The Cons of Homeschooling
Can be Terrifying

However, the disadvantages can be easily turned around once you know how. The cons of homeschooling are usually easily avoided.

We have written a huge variety of cons to prepare you for your homeschooling journey. Here are the first 10.

Pros and Cons of Homeschooling
The Cons - 1
You have to face lots of criticism from others.

You will be sneered at, snobbed by, laughed at, and reviled by people with herd mentality. This is a con you might have to face frequently.

What do you do? You know that homeschooling is a great idea. Many great ideas have been scorned at throughout history. Galileo was placed under house arrest by the Inquisition for championing the theory of heliocentrism.

Thank goodness, you don't have to face the Inquisition! However, once you enter the homeschooling arena, you have to pull down your visor, pull out your sword and hack your way to victory, for you will be besieged by attackers taking verbal swings at you.

You will have to brace yourself against swings and thrusts coming from unexpected quarters - your friends, relatives and even total strangers who view homeschooling as a capital offence. This is one of the major negative effects of homeschooling you have to put up with.

"So how do I prepare myself for this?", you may ask. This is easily answered. The disadvantages of homeschooling are many but they are not devastating.

All you have to do is to familiarize yourself with the cons of homeschooling that we have written for you. Then, no one can throw an unexpected curve ball at you. We will show you how to avoid the cons. In fact, many cons are pros in disguise.

Once armed with this knowledge, you can refute - with a sweet smile - practically all negatives thrown at you by ignoramuses.

Pros and Cons of Homeschooling
The Cons -2
My child won't be accepted into college.

It is a good idea to plan your child's future well in advance - a few years ahead at least. Check out the admission criteria for the colleges of your choice when your child is still young. Some colleges require transcripts or passes at certain SAT subjects.

Another alternative is to homeschool your child all the way from Elementary School to Middle School and then enrol her in a public school for her High School education. Because of the strong foundation you would have given her, she will excel in High School. That way, you will leave no stone unturned - she will have no problems being accepted by the college of her choice.

So this doesn't really join forces with the disadvantages of homeschooling, does it?

Pros and Cons of Homeschooling
The Cons - 3
I am not qualified to teach.

First of all, let's look at what generally happens in public schools. You may be shocked to read the following but they are generally true. Public schools have some negative effects on children. Research in psychology has shown that:

• Teachers spend more time on good-looking children because they assume that they are brighter. The ones who are plain or obese do not get as much attention.
• Boys are given more attention than girls in math and science because it is assumed that boys are smarter than girls in these subjects.
• Taller children are given more leadership roles because they look more capable than their shorter peers.

What happens to those children who are plain, short and obese? Well, many of them do not get the best education they deserve. As a parent, do you rank your children according to their height, weight, looks and gender? Of course not!

You love all your children equally. So you will definitely give them the best education you can.

As for your fears that you are not qualified to homeschool your child, you can lay them to rest because there are lots of wonderful homeschooling books and materials that guide parents on how to teach their children.

So again, this is not one of the negatives of homeschooling.

Pros and Cons of Homeschooling
The Cons - 4
My children will lack social skills if they are homeschooled.

How do children learn social skills? Children learn through modeling. In other words, they learn their social skills by observing and retaining the behaviors of others and then replicating what they have seen.

One con of public schooling is that you have no idea who your kids are mixing with and what horrible things they might be learning from their peers.

So finally it is up to you as the parent to teach your children the proper social skills to be well-adjusted and to attract well-behaved children as their friends - it is true that good children attract other good children.

So homeschooling is the best way to teach your children social skills. You also get to decide who your children's friends are. You certainly don't want your children falling in with the wrong crowd.

Another "disadvantage of homeschooling" debunked. This actually shouldn't even fall under the cons of homeschooling.

Pros and Cons of Homeschooling
The Cons - 5
I have to spend lots of time homeschooling my children.

However, as you become a more experienced teacher, you will realize that because your children are getting individual attention at home, they learn faster than their counterparts at public schools. In fact, your children will only need 3 hours a day to learn what public school children learn in 6 hours. If you were to spend 6 hours a day homeschooling your children, you will double the speed of your children's progress and they will be doing 2 grades per year. Children who go to public schools are at a disadvantage when we compare them to homeschoolers.

So time is actually not a con to you and especially not to your children. Homeschooling frees up your children's time to engage in other activities they might like to do. Like we told you, many cons of homeschooling are actually pros in disguise.

Pros and Cons of Homeschooling
The Cons - 6
What are the legal consequences of homeschooling?

So is this one of the cons of homeschooling? Not if you are an American for it is allowed in all the states.

Pros and Cons of Homeschooling
The Cons - 7
Employers will not hire homeschoolers.

Many employers hire homeschooled children without hesitation. One of the cons of homeschooling? Certainly not!

Pros and Cons of Homeschooling
The Cons - 8
Most homeschoolers will fall behind.

There are many, many examples of outstanding homeschooled children. Studies have shown that homeschoolers do much better in tests than public schooled children.

So don't worry. Your children will certainly not fall behind as long as you set a daily timetable for them and follow it religiously. So again, this is not one of the cons of homeschooling.

Pros and Cons of Homeschooling
The Cons - 9
Homeschoolers don't get to mix with children of different racial, religious and social backgrounds.

Sadly, there are some homeschooling parents who don't give their children the opportunity to mix with children from other backgrounds. Their children grow up never learning about the rich cultural diversity of the world they live in.

However, it doesn't have to be that way with you. There are many homeschool networks out there which you can join. Your children will then have the opportunity to mix with all types of children and learn to forge friendships with anyone no matter her background.

This is only one of the cons of homeschooling if you allow it to be.

Pros and Cons of Homeschooling
The Cons - 10
Homeschooling parents are perfectionists and often push their children to the breaking point.

All children are also not the same. Each child is unique and has her own strengths and weaknesses. We should show them how proud we are of their strengths and never make them feel inadequate for their weaknesses.

As long as you make your children's learning experience fun and allow them to learn at their own pace, you can be sure that your children will not be under stress.

We are sure you will not let this become one of the pitfalls of homeschooling in your family.

Every Good Thing Must Come to an End

If you found this homeschooling article helpful, please click the Google +1 button below. Thanks!

Would you like to continue with the next 10 Negative Effects of Homeschooling?

Or would you prefer to go back to the Pros and Cons of Homeschooling?

Perhaps you want to visit our Homepage.