Home Schooling: How a Single Parent’s Dream can Become a Reality

Home Schooling: How a Single Parent’s Dream can Become a Reality

Article by Michedolene Hogan

Turn on any news media on any given day and you will find yourself bombarded with news about failing schools and struggling parents. Take Nebraska, for example, which has been on the news over their safe haven law. Parents who feel like they are not capable of taking care of their children any longer are abandoning their kids. These children, some even in their teens, are victims of a loophole in the law, which established only for infants fails to specify an age limit for parents drop off their kids at any hospital. Negative parenting stories cloud the reputation of other parents who work hard every day to provide the best education for their children. A growing movement of single parents who are living their dreams against all the odds is virtually unheard of. These individuals have decided to focus on the rewards and not on the hardships of single parenting. Their result has been children who flourish. With the right support and motivation, any single parent can achieve this seemingly impossible dream.

Making Adjustments

When single parents decide to home school they have the freedom and flexibility to determine their own schedules. Unlike the public school’s rigid system home schooling classes are created to fit the family needs. Classes can be done on weekends, in the evenings or at any other convenient time. When performing one-on-one lessons at home, a parent does not need as much time as a teacher does in a classroom full of students. Teaching only one child at a time gives an advantage to the home schooling families. Some home schooling programs even allow for older students to self-teach a large portion of the material independently while the parent tends to other responsibilities. The child can save questions for later when the parent is available.

Recruiting Support

Single parents greatly benefit from the help provided by loved ones around them. Many individuals are willing to help if they are asked. Family, friends, church members, community members, and even baby sitters are possible partners in education. While some parents already live close to family, others may need to relocate to facilitate their dreams.

Exercise your Faith

Sacrifices are part of achieving dreams, after all, nothing in life is free. Your child’s education is well worth any sacrifice. A change in work schedule may be in order to permit time for home schooling. Sometimes, it may require an entire career change or a work-from-home arrangement. Financial cut backs are part of the sacrifice. Less work usually equates to limited expenses. Clipping coupons, planning meals, and shopping at garage sales or goodwill stores are some ways in which parents can make the most of their money. Single parents need to have faith in themselves and draw on their inner strength to make things happen.

Handling Behavior Problems

Even with the best of planning, unexpected problems can occur. Perhaps a child who is trying to adjust to the loss of a parent may exhibit behavior problems such as rebellion, anger, defiance or challenging authority. These behaviors make life tough for any parents. Death and divorce are difficult situations to handle emotionally. The whole family can benefit from Christian counseling to help them understand their feelings and regain peace in the home. A devoted single parent aids tremendously in the healing process by providing the child with a stable influence and establishing a new trust bond for the child.

When Learning Disabilities are Present

Encountering a learning disability can be disconcerting. The good news is that parents are best qualified to teach children with learning disabilities. After having the child evaluated by a professional, parents can educate themselves using available books, periodicals, online communities, and seminars on the specific disability. Becoming an expert on a specific learning disability gives the parent an advantage over a special education teacher who does not have the time to concentrate on one disability while working with dozens of students facing various challenges.

A Tailored Curriculum

A Child-taught curriculum is one of the most popular among single parent home schoolers. The Robinson Curriculum is one child-taught curriculum that has been used for years with great results. The curriculum was developed by Laurelee Robinson for her children. After her unexpected death, her husband was left a single parent home schooler. The children continued teaching themselves with much success. This type of curriculum permits single parents to simply guide their children instead of tediously preparing daily lessons.

Single parents should be commended on all the hard work that they do taking care of a family on their own. Relying on the help of others and trusting their own God-given strength, single parents can achieve their dreams. Everyone wants the best education possible for their children. A failed marriage or a sudden death, do not change those dreams. In the land of possibilities, home schooling is no longer an option only available to privileged families. Single parent families take on the challenge and make their children’s education a reality.

About the Author

Michedolene Hogan, publisher of UniqueParenting.com is a proud wife and mother who has devoted her time to understanding the strength behind the family and the bonds that grow within it. She is a homeschooling mom of her four younger children and is very passionate about her role as a mother and educator in their lives.

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