Each state Department of Education has its own rules about home school education. The documentation required could be viewed as a negative aspect of home schooling. In Virginia, for example, a parent must file a Notice of Intent (NOI) yearly with the Virginia Department of Education and a description of the curriculum he plans to use. A parent must prove he is able to teach by proving he is a high school graduate or a certified teacher, by providing the curriculum of study he plans to use, or by showing other evidence that he can give the child an adequate education. In Virginia, parents may also claim a religious exemption in order to home-school by submitting documentation to the local school board. Families must also follow state laws regarding attendance and vaccinations.
Parents who decide to home-school must find the right course of study for their children. There are many choices, both secular and religious. This can be a time-consuming process. Parents may wish to contact home-school associations in their state, attend conferences, and research different curriculum options before deciding.
On an individual level, parents must decide that they have a full-time commitment to teaching their children. According to Homeschool-Curriculum.org, one of the biggest challenges is to have constant contact with one’s own children without a day off. Many home-schooling families form neighborhood cooperatives in which each parent takes charge of a particular subject or activity. Online courses and curriculums can also assist in the learning process. Home schooling allows a flexible schedule, but a daily routine of teaching and learning should still be followed.
Not being trained as an educator could potentially be a problem. Some might question a parent’s ability to teach and assess student achievement. However, as Patricia Lines writes in “Homeschooling” for the ERIC Clearinghouse on Educational Management, student achievement for home-schoolers is not necessarily related to the parent’s educational level.
One possible negative aspect about home schooling is the effort required by parents to involve their children in community or church activities. Many home-schooled children participate in community sports, the Scouts, field trips, and church or volunteer activities. They are more likely to come in contact with people of varying ages, rather than a classroom of same-age peers. Lines found that there is no research to show that socializing with a variety of age groups had a negative impact on home-schooled children.