Are you ready to do home schooling?
By James Olsen, Ph.D.

Some parents decide to teach their children themselves, to home school them. If you have reached this point then I am going to make some suggestions that I hope will help you to succeed in this demanding endeavor. They are based on working with parents who have home schooled their own kids here in San Miguel.

1. Keep your efforts concentrated on your own child. Do not think in terms of a small group of kids who are close to one another in age because you will find there are significant differences among these children and most parents don’t have the skills and background they need for a group effort. Moreover, group dynamics are very different from working with one or two kids.

2. Don’t try to make up your own curriculum. You may want to teach your child Chinese because you believe it will be the language of the twenty-first century. You may be correct in this assumption but your youngster will not be tested in Chinese by the schools. What you teach should be compatible with what the schools teach and test. Use an existing program like Calvert, which will provide you with your lessons and certification that your child has passed a certain level of competency. He or she can then be admitted to another school when you are ready to make a change.

3. Be prepared for a lot of work. When you take into account the preparation time you will need to actually give the lessons, the time spent in teaching during the day and the time correcting homework, you’ll discover you have pretty close to a full-time job. Are you ready for that? Allow yourself a few months to get ready.

4. If you decide to hire a teacher then be sure you are hiring someone who is 

fully, professionally qualified and certified, whose references you’ve checked, and who is in good health and stable in the sense that he or she will probably remain for the year. Someone who is middle-aged and already living here is preferable to someone who is very young and hasn’t lived in Mexico. 

5. Pay your teacher well because your home schooling program will be as good as that teacher is. Also, be prepared for significant start-up expenses like textbooks, materials, reference books, trips you may want to take, perhaps classroom space, etc. A budget and job description would be useful. If you hire a professional, don’t try to dictate to that person how they should teach your child. 

For some truly committed parents, home schooling can work. One of our mothers, for example, was very successful in this effort because she really dedicated herself to the endeavor for several years. But most parents find it’s too much work, too demanding of their time, more expensive than they anticipated and sometimes very difficult psychologically to teach their own child. (Why did he or she not understand that? Aren’t they really smart?)

Think it through before you attempt it. Talk to your child about it and see how he or she reacts. Many kids don’t like the idea and miss the presence of the peer group. If a good relationship with your child isn’t there along with a willing child, forget it.

You can contact the Olsens with your questions and problems by calling 154-4374 or email sml 154-4374@prodigy.net.mx.