It would be irresponsible to make a general statement that homeschooling is bad. It is, however, true that what works for one child and is good for one child might not work or be good for another child. This will also apply to families or parents.
There are certain things to consider which will make homeschooling the right or wrong choice for your specific situation.
Family Dynamics
The Child
There are many children that thrive in a public school. Their academic achievements are above average; they adjust well, have many friends, enjoy a variety of extra-curricular activities and are in general happy children. Homeschooling might be too limited for them and would then be a disadvantage.
The Parent
Some parents won’t have the patience to teach a child. Another parent might not want to give up a rewarding career to stay at home to homeschool children. There are parents that might just not have the ability to become a parent-teacher. If these parents feel they have to homeschool their children it can later on have a very negative effect on the relationship between the parent and the child.
Control
Self discipline is a skill that needs to be learned. Children don’t, necessarily, have these skills. In a family set-up where the parent has problems with self discipline, homeschooling can result in chaos. The parent won’t be able to teach the child self discipline. In public schools self discipline becomes a forced skill and interaction with other children that are self disciplined will have a positive effect on the child. A parent without self discipline would also have trouble to be strict, which can result in the child taking control and the learning process will be harmed.
Financial Concerns
Many families need the income of both parents to survive. If one parent decides to stop working in order to homeschool children the family can end up with financial problems. Homeschooling is not always a cheaper alternative than public schooling. Financial problems can have a negative effect on the entire family. It is not impossible to homeschool and continues with a career, but the family will have to realize that it will definitely lead to stressed situations. If the family fails to cope with the additional stress, homeschooling will become a bad choice.
For one family homeschooling would be the perfect choice but for another it might be the worst idea possible.
