Hi all, I’m a teacher and startup founder building a platform to support families homeschooling. I’m curious to know for those of you who have considered this approach, but not taken the leap yet, what’s stopping you and what kind of tools would make it a no-brainer/easier for you to adopt.
Ask HN: If you’ve considered homeschooling, what’s stopping you?
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Re: Ask HN: If you’ve considered homeschooling, what’s stopping you?
#2The amount of effort it would take and the quality of that effort, when I already have a full-time job.
Edit: I have 3 kids, and they all learn in quite different ways. I can't really give one presentation to all 3 on something. The pandemic gave me a little glimpse into what home schooling would be like.
Re: Ask HN: If you’ve considered homeschooling, what’s stopping you?
#3I'm curious if there are legal hurdles to doing something between homeschooling and private schooling.
E.g. is it possible for me and a few other neighborhood families hire a private tutor for our kids?
Re: Ask HN: If you’ve considered homeschooling, what’s stopping you?
#4My sister-in-law homeschooled most of her kids. OTOH, she left her full-time job as an elementary school teacher to do that. Right after my kid brother got a new, far-better-paid job, which made that a viable option.
She's still kinda involved with homeschooling. From various comments on what that is like these days (post-1990's), there are a huge number of resources already on the web to support homeschooling.
Re: Ask HN: If you’ve considered homeschooling, what’s stopping you?
#5I'm curious if there are legal hurdles to doing something between homeschooling and private schooling. E.g. is it possible for me and a few other neighborhood families hire a private tutor for our kids?
Check the homeschooling laws in your state; as a homeschooler your can hire whatever tutors you want.
HSLDA.org has the state legal summaries
Re: Ask HN: If you’ve considered homeschooling, what’s stopping you?
#6The amount of effort it would take and the quality of that effort, when I already have a full-time job. Edit: I have 3 kids, and they all learn in quite different ways. I can't really give one presentation to all 3 on something. The pandemic gave me a little glimpse into what home schooling would be like.
So you’re looking for ways to reduce the effort …at not too high a cost I imagine ?
Re: Ask HN: If you’ve considered homeschooling, what’s stopping you?
#7I'm curious if there are legal hurdles to doing something between homeschooling and private schooling. E.g. is it possible for me and a few other neighborhood families hire a private tutor for our kids?
It depends on your state and the ages of the children involved. Sometimes it can get more tricky if kids are younger than five because that triggers DOH laws as well as DOE laws.
Re: Ask HN: If you’ve considered homeschooling, what’s stopping you?
#8My sister-in-law homeschooled most of her kids. OTOH, she left her full-time job as an elementary school teacher to do that. Right after my kid brother got a new, far -better-paid job, which made that a viable option. She's still kinda involved with homeschooling. From various comments on what that is like these days (post-1990's), there are a huge number of resources already on the web to support homeschooling.
Definitely a lot of resources are emerging though I’ve heard many parents have challenges sifting through them all
Re: Ask HN: If you’ve considered homeschooling, what’s stopping you?
#9The amount of effort it would take and the quality of that effort, when I already have a full-time job. Edit: I have 3 kids, and they all learn in quite different ways. I can't really give one presentation to all 3 on something. The pandemic gave me a little glimpse into what home schooling would be like.
So you’re looking for ways to reduce the effort …at not too high a cost I imagine ?
I encourage you to read "The Mom Test". It is a book about how to ask questions such that you do not mislead yourself while doing market research.
Re: Ask HN: If you’ve considered homeschooling, what’s stopping you?
#10I get this is targeted at the US, still I'm throwing this out there:
my wife and I (with combined degrees in literature, molecular biology and computer science) would have seriously considered homeschooling. But we live in Germany, and it is absolutely illegal here.