Anti Homeschooling

Home education can be extremely challenging when one parent is anti homeschooling or convinced another form of schooling is best for his or her child.

A spouse who is against homeschooling may provide inadequate support, be overly critical of the teaching parent or send mixed messages about homeschooling to the child.

When I first approached my husband about home education, he said he would gladly pay for private school if I did not mention homeschooling again.

After speaking with a co-worker whose children were homeschooled and reluctantly attending a home school curriculum fair, my husband agreed to let me try teaching kindergarten. That first year was filled with uncertainty and anxiety, but since then, my husband has been a big advocate of teaching children at home!

I know first hand that it can be difficult to homeschool when a spouse is anti homeschooling. Here are some suggestions for bringing a reluctant spouse on board:

• State your reasons for homeschooling. Be sure your spouse is aware of the benefits to homeschooling. Make special note of specific issues in your family that homeschooling will address.

• Give him time. Realize your spouse loves your child as much as you do. It took time for you to decide homeschooling was best for your child, and he may need time as well.

• Address his concerns. My husband was captain of the football team in high school. He was concerned our children would miss out on fun experiences, so I found homeschooling support groups that met our family’s social needs.

• Help him connect with other homeschoolers. My husband was worried that I’d want to move to the country and wear “prairie dresses”. I took him to a homeschool convention where he saw families that looked like ours and talked to a few enthusiastic dads.

• Give and take. You want to use unit studies. He wants you to use workbooks. You want to go on weekly field trips. He'd rather you hit the books at home. Your spouse needs to feel comfortable with your homeschool philosophy. Use teaching methods and materials that your spouse feels comfortable with, and tailor them to meet the needs of your child.

• Take it one year at a time. My husband and I agreed that I would homeschool my oldest for kindergarten, then reevaluate. Three years later, I'm now teaching a 3rd grader and finishing up kindergarten with my second child!

For more ideas for honoring and connecting with your spouse, read this article about homeschooling dads.

Follow these links for information about:

• Homeschooling Facts,
• Homeschooling Statistics,
• Homeschooling Pros and Cons,
• Disadvantages of Homeschooling,
• Homeschooling vs. Public Schooling,
• Homeschooling a Reluctant Student, and
• Defending Yourself to those who are Against Homeschooling.

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