There, I said it. Did you think since I was all pro-homeschooling that I thought everyone should be involved in home education?
Well, I don't. There are some folks who should not.
There are some times when some folks should not. (Maybe other times they should)
There are some children who should not.
It's for some people all the time. It's for some people some of the time. It's for some people none of the time.
Have I lost you?
A few considerations:
Does your child receive special services from the school district that they otherwise could not receive? Then maybe that child needs to remain in public school. Some services, like speech therapy can still be received through the school district for homeschoolers in some instances. You will have to know the laws in your area.
Is your home unsafe because of an abusive family member? Please get help. Please don't continue to subject yourself or your children to that situation. Don't make it even easier for the abuser to continue undetected. Homeschool might not be best in that situation. Please reach out for help.
Is someone in your family very ill? I know I also listed that as a reason to homeschool, but every situation is different. A friend of mine put her other children in private school when her oldest son was diagnosed with cancer. She needed to completely focus on his care that year and he was in the hospital a lot. Sometimes enrolling your children is best.
Are you a single parent with very few resources? Would being in charge of your child's education in addition to being the sole provider for your family push you past the breaking point? Maybe this is not the year. You can commit to helping them with homework, reading good books to them in your off time, and helping them to love learning. Also, pray for a way to homeschool to open up. Sometimes it isn't possible right away but is further down the road.
Are you functionally illiterate? Are you not fluent in the language you want your children to learn in? There are ways to still be in charge of your child's education and not be the main or only teacher. There are ways to delegate part of your child's education to others. So...difficult, but not necessarily impossible.
Does the main teaching parent suffer from mental illness? Is it under control? If not, then perhaps that is not the best situation for your children.
Is your spouse against it completely? This is not worth risking your marriage over. If one spouse agrees to try it for a year, fine. If you can convince them--great! But don't go completely against their will. There is a lot to be said for family unity.
Sometimes there are good reasons not to homeschool, or not to homeschool at this time. Some families homeschool some of their children and not others. The point is, each situation needs to be considered individually. I do believe that there are ways around many situations (newborn baby in the house? Doable!) If you have any questions, I'd be happy to chat! Just use the contact form at the top of this site.