Ten Things I HATE About Homeschooling
We promote homeschooling a lot on this blog, but the truth is homeschooling is not all sunshine and rainbows. To be honest, there’s some real downsides to it. If you are thinking of getting into homeschooling, you really ought to be cognizant of its negative aspects so you can make an informed decision. In this article, I present ten things I actually hate about homeschooling.
The Commute
One of the most annoying things about homeschooling is the long commute. That brutal, ten-second walk down the hallway to the “classroom” (i.e., the kitchen table) is downright exhausting. Homeschooling families miss out on the character-building opportunity to grow in patience by sitting in morning traffic and navigating the school dropoff line.
The Oppressive Dress Code
Pajamas all day? Where’s the fun in that? Homeschoolers’ lax dress codes deprive them of the joys of excessively worrying about their appearance in front of their peers and fitting into the right social clique. Why would anybody want to miss out on that?
The Food
The home-cooked meals that homeschoolers eat every day are so boringly predictable. Give me the soggy green beans and bizarre-tasting pizza of the school cafeteria any day. Homeschoolers don’t even get to deal with ornery lunch ladies! They are truly deprived.
Personalized Learning
You know what stinks? Having lessons tailored specifically to my child’s needs and interests. How incredibly tedious! Everyone knows a one-size-fits-all approach is the best way to learn. Homeschoolers need to get with the program and learn how to fit square pegs into round holes.
Flexible Schedule
Can you take a spontaneous field trip to the zoo on a Tuesday? Disaster! The freedom to drop your books on a tough day and head out to the park for the afternoon? Pathetic. Where’s the routinization? Homeschoolers suffer from the lack of rigid structure, bells, and repetitive schedules.
Lack of Social Drama
One of the biggest things I hate about homeschooling is the lack of healthy socialization. There’s no school hall gossip or popularity contests. No cliques and petty adolescent rivalries. No bullying and drama about who’s dating or who said what about so-and-so. Homeschool kids are missing out on these vital life lessons in pettiness and exclusion.
Too Much Family Time
Spending all day, every day, with my children is suffocating. Who wants to be around their loved ones all the time? When you homeschool, you don’t get to reap the benefits of sending your kids away to taxpayer-funded daycare for seven hours each day.
Hands-On Learning
Actually, learning content from hands-on experience is messy and inconvenient. Why would you want to help with calving a cow on the family farm when that kid could just read about it in a book? Why should he help Dad work on the car in the garage when he could be sitting at a desk for half the day?
Constant Questioning
Since I started homeschooling, my kids ask way too many questions. It’s almost like… they’re actually curious and engaged in learning! This gets annoying really quickly. I wish they’d return to being docile and unenthused about their education.
Sleeping In
As a homeschooling parent, you don’t need to drag yourself out of bed at 6:10 AM to rouse your kids, make lunches, and shove them out the door half-awake. Homeschoolers typically sleep in much later than their public school counterparts. How will these kids ever learn the value of sleep deprivation?
In Closing
So there you have it—ten terrible things about homeschooling. No school buses, no cafeteria food, no drama-filled hallways, and worst of all… meaningful time with your kids, a flexible schedule, and an education that actually fits your child. If that all sounds like a nightmare, maybe homeschooling isn’t for you. But if you can handle the horrors of pajama-clad mornings, spontaneous field trips, and kids who like learning, well… welcome to the dark side. We have snacks.
So, what do you hate about homeschooling? To continue the conversation and share your experiences, join us at the Homeschool Connections Facebook Group. I would love to hear from you!
