What Is a Homeschool Teacher and How to Become One

As a homeschool teacher, you teach students in a variety of different settings. Despite the name, not all homeschooling occurs at home. Parents occasionally bring children to a class for a specialized topic, such as art or woodworking. Depending on the demographics in your area, you may be asked to educate students at the elementary school, middle school, or high school levels. Homeschool teachers usually teach in-person, but recent developments in technology mean that some tutor students online instead. Regardless of how you interact with students, all homeschool teachers must take the parent's wishes into account, and this can vary between households. For example, parents may ask you to emphasize their ethnic heritage over general history or focus on hands-on work instead of educational lectures.

The primary qualifications for a career as a homeschool teacher are a valid state teaching license and demonstrable expertise in the subjects you plan to teach. Homeschool teachers must frequently pass a criminal background investigation and demonstrate the ability to engage the interest of school-age children. From there, the details often vary by position. Some homeschool teachers address every subject, while others focus on specific areas of study. Fulfilling your duties and responsibilities in this position requires excellent communication skills, the ability to develop individualized lesson plans, a method of evaluating progress, and the ability to adapt teaching techniques.

Public school teachers, by necessity, follow strict lesson plans. When you only have 50 minutes a day with a class of 25 students, it's almost impossible to provide more than a minute or two of personalized attention. Instead, public schooling emphasizes mass education and a one-size-fits-all approach because it's the most effective technique. Homeschool teachers rarely work with more than one or two students at a time and don't have to follow a classroom schedule, which makes it easier to adjust lesson plans and provide personal attention to a student's unique needs. Occasionally, homeschool teachers work with students who have unique or individual needs. This isn't limited to disabilities, as some homeschool teachers tutor geniuses and other students whose needs are too advanced for public schools.