How Homeschooling is Superior:
Hear me out.
There are plenty of emotions around the way we choose to “school” our children.
There are plenty of teachers out there with preconceived notions about homeschoolers who think it is wrong or take offense to parents teaching their children at home.
That said, I fully acknowledge that not every home life is the same.
Not every parent is the same. Not every child is the same.
Therefore, homeschooling ALWAYS looks different from other homeschooling. This is one constant and true statement. It is important to recognize this truth because one shouldn’t judge all homeschoolers based on one particular homeschool family. In other words, homeschool is NOT standardized.
Disclaimer: There are some children out there who will likely learn more “book learning” in the traditional school setting than what they would in their home. I recognize that is true.
But, really, for any parent who is taking the time to read this article, the opposite is true. Homeschooling can be SUPERIOR to other schooling for YOUR child.
How is homeschooling superior?
The child is safer.
-Safer from bullying
-Safer from teacher abuse
-Safer from intruders
-Safer from peer pressure into unhealthy habits
-Safer from indoctrination from an adult other than a parent who may hold opposing religious and political views.
Teachers often are taught about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. If a child does not feel loved and cared for, safe, warm, and fed, then learning is harder. Therefore, home is the best place!
So many stories are told of children from abusive homes, that teachers are convinced that school is the best place for ALL students. That’s just not true—now more than ever.
The parent CHOOSES the curriculum that works best.
Despite what you may have heard, teachers hardly ever get to choose their own curriculum. When I was a teacher, I was asked sometimes for input on curriculum when the school was up for a new adoption of textbooks. The teacher input was never taken into consideration. I stopped giving my input. It was a waste of time.
Teachers are often frustrated with a particular curriculum they HAVE to use. Sometimes, if they can get away with it, they’ll even spend their own money to supplement the curriculum with additional materials. Just ask a teacher privately. They will confirm this is true.
Homeschoolers have more choices than they have EVER had before. In fact, it can truly be overwhelming to choose a curriculum. For that reason, many homeschool parents will ask for recommendations that are word of mouth and look at youtube reviews of various curricula before deciding. I always advice them to choose and move on. There is no such thing as a perfect curriculum, so you can supplement as you wish.
However, the BEST thing about homeschooling is that if you do NOT like the way the material is taught in a given curriculum, you have the freedom to STOP THE TORTURE and move on to something else.
A modern homeschool parent might choose an online tutor for a specific subject or an online program for another. A. modern homeschool parent might also choose to enroll the child in a small group class in a co-op or tutorial. If you’d like to know more about these terms, check out my SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR THE NEW HOMESCHOOL FAMILY.
The education is customized for the child.
That means that it is truly DIFFERENTIATED INSTRUCTION. I’m not sure if that’s a “thing” anymore in education, but when I was in my early days of teaching, that terminology was thrown around EVERYWHERE. It was the BUZZ WORD of the day.
When you have your own children at home (even if you’ve got 7 children), the children will get more one-on-one time with you than what they would get with a teacher in a classroom full of students.
Not to mention, you do have some background knowledge the teacher does not have about the child.
-If the child works best in the morning, you can wake up early.
-If the family did a late night activity the night before, you can sleep in.
-If there is travel involved, you can shift the schedule.
-If your child learns hands-on methods better, you can certainly incorporate that.
-If one subject needs more attention, you can devote more time to that for a season until the child is more proficient in that skill.
-If you recognize particular strengths your child has, you can explore those further and earlier to help prepare your child for a career one day.
You choose the socialization experiences for your child.
Homeschooling affords opportunities for your child to interact with people of all ages—not just peers who are within 6 months of your child’s age. Your child is with you on errands (I know, not always easy….but ALWAYS a learning experience for the child) and so he/she will see how to interact with adults at places of work.
Your homeschooler will have opportunities to be a leader. There will be times in homeschool group meet-ups where your child is one of the oldest. That is an opportunity for even a shy or quiet child to shine as a leader.
Your homeschooler will reflect the attitudes of who they are around. If your homeschool life includes other families who choose to delay cell phones or choose to not partake in the pop culture of the day, then your child won’t be obsessed with those either.
There will be plenty of opportunities for conflict resolution and patience building if your child has siblings. They aren’t all the same personality, so they will still have those chances to learn to get along and exercise self-control.
When I was growing up, the teachers used to say to the talkative class, “We’re not here to socialize.” Did anyone else have a teacher who said that?
Besides, is the socialization at traditional school THAT great nowadays?
The parents don’t miss out.
You get to learn alongside your child. You’re amazed at how many things you weren’t taught in school. You get to show your child how to learn new things and be the example.
You get to be there for parties (likely because you are the one arranging them).
You get to take photos and videos for memory books.
When you see something as you are out as a family, you can relate it to what you learned about earlier that day, that week or month. You will KNOW what your child has been learning and what has been going on.
Homeschooling is a sacrifice. There are some trade-offs. You are with your child more. The children are at home more (but don’t have to be at home the entire day) and so it can be difficult to keep a clean house for that obvious reason. If you work a job, then there is a scheduling balance that will need to be worked out. Just remember, that you might not do things exactly like your homeschool friend who is not employed. You may have some funds from your job that can pay for some homeschool conveniences that will make your experience smoother. She, on the other hand, may have more time for field trips, crafting, and other time-consuming activities. Still, homeschooling is superior as it gives the parents more control to give their children what they need.
Remember, You are your child’s most influential teacher.
How do you you agree or disagree? Comment below! I plan to do a follow-up post addressing concerns and questions commonly asked.