Choosing to homeschool is a big decision, but it has so many positive effects that it’s well worth the time and effort. If you are just beginning your homeschool journey or considering it for the first time, you probably have many questions about why people choose to homeschool. While there’s no single umbrella answer that covers every family, I can explain why most families choose to homeschool, and it may not be what you expect. I’ll also walk you through a list of other reasons why some families opt to teach their children at home. Primarily it’s out of concern for their children’s wellbeing in various ways. If your kids are at risk or having a tough time in school, I urge you to consider homeschooling. You won’t regret it because, even when it’s difficult, the results speak for themselves.
Why do most people homeschool? Most people homeschool because it’s good for their children both in terms of education quality and health. Keeping our children safe from COVID, bullies, and other issues that arise at public schools is paramount in most people’s minds these days. Moreover, a standard classroom is designed to give the average student a passable education with basic knowledge. Still, most kids are capable of far more if you allow them to learn.
Choose Homeschooling For Health
One of the top reasons people opt for homeschool today is because of health and safety. With the COVID pandemic raging worldwide, having your kids stay home just makes more sense than putting them and everyone they come in contact with at risk. However, that’s not the only health reason to keep your kids at home.
Families with children who have health problems have long turned to homeschool for a better option. Kids with weakened immune systems or even disabilities can thrive in a tailored learning environment where they’d struggle at a regular school. Even those who become temporarily ill or have broken bones might use homeschool to avoid falling behind. School systems have such limited resources that minimal adaptations like ramps or special education classes are the most you might expect.
At home, a child can learn at their own pace and at times that are convenient for them and their families. Moreover, by removing the limitations and labels imposed on them, your children don’t have to place themselves within a box that restricts them unnecessarily. Plus, it’s much simpler to give medication or other treatments at home.
A teacher has perhaps thirty children to look after. Meanwhile, a school nurse may need to worry about more than a thousand kids. At home, your child has one or more parents and guardians to see to their needs, and that means their health concerns are noticed immediately and cared for more completely. Furthermore, they won’t bring home every cold, flu, and case of lice in the wintertime because they aren’t subject to those germs.
Eat Right, Sleep Well
Sleep is also a major concern for many public school parents. Children who live far from their local school might need to get up before sunrise to eat and dress for a bus. Likewise, they may not arrive home until it’s dark out, leaving little time for dinner, homework, and any down-time for enjoyment at home. Homeschooled children can easily get proper sleep and adapt their schedules to their needs and those of the family, allowing more free time to play or pursue their own interests and less sleep deprivation.
It may surprise you to learn that improper sleep can affect every aspect of our lives. Sleep is crucial to normal human functioning, from mood swings to lower immune responses and even lower grades. Why subject a child to that if you don’t need to do so?
Home learners also eat healthier. Instead of a boxed or hot lunch with little variation, they can sit at the table and share a home-cooked meal with their parents three times a day. Promoting lifelong healthy relationships with food is not a primary school subject, but everyone loves pizza day in the cafeteria. A little pizza doesn’t hurt, but the idea that it’s the ‘best’ meal you can get at school is just sad.
Homeschool for Mental Health
Physical health is vital, but mental health matters a great deal as well. Public schools mean your child has to face or witness things you may not want to normalize in their lives. From other kids disrupting class, early swearing, and unintended adult content sharing, or bullying, there are so many things your home learner doesn’t need to be exposed to. Letting them believe that this is a normal way to behave is a choice.
Not all mental health problems come from other children. If your children have behavior issues, then homeschool is a superb way to get a handle on that. By spending time targeted toward loving supportive behavior correction, you can nip those problems in the bud before they get out of hand.
Additionally, some children have mental health conditions caused by their unique brain chemistry. A nurturing home-care based environment can make these neurological conditions easier to manage. Best of all, you won’t have to stress over who might bully your children or make their psychological conditions worse.
For example, a child with Tourettes syndrome is more likely to get the care and respect they deserve at home. In a traditional class, their tics would disrupt other students’ learning and could lead to teasing and other unpleasant responses. However, they are simply themselves at home, and the family can more easily work around the associated quirks. This leads to an enriched life, with much less additional stress, giving the child more confidence, enjoyment, and opportunity.
Choose Homeschooling for Educational Quality
While many families choose to homeschool for health, just as many are going this route for educational reasons. Sadly, school systems have limited goals, materials, time, and standards. Resultantly, parents may not trust them to give their children the best education, and rightly so.
Unnecessary homework and minimal coverage of subjects are just two of the flaws in the public school system. Students who are slower learners or advanced aren’t well suited to a traditional classroom. Moreover, tailoring your child’s’ learning to help with their deficits and allow their talents to shine isn’t something a teacher at public school can handle. Homeschool students can easily pursue more information on any subject and have far fewer concerns about running out of time on a subject. Plus, as a result of the home schedule, they learn to self-pace and better manage their time.
Rather than forcing your child into the public school mold, you can take a more open-minded approach. Similarly, some families use homeschool to make sure their children learn about religion, which is certainly not allowed in public schools. The desire to choose their own curriculum is normal and helps children get more out of their education.
Parents of homeschooled children are also more able to recognize and work with their kids learning styles. Once you understand how your kids learn, it’s much easier to give them lessons and assignments that they will enjoy and remember, rather than whatever the teacher planned for twenty or more young people that day. By working with your child’s skills, you can offer them high-quality information they will recall and use later in life.
Homeschool Helps Families
Simply going to and from a public school takes time out of your child’s day. Families may choose to homeschool because it’s the best option for the whole family. For example, nomadic parents, frequently relocating for work, or the military has an easier time homeschooling than filing paperwork multiple times a year and playing catch up with each new class. This offers stability and consistent education. Likewise, families are free to travel and vacation as they please with home learners.
The ability to come together, learning and growing as a family is often overlooked and never valued highly enough. From homework-free nights to science projects in the kitchen, family bonding is vital to character development and much easier to do when you learn at home. Furthermore, creating a learning positive environment helps children gain confidence and shouldn’t be limited by what public school offers.
Whatever the reason you choose homeschooling, in the end, all the reasons are the same. We homeschool out of love for our children and a desire to do right by them by offering a high-quality education full of support and opportunity.
Final Thoughts
Homeschool is a wonderful choice for your children. Whether you choose to homeschool for health, quality of education, or more family bonding, your kids will thank you for it. By removing many of the dangers and pressures of public school, you will see your children learn and grow so much more quickly.
The pandemic has driven homeschooling into the public eye more than ever before. While health risks alone are more than enough reason to homeschool, the benefits go far beyond avoiding illness. Involved parents can provide their children with targeted education and assistance when needed to avoid having them miss out on vital information.
Homeschooling isn’t the easiest path, but it’s one of the most highly effective learning systems available. Plus, it has become so easy and efficient to learn at home that anyone can do it.