooling are the limited resources parents have to educate the child. Most public and private schools have access to a plethora of resources, such as learning tools, activities, and specialized rooms that can benefit the learning process.
In homeschooling, most of these amenities are not available to the parents or the student. This limits the level of learning and education the student can achieve while homeschooling and hinders their ability to connect the education they receive with the real world. Some resources available to homeschoolers are libraries and community classes.
However, parents often have to dig to find these resources and even when found, only limited information and access is given. Libraries are a great source for homeschoolers but often cannot provide the same level of resources as that of public and private schools.
3. Lack of Structure
Structure is an important aspect of learning and is often absent from homeschool education. In a school setting, each day is planned and structured for the students following the traditional school 9am-3pm setup. Additionally, traditional schooling also has set goals and curriculum that the student has to meet while they progress through school.
This isn’t always available in homeschooling as every family home schools with a different format and structures their days as they please. Structured days are beneficial in keeping the student on task, finishing their course load and completing the year at the same pace as the rest of their grade.
Without the structure, students may feel overwhelmed starting and finishing their work. Additionally, homeschooling lacks the structure to review past material, redo tests or attend activities.
These all help the student learn and understand the material and tests.
4. Increased Stress/Responsibilities on the Parents
When taking on the responsibility of homeschooling, there is an additional amount of stress and time much of the parents have to take on. Most parents who take on homeschooling have to give up more time from their day in order to plan, teach, and manage the student’s learning. Parents often take on this additional responsibility at the cost of their job or job security.
Combined with providing for the child, parents often experience more stress and responsibility, along with a decrease in pay as they lose their job. Furthermore, when homeschooling, parents are also tasked with finding resources or curriculum’s to teach their children.
Homeschooling also requires dedication and stability in the family household to stick with the routine and stay consistent, which may be something most working parents do not have the ability to provide.
5. Lack of Qualified Teachers
Homeschooling can often lack proper qualified teachers. Traditional schooling has certified, trained teachers that can guide instruction, answer student’s questions, and engage with innovative teaching styles best suited for the student. At home, these resources are often not available, leaving the student to rely on the parents for education.
Additionally, homeschooling does not have the opportunity for students to gain knowledge from other students outside their grade. This can often occur in a classroom setting as students can collaborate and learn from each other, which is an important part of education.
6. Difficult for Working Parents
6. Difficult for Working Parents
Homeschooling can prove to be difficult for working parents. Between taking care of the child, providing for the home, homeschool curriculum, and the added responsibility of teaching, homeschooling can become a burden on the parents. Working parents often lack the ability to provide homeschooling due to their current job, lack of pay, or restrictions of their job therefore eliminating the ability to homeschool their child.
Additionally, even if a parent can successfully homeschool their child while the other works, this often leads to little to no free time while the other parent works and the homeschooled parent teaches. This can cause an in-balance with the household or may lead to neglect in the home, taking away the much-needed quality time family should share.
7. Expensive & Time Consuming
Homeschooling can be expensive as parents have to purchase materials, curriculum, and other learning aides to supplement the student’s education. Public and private schools have the ability to share resources, providing materials to all students on a much more affordable basis than homeschooling.
Additionally, in homeschooling the parents have to often pay for any activities or classes the student wishes to join, increasing the cost of the student’s education. Furthermore, homeschooling can often become time consuming for the parents. Dedicating time to teach and plan out courses, in addition to finding resources or extra help, can be an arduous process that can take away needed time to spend with the family or other responsibilities.
8. Student Must Be Self Motivated
One significant disadvantage to homeschooling is the level of selfmotivation needed from the student. In traditional schools, there are often rewards, incentive-based systems, and other reinforcing methods to motivate the students to complete work, get involved, and strive for success.
In homeschooling, most of these benefits are absent, making it solely the student’s responsibility to remain motivated and push themselves to finish their course load. Finding and maintaining motivation can become an issue with the student if they lack intrinsic motivation. Homeschooling can also limit the reinforcement methods, taking away possible goals that help keep the student’s drive and motivation ongoing, again weighing the entire burden on the student.
9. High Demand On Parents Education/Knowledge Level
When homeschooling, parents inherently become the teacher, meaning they must dedicate a significant amount of knowledge to the subjects they want to teach. Parents must be able to comprehend the subjects and provide answers to the students’ questions. Many parents may feel the pressure in feeling the need to be knowledgeable in any subject the student desires to learn.
Additionally, parents who lack knowledge on a particular subject may have difficulty finding and supplementing the curriculum their student requires.
10. Restriction of Additional Services/IEP’s
Homeschooling can often lack access to services that public and private schools provide, such as gifted programs, learning disabilities, special needs support and more. These services aides the student in learning and support their development in an area that specialized teachers and resources can assist with.
In traditional schooling, students with IEP’s (Individualized Education Program) are provided specialized goals, learning methods, academic or behavioral accommodation, and resources that help appropriately address their situation. Additionally, those with IEP’s are able to get the extra support they need or benefit from being in a classroom with others who have similar abilities or situations.
11. Risk of Comparison to Peers
Another disadvantage to homeschooling is the potential for comparison to peers. It’s normal for children to compare themselves to those around them and their peers, yet this can be a more significant issue when homeschooling. When homeschooling, children have the ability to compare their work to the work of the public or private schools students and it’s often difficult for them to realize the differences and the not necessarily better education the other child is receiving.
Additionally, if the child does not socialize outside of being homeschooled, the comparison can become even more compounded as the child is unable to compare their intelligence or schooling to their peers.
12. Crucial Aspects May Get Overlooked
When homeschooling, certain aspects of learning may often get overlooked. Especially in fields of science, math, or engineering, certain crucial abilities and techniques may not be taught or reinforced within the home learning setting.
Schools often have the ability to comprehend these subjects correctly, providing the student with techniques or abilities that are necessary in the real world. Furthermore, when completing assignments, tests or other encounters, there is often no one to monitor or reinforce these applications. Homeschooling often relies on self-discipline, which is also key in the student’s learning, yet most schools provide an extra layer of accountability.
13. The Potential for Isolation from Society
Another potential disadvantage of homeschooling is the potential for isolation from society. Without the student attending a public or private school, their exposure to the outside world and society are limited to those the parents choose to bring in, creating an environment of seclusion from the real world. Without the proper knowledge and understanding of the differences and potential opportunities available to them, the child may be secluded from the opportunities needed to succeed.
Conclusion: Homeschooling can be an option for those families who feel this route best suits the needs of their child. Yet, there are several considerations and disadvantages to consider before deciding to begin homeschooling.
This article dives into the 13 most common disadvantages of homeschooling and should provide some insight into what may present challenges or issues in homeschooling.