Home education has seen a surge in popularity over the past decade. While it comes with numerous benefits, it is essential to explore the disadvantages of Home Education, particularly from a parent’s point of view.
Weighing up the pros and cons can help parents make informed decisions and form the basis of identifying their Why for Home Education. This blog post is not intended to be discouraging but to provide a realistic truth to the challenges Home Educating parents can face.
The Six Disadvantages of Home Education
I have Home Educated my children on and off since 2019 and my 3 eldest have all experienced public schooling for a minimum of 1 year. We are currently planning to Home Educate for the 2024/2025 academic year.
I love Home Educating my kids and it suits our lifestyle but it does come with its challenges and I think it is important to discuss these, especially for parents that are on the fence. There are six main issues that I am going to discuss: The Time and The Emotional Strain, The Friends, The Cost, The Resources and The Worry.
Time and Emotional Strain
Home educating children demands significant time and dedication. Parents often find themselves wearing multiple hats—teacher, caretaker, and extracurricular coordinator.
Developing and implementing a comprehensive curriculum, even when using pre-made programs, is time-consuming. Pre-reading curriculum, sourcing assigned readers, ordering supplies and planning lessons are all tasks that I do over the Summer and Christmas breaks, as well as some evenings during the year.
The emotional and mental strain is real. Balancing teaching responsibilities with household duties can become emotionally draining. Constantly shifting between the roles of a teacher and a parent can lead to burnout.
This is why having routines that work for you, chores allocated to kids, accepting any help offered or outsourcing tasks, organising meal plans and doing the prep work for teaching in advance are all, not only helpful, but in some cases essential.
Parents might feel stressed out trying to maintain a structured, balanced environment, which for some is necessary for effective learning and a happy home life. I know some families are a lot more relaxed and that is great but I cannot function in mess and so keeping my home organised is essential in my book.
Finding Friends for Your Kids
One common concern is the socialisation of home educated children, however contrary to popular belief, home educated kids often get more real-world experiences, such as interacting with people of various ages during activities like grocery shopping or community service.
Research suggests that home educated children aren’t at a social disadvantage compared to their counterparts in public schools. They frequently engage with various groups through sports, clubs, and other community-based activities.
Please note that while I mention numerous social opportunities, and we avail of as many as possible, you will frequently see photos with only my kids in them but that is because their friends or other attendees are simply out of shot to protect their privacy.
However, it would be remiss to say that it is always easy to find your children the perfect group of friends. Depending on your area, opportunities for kids to mix with children their own age can be limited, especially for tweens and teenagers. Secondary school students in public schools benefit from daily interactions with peers, and as there are so many other children their own age finding at least one that has a common interest is more likely. In comparison, some home educated tweens and teens may find it challenging to establish and maintain friendships without a centralised social environment.
Financial Implications
Home Educating also has significant financial implications. There is the cost of educational resources, purchasing textbooks, learning tools, and paying for extracurricular activities which can quickly add up. Many high-quality resources are not free, and parents might feel the burden of ensuring their children have access to all necessary materials. Investing in science kits, art supplies, or sports equipment can strain the household budget.
One parent typically needs to stay home or work reduced hours to manage home education duties. This often leads to a reduction in household income. With one fewer income stream, families might find it challenging to balance finances. Articles on Money Management discuss the economic considerations parents must evaluate when deciding to home educate.
Reduced Access to Resources
Home Educated children may miss out on facilities, labs, and extracurricular programs available in conventional schools. Schools often provide access to advanced labs, sports facilities, and various clubs, which can be hard to replicate at home. Even when these resources are available the cost of them can be prohibitive.
An example I can think of specifically in the UK is access to the Duke of Edinburgh Award which was something I was able to do through secondary school. All my kids are members of the Scouts and this is great but not exactly the same. Another example is exchange trips with students from other countries. Sometimes we have to be willing to compromise on our expectations.
The Worry of Not Doing Enough
This is not limited to Home Educating Parents but it is something that is discussed frequently within home education circles – “Am I Doing Enough?” Parents often worry about educational gaps and what constitutes a good education. Questioning yourself about whether your children are receiving a comprehensive education can lead to anxiety. Concerns include whether you are covering all necessary subjects adequately and if your children are meeting peer-level standards.
This worry stems from the constant critism home educating parents receive from external sources. In actual fact, we all have gaps in our educations, public schooled and home educated alike, the most important skill we can impart to our children is a love for learning and the ability to source information.
My Final Word
While home education offers flexibility and a tailored educational experience, it also comes with some disadvantages from a parent’s perspective. The time it requires, emotional strain, finding friends for all your kids, financial implications, reduced resources, and a worry about not doing enough are challenges that should be discussed.
It’s crucial for parents to thoroughly weigh these disadvantages against the advantages before committing to home education. By taking an honest look at the hurdles involved, parents can better prepare and potentially mitigate some of these challenges, creating a more successful home education experience.
Let me know in the comments if you have experienced any of these disadvantages of Home Education yourself.
Well I can truthfully say I hated school. I would have loved to learn languages as well as doing science but you could not do both in my school. It used to frustrate me that english classes included reading books aloud, when I had them read 2 days after getting the book. My father was a pharmacist and used to show me occasional science lessons. I was not a good school student because I was bored out of my tree most of the time!