Why More Parents Are Homeschooling Their Children These Days
By Anita Ginsburg
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and political tensions, more parents are homeschooling their kids than ever. There are also several advantages to homeschooling education, which many families are eager to take advantage of. Here are some of the leading reasons why parents choose to homeschool their children.
Curriculum Control
Current education trends have created controversies among school districts and parents about what kids are learning in the classroom. Parents are often unable to have their children avoid classes that teach values that differ from those of their parents.
Many parents would rather cultivate their children’s faith and spirituality at home while also making sure their kids grow academically and relationally. Thankfully, there are plenty of homeschool curriculum resources parents can tap into to support their children’s independent education.
Sometimes, parents object to the way a challenging subject like math is taught, and they may want their kids to learn it differently. Discipline is another area of concern for some families. These are some of the reasons why families prefer children to learn at home under parental supervision.
Children’s Aptitudes and Attitudes
Students learn in different ways. Some prefer visual instruction while others are auditory learners. Although numerous learning styles are used at school, children may not be taught in a style that works with their learning preferences and needs.
A homeschool program can assess individual student learning and adopt a curriculum to meet that child’s needs. This approach helps to increase a child learner’s chance of successfully mastering required state education objectives.
Schedule Coordination
Most public schools and private schools offer classes between roughly eight a.m. and three p.m. five days per week. However, some kids are not at their peak learning ability during those hours and school bus transportation (and safety) can be an issue for some parents.
Their biorhythms are set to a different schedule for optimum learning, for example, between noon and five p.m. A homeschooling program can be organized to provide instruction during specific timeframes. Parents’ schedules can also be considered in terms of being available to instruct, guide, or monitor the learning process.
Supplemental Teaching Resources
Although public and private schools usually offer extracurricular learning opportunities via field trips and special community events, a homeschool program can include supplemental support.
Tutoring, local museum visits with parental guides, and experiential learning options make education more individualized and customized to meet students’ specific needs. Job shadowing, student-to-student mentoring, and interactions with other homeschooling students and instructors provide a well-rounded educational experience. Parents who are involved as instructors typically provide extra guidance as needed to ensure their children’s learning needs are met. Online learning commons offer free or low-cost resources for teaching at home as well.
Homeschooling is gaining traction as a viable and popular alternative to public education. Interested parents can contact the local school board or state department of education for information about at-home learning expectations and required outcomes.
About the Author
Bio: Anita is a freelance writer from Denver, CO. She studied at Colorado State University, and now writes articles about health, business, family and finance. A mother of two, she enjoys traveling with her family whenever she isn’t writing. You can follow her on Twitter @anitaginsburg.
*Photos courtesy of Anita Ginsburg
