Why do parents homeschool?
Homeschooling is on the rise within this country. Despite the personal sacrifice and time commitment it requires, many families are looking into this alternative option. In fact, over one million children are currently homeschooled within the United States. The families who choose to educate their children at home do not make the decision lightly and often have many reasons for doing so.
There are many reasons why a person chooses to homeschool their children. A lot of people are fed up with the traditional school system for a variety of reasons. Some of those reasons may be that they have children who hate going to school, they may have children who are struggling academically, and they may also be in search of a more flexible schedule. It is important to realize that there is an abundant reason people may choose to homeschool. It has been found that the motives for homeschooling are numerous, part of which we will be discussing in this article.
Specials Needs
Parents who have children with disabilities often find a lack of appropriate resources for them within schools. Children with certain special needs, such as ADD, ADHD or autism spectrum disorders, respond better with one-on-one education. Other special needs children have severe medical conditions and are either hospital-bound or they cannot attend public schools for health reasons. Homeschooling allows special needs children to receive the care and educational attention they need to thrive.
Flexibility
Public schools have a rigid schedule with strict attendance requirements. Parents who travel extensively or move often due to their careers prefer homeschooling. It allows them to spend more time with their children and be more involved in their education. Other families simply enjoy the flexibility to take educational trips or vacations.
The specifics may vary, but some element of flexibility ranks as the highest reason for homeschooling during the school years. That could mean the family travels, runs a business or participates in competitive sports. Or, perhaps the largest factor of flexibility is the desire to select their own uniquely suited curricula. Whatever the specific case may be, homeschooling allows for more flexibility on every level of life.
Quality Education
Many families that homeschool their children are dissatisfied with the quality and performance of government-run schools. Some parents believe that the required quality education is not being supplied in some schools and that many important skills are left untouched. Parents decide to provide their child with all-rounded education that covers a curriculum that is not covered in public schools.
Values
Many families who homeschool feel that public school systems are not accurately modeling the types of values and beliefs they wish to be instilled in their children. These families wish to integrate their value systems into the education of their children and regulate the experiences that their children are exposed to. Some families see homeschooling as a wonderful chance to shape the morals and beliefs of their children, which is something that is not done in public schools.
Gifted Children
The mainstreamed educational curriculum holds back accelerated students. These talented students are bored in the classroom. Parents choose to homeschool in order to nurture the talents of their children.
It is becoming more common as parents raise concern over large class sizes, a decrease in educational funding, and the declining quality of education. The concern that many parents have over their ability to effectively teach their children has been quenched as homeschooled children continue to score better than the national average on standardized tests.
Training in Life Skills
While similar to flexibility, this reason for homeschooling comes up again and again for families who have more than just academics on their mind. Many homeschoolers realize that the final opportunity they will have is to prepare their children to adapt in a preschool. For this reason, many say that their choice to homeschool during this time goes beyond flexibility and moves into the training of the whole child to prepare the child to live independently in ways that mechanized public school systems just cannot do.
Learning Skills Preparation
The home-schooling years provide a final chance to teach students how to learn, not just what to learn, and this skill is not stressed enough in the schools according to these homeschool families.
Accelerated Learning
The opportunity to accelerate a student’s learning, such that they can complete college courses from home at an earlier age, is another widely cited reason for homeschooling. Not only does this give the student an incredible opportunity to grow in their knowledge beyond the average preschool textbook, but it also allows the family to start the college process at reduced costs. This saves thousands of dollars over the course of the child’s school years. No room and board, beyond what is already being spent, is necessary, and children can gain incredible course opportunities this way, too.
There is no shortage of curricula or resources to homeschool efficiently, and therefore, many more families are extending these programs into the latter years.
