Every summer when the boys were little, we packed up and headed to sunny Florida to tour those free tours of new condos to buy. All we had to do was go through a tour and listen to the sales pitch. They were sort of like those time sharing condos, but you really owned the condos instead of paying a fee to share it. The condos were super nice with granite counter tops, huge swimming pools, great on-site cafes and the best part is they were just a few miles from Disney World.
After touring several free tours for the summer, we walked away with a 20 year loan for purchasing a new condo.
The truth of it is that nothing is free. It costs somehow. When I hear homeschoolers say that public school is free I think that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Get the Homeschool Facts!
Sure, it doesn’t cost dollars when you don’t have to buy curriculum, but then again you are giving up the right to have input into your child’s education.
Homeschooling is not free either. It can be free of the cost of curriculum as you can read in my article, Is Homeschooling Expensive, but it costs.
While I adamantly believe that homeschooling is the best choice for every family, it’s important to get the facts first before you homeschool.
Look at these 3 ways that homeschool costs.
ONE/ Homeschool costs your time.
Don’t underestimate the time that it will take to homeschool your children well. You’ll want to use online classes and enrichment activities available to you, but homeschooling is tutoring and tutoring is one-on-one. It’s personal.
There is no getting around it, there is no substitute for personal attention. Whatever changes and amenities like online classes are offered, your children still need your guidance and oversight.
Your time has a price.
Even if you use all free curriculum, it takes time to print material and it costs to print. Through the 17+ or so years I have been homeschooling I have spent hundreds and hundreds of hours preparing my own lesson plans and unit studies.
I have soaked up every minute of doing it and I have no regrets. However, I have paid the price.
TWO/ Homeschool costs your energy.
Homeschool moms are true entrepreneurs and do-it-yourself folks in every sense of the word, which requires a tremendous amount of energy and fortitude day in, day out, and year after year.
Just ask any homeschool mom and a common topic is about being exhausted.
Some homeschool mom may even be polite and say they are tired, but who’re you kidding? We’re exhausted many days.
Homeschooling requires not only physical stamina to keep the kids moving forward on their lesson plans, but it calls for constant bridled thought when switching between many subjects for the day.
It’s stressful when you have to stay in a constant mode of teaching.
It’s like not having off a day from work. How many jobs do you know that require 7 days a week of 12 or more hours of constant supervising?
Of course, unlike many careers today, homeschooling has a huge reward or pay off but there are some days and years when that is hard to remember.
THREE/ Homeschool experience costs too.
Not only does homeschool costs time, but success for a first-time job like homeschooling doesn’t just happen. Success comes with experience and there is a price for it.
Whether you read numerous homeschool blogs, consult homeschool books or talk with a homeschool veteran, experience costs.
Fast forward 20 years, we love our condo in Florida and have had many family vacations there, but who was I kidding when I thought a tour was free?
Is Your Educational Choice the Cheapest but yet Costliest?
Even if you are overwhelmed at this point with the choice you made to homeschool, taking time to reaffirm your decision to homeschool will give you a fresh start.
Look at my tips here too:
- Homeschool Day: 3 Smart Strategies to Fitting It All In
- When Homeschooling is Not an Overnight Success (Is it Worth the Risk?)
- Should You Switch to a 4-Day Homeschool Schedule?
Hugs and love ya,
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How did I miss this post? I have been away from this blog too long. (I have an excuse, I was making my lovely new planner/binder.)
This is excellent, Tina. I bet your live seminars for new home educators ROCK! Sadly, I am over the ocean in England, so can’t attend, boo hoo.
Lol.. You know me, I never LACK for advice or words 🙂 but you have a GREAT excuse..lol
Yep, people need to think when they decide to send kids back to public school, it has a cost.