How Will You Home School Your Child?

No, the public school system isn't perfect - far from it, in fact. But before you decide to pull your kids out of school and start teaching them yourself, you must evaluate your own ability to provide everything they need.

First and foremost, do you have the time to dedicate to your child's education? To be specific, do you have seven hours each day to sit by and instruct your child to the fullest? 

If you intend to home school your child, you must do more than simply drop a pile of books in front of him or her and expect the work to get done. Home schooling is about more than just getting your precious child out of the claws of public educators and keeping him or her away from the "bad" influence of other children. You must be willing to give up your days to focus on your child and nothing but your child. Don't expect just because you're at home, you can just help your child out whenever you feel like it. 

If you make the decision to home school your child, then your child must become your one and only priority. If you can't or don't want to make that commitment, then do your child a favor and leave him or her in school, where people who can make that commitment will do so.

Now, are you even qualified to teach your child? A high school diploma doesn't carry a lot of weight after ten or fifteen years. You may have graduated, but do you remember any of the work you did? Do you remember the intricacies of government and American history? Do you remember all the names for parts of the human anatomy? Do you remember the advanced rules of English grammar? Do you remember how to solve complex algebraic equations? If not, how do you plan to teach this material?