There are a variety of methods that can be applied in the area of homeschooling. The method you select will have an impact on the curriculum and style of teaching. The following are some of the most popular homeschooling methods.

The Charlotte Mason method is named after Charlotte Mason, who is known as the originator of the homeschooling movement. She herself was a homeschooler, and she wanted to establish a basic plan for a complete and effective homeschooling program. The Charlotte Mason method emphasizes poetry, fine arts, classical music, crafts, and classical literature. This method is designed to encourage an awareness of literature and involves reading to the child every day. The child is then asked to tell what he or she has heard. This starts at the age of six. By the age of ten, the child is expected to write narrations in a book. Mason encouraged the use of nature diaries as well. The child writes observations of nature in the book as well. This creates a sense of respect for the environment in the child. Mason thought that good behavior and character were critical for a child’s complete personality development.

The Eclectic Homeschooling method is a combination of several techniques. Innovative parents rely on their own judgment to select topics that make up the curriculum for their own child. These parents are always looking for the best products they can find to help them meet the needs of their home schoolers. Many of the curricula in this method are improvised. This means that, while the basic curriculum is established, parents change it to adapt to the individual needs and interests of their children. The curriculum is generally established according to the temperament, learning style, and interests of the children. These programs typically include visits to libraries, factories, and museums.

John Holt, a public educator in Boston, developed the ‘unschooling’ method. Holt believed that children learn best when they learn at their own pace and are guided by their own interests. He wanted to ‘unschool’ the child by requiring parents to take their cues from the children. This approach has no set curriculum, schedules, or materials. It is the most unstructured of the homeschooling techniques.

The Montessori method had its start in Italy. It was found that children go through extremely sensitive periods in which they experience periods of intense concentration. In these phases, children will repeat an action until they receive some measure of self-satisfaction from it. This method relies on prepared environments to facilitate learning. All materials utilized in this method are meant to satisfy the child’s interior desire for spiritual development. Materials for this method range from simple to complex, and they are relatively costly.

Whatever method is selected, the underlying concept is flexibility and a strong interest in the child’s own desires. The key is to use children’s desire for knowledge to further their education.

To learn more about education and learning visit http://total-education.com

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When you consider whether or not to send your child off to a public school or to keep them at home, you must take many factors and weight them carefully before you decide. There are pros and consider for each option. Personally, I was home schooled for some of my education and I attended public school for the rest of my education, therefore have had experience with both.

· Home schooling vs. public schooling:

o Home school pros:

1) You can purchase a home school curriculum, which will include most of the ideas and materials you need.

2) Unlike teachers in public schools—your child gets one-on-one attention most of the time think of this when you consider Home schooling vs. public schooling.

Teachers in public schools often have at least fifteen students at one time nowadays—maybe more. And I only had two sisters who were also being home schooled—all three of us learned essential lessons in every subject, but had mom right over our shoulders helping us understand the material—we even had “homework” to do (no pun intended) but were still usually done by lunchtime. This should also be carefully considered for the benefit of your child when you think about Home schooling vs. public schooling.

3) You do not have to stick strictly to some mail-order curriculum.
You can adjust to your children’s needs.

Here are a few examples:

You know your kid—if he or she is behind in math, slow down a bit, spend more time with math, catch the child up to the right level. Another example would be a child who is much more advanced in, say, grammar—you can choose to make his or her more challenging

4) Many colleges and universities look for children who have been taught at home.

Why? The answer is simple, most moms (or dads or guardians) are afraid that they will not teach their child or children as well as a certified teacher, thus they tend to overcompensate for these fears by actually teaching more than a child in that grade would learn.

· Some of the downsides to home schooling your children:

1) All children need to learn how to function and behave in society, especially when it comes to social relationships.

This problem can sometimes be solved by involving your children in outside activities, i.e. softball teams, dance lessons, etc. In fact, our P.E. class when I home schooled was always practicing dance, because both my sisters and I took dance lessons.

2) It takes time.

In home schooling vs. public schooling you pretty much have to be unemployed, because home schooling can be a tough job—you do not only teach, you also grade, prepare lesson plans, and focus on your children the majority of the day. And then there are your other household obligations—someone has to clean the toilet, right?

3) It can be frustrating:

Especially if your child or children are hard to handle, they may not develop the respect for you that you must have from them as a teacher. Although a child’s relationship with authority figures should be sound and proper, often they are not.

If your child (children) does (do) not respect you or listen when you try to teach. Therefore when considering the idea of home schooling vs. public schooling—you might prefer the latter of the two in such a case.

Teachers are trained to gain respect from his or her students—and often a child who starts out as a problem child will soon be “tamed” through the instructor as well as by following the example of the rest of the students in the class.

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles about homeschooling please visit Considering Homeschooling.

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