Shouldn't Kids Be Exposed to Different Teachers?

by Andrea Hermitt | More from this Blogger

One of the more common questions posed to homeschoolers asks if it is not wise for students to be exposed to numerous teachers over the years. This question is asked because some have the impression that the only person that teaches homeschooler of their questions. Of course homeschooling parents know that they are not the font of all knowledge and supply a wide array to teachers for their children. For this reason, the answer to this question is yes, children should be exposed to different teachers, and most homeschooling kids are.

As I wrote Teachers That Influenced My Homeschooling Journey Part 1 and Part 2, I realized that it would bring this question to the forefront on many people's minds. After all, while I had some bad experiences with teachers, I also had many good experiences as well. Wouldn't my kids be missing out on some of these experiences by homeschooling? The answer to this question is no.

In my case, I actually go to an extreme when it comes to exposing my kids to different teachers. My kids have about 4 different teachers that they see every Monday during the school year. They have and additional 4 different teachers that they see every Thursday during the week. They have music teachers, they have coaches, and they also have the influence of church youth leaders. This of course can be very costly and I would not recommend such a busy schedule for younger children.

When we begun our homeschooling journey, I taught my kids everything except for piano, which I do not know how to play. We also took martial arts classes together. As time passed, and the kids matured, I put them in a once a week program for history and arts exposure which exposed them to different teachers one day a week. This of course led to taking on a second day a week where we are now.

Other homeschoolers expose their kids to other teachers by swapping lessons with other homeschoolers, and to having relatives and neighbors and friends teach their kids subject where they have experience and expertise. Many also enroll their kids in classes in the community, and even in public schools.

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Learn more about Andrea Hermitt

Andrea Hermitt is a native New Yorker currently residing in GA. She has been married for over 16 years and has two teenage children.

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