Why homeschool, when your child can go to a school funded by the government? Homeschool has grown in popularity with families throughout the United States. A study revealed that from 1999-2007, the number of students who homeschooled jumped from 850,000 to 1.5 million. We’ve taken a closer look and compare homeschool and public school to make sure you know it’s right for you and your child.
Reasons Parents Choose to Homeschool
The trend of homeschooling has grown increasingly diverse in recent years. There are more reasons to homeschool than ever.
Religion is one of the most repeated answers amongst parents when making the decision to homeschool their child. Public schools don’t have the option to incorporate religious studies into the classroom. Public school curricula may teach a different set of values and beliefs than what parents believe and want to instill in their child. Homeschool is flexible enough to give parents the option to incorporate Bible studies and prayers throughout the lesson plan.
Concern over a child’s safety is another reason why parents choose to homeschool. Some children are subjected to negative influences such as bullying, drugs, and alcohol. These negative influences can affect a child’s academic performance in the classroom. However, in a homeschool environment parents are able to watch over their child and help them develop without such stress.
In a homeschool setting, parents are able to give a more personalized lesson plan for their child. Public school teachers have a classroom of students with different abilities and levels of learning. The lesson plans won’t be tailored for each individual student. Homeschool allows for the parents to assess their child’s strengths and weaknesses and help build lessons around their needs. This type of teaching provides flexibility to give the child what they need to learn and skip ahead if they grasp the subject.
Homeschooling is a family effort. There is collaboration between siblings and parents to come together and share knowledge and experiences. This level of connectedness goes beyond what can be provided in public schools. The opportunity to reinforce family values and beliefs, while developing a stronger sense of self, is why many families choose homeschool over public school.
These are a few reasons why homeschool parents decided to homeschool their child as opposed to public school.
Myth vs. Fact
- Studies revealed that homeschool students typically score higher than public school students in standardized tests.
- Parents’ level of education did not change the student’s success.
- Homeschool children often socialize better than their public school counterparts.
- They are even more likely to participate in political drives, church ministries, sports teams and community work.
- Homeschool students have a higher rate of graduating college than students who attended public school.
- Homeschooled students graduated with an average GPA of 3.46 while their peers graduated with an average of 3.16.
Studies have been done to show that these traits are most noted in children who have been homeschooled, but it has not been proven that the two correlate. It should also be stated that there have not been studies to disprove that homeschooling will have negative effects on children later in life.
Homeschool has had a stigma for years, but now families have shown that homeschool students may be just as successful, if not more, than their public school peers. The choice is now with you to determine if homeschool is right for you and your family.
Resources
For tips on how to teach science in elementary grades:
- The Core: Teaching Your Child the Foundations of a Classical Education by Leigh Bortins
- The Core Audiobook
For tips on how to teach science in middle school grades:
For tips on how to teach science in the high school grades:
The Conversation by Leigh Bortins
For teacher training in science:
The FREE 3-day parent practicums by Classical Conversations.
For students of all ages:
The Classical Acts and Facts Science Cards
