Homeschool vs Public School

You’ve been keeping yourself up at night wondering which kind of school your future Kindergartner would excel in. What if I told you I have been wondering the exact same thing? My future 1st grader was homeschooled for his Kindergarten year. He used K12, which is an awesome public homeschooling option. It was just not for him. He is very hands-on and energetic. So, having school on the computer with little activities he can get his hands in, is very boring for him. I have personally been wondering if public school would be a better option. Or, if another homeschooling route would be better. I have been weighing the pros and cons of pretty much everything.

Disclaimer: Some of these are just my opinion from my experiences with my own child. This is also coming from a stay at home mom who went to public school but decided to homeschool my oldest for Kindergarten. If you work, homeschooling may not be for you. It is a lot sometimes.

Homeschool

Pros:

• You will know exactly what they are learning.
• You know your child is safe.
• There’s not a chance of bullying.
• You can teach life skills with the curriculum.
• You will be able to help them with every struggle they could be having.
• Teaching them or being a learning coach could be really beneficial for your relationship with them.
• Some curriculums/programs allow you to work at your own pace.
• There is potential for your child to be ahead in their learning and be done with school earlier than expected.
• You can incorporate it into your daily activities/responsibilities. 
• There are plenty of different types of curriculum and teaching styles.
• You can incorporate Bible study into your child’s learning.

Cons:

• Sometimes it can be overwhelming. Especially if you have more than one child at home. 
• For the more hands-on children, it could be a struggle for them to pay attention in school (with K12. Other programs could be more hands on and less computer work).
• It can sometimes feel like you don’t have time for anything else to get done besides school.
• It is very mind stimulating for you and your child, which can be overstimulating sometimes.
• It is not for someone who struggles with patience. You will break your child’s spirit and probably make them not want to do school even more.
• Online public school is very hard to manage if you already have a busy home life.

Public School

Pros:

• If you stay at home, you will have more time to get things done during the day.
• It can make your home life less busy.
• Your child’s teacher could help them understand some subjects better.
• It could be a better option for the working Momma’s and Daddy’s out there.
• It is a lot more hands on to keep your child engaged.
• Your child will make friends their age.
• It could be beneficial for your relationship with them because they would miss you during the day.
• Your child will get to run out some energy at recess.

Cons:

• You don’t know exactly what your child is learning.
• You don’t know if your child will be safe with other kids/adults.
• You will miss your child.
• It could be more stressful depending on how you handle waking up early and getting your child/children out the door.
• It could affect your child’s behavior at home in a negative way.
• Your child could get around a group of children that make bad choices and start making those choices with them.
• You might not like their teacher/principal.
• There are all kinds of things schools are teaching that goes against the Bible. So you’ll have to just make sure you really pour into your child what the Word of God says.