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I have a special treat for you all today! My oldest son, “Big Bear,” has taken an interest in blogging as well, and has created his own article for me to share with you! Its a bit of a pros and cons list, plus some comments/advice to other students. Thus, without further ado, “My Take on Homeschooling by Big Bear.”

What I Like About Homeschool:

1. Time: The time in homeschool is not as overwhelming as in public school. The time it takes me to do school at home is around 3 hours. Whereas public school time is around 6-9 hours. You can also add subjects to your homeschool day such as piano – and we do!
2. Breaks: At a public school, the only breaks are in-between classes and maybe at P.E. or recess. Homeschool is super nice because I can refresh my brain when I’m tired and come back to my work with a whole new mindset. In public school, you can’t just leave the classroom whenever you want. Plus, if you get super tired, you might not be able to think well or understand what your teacher is saying.
3. Flexibility: In a public school, you have scheduled field trips with classmates. You have months in the summer free when the school year is done, but if you want to vacation during the school year, you might have to skip a few days of school. Homeschool is very flexible. I do school throughout the year and take vacations at any time – a time a public-school student might say was the “middle of the school year.”
4. Learning: I probably understand math better than a public-school student simply because I have a one-on-one teacher-student relationship. If I don’t understand something, I can simply ask my teacher to read over it again. Plus, I don’t have a time limit. A public-school teacher might not be able to go over it again. This means you’re not getting as much knowledge from that lesson as you could have.
5. Grades: With a greater capacity to learn, you understand what you are doing better. The better you understand something, the better you will be and you will likely get better grades. Grades are important for getting into a good college or whatever you want to use your grades for. For the rest of your life you need education to live. And even if you don’t care about grades, grades show that you know a lot about math and you can do that in your adult life – like getting the right job with the right hours and the right amount of money.
6. Trying New Schedules: Every day at public school, you go from one class like history, to a class about language arts. I have recently got a new schedule that allows me to do all of history for the week in one day, all math for the week on another day, and so on. I get to try what schedule works best for me.
7. Trying New Curriculums: Usually you have a type of curriculum for science and you’re stuck with it the entire year, even if you don’t like it. With homeschooling you can try changing and experimenting with new curriculums in the middle of the year.
8. Co-Ops: Co-ops are a good place to make friends with other homeschoolers while doing fun things together. You can also talk with them about their opinions on homeschooling.

What I Don’t Like About Homeschool:

1. It is Still School: Though homeschooling can be better than public school, homeschooling is still school. I do not like school in general. I still have to solve puzzling questions in math and challenging history time lines.
2. Friends: Another reason a Co-Op is good is because of friends. You might be surrounded with friends at a public school, but in a homeschool you don’t have any friends at your house. You may have a brother or sister, but if they are in a different grade you are probably going to do a lot alone with your teacher.
3. Your Teacher: Your teacher could be your guardian. That might sound like really good news or really bad news. Plus, if you are coming out of public school and it is your first time homeschooling, you might think your parent being your teacher is REALLY wierd compared to a teacher at public school.

In summary, homeschooling over all can be fun. School for me is not fun, but you have to go somewhere to get an education. With just 3 hours, flexibility, and lots of breaks, I can do more than a public-school student can. I have been all over the United States seeing things more impressive than grades on a paper, (though grades are important), – and so could you!

Sincerely, Big Bear

A quick P.S. from Goldilocks: If you need more convincing, check out this fantastic site! It gives you all the statistics on how homeschoolers stack up to other students.