Homeschooling after the Pandemic: How It Grew and Why It Continues to Grow
The pandemic has left many families without a choice but to homeschool their children. Because of this, there are more parents who’ve chosen this option than ever before.
20 Reasons why Families Homeschool
In our modern world, more families are choosing homeschooling as a way to educate their children. Homeschooling is not only about the convenience of teaching your own child at home but also an effective and productive way of learning. This can be attributed to many factors such as:
1. Academic Excellence
Homeschoolers routinely outscore students from every other type of school on standardized academic tests. Homeschoolers score, on average, at the 84th to 89th percentile.
2. Individualized Instruction
Unlike a classroom instructor who must move through a preplanned curriculum with twenty or more students, a homeschool instructor can move as fast or as slow as he needs to go in teaching his student.
3. Increased Safety
This may be the most important reason why parents choose to homeschool. To put it bluntly, children suffer in public schools. Whether at the hands of other students or teachers, public school can be dangerous for children. By far, homeschooling is the safest option for learners.
4. More Family Time
Homeschooling has increased the amount of time that parents spend with their children. Instead of school, sports, and other activities eating up our weekends, Parents and their kids are able to go on hikes, play games together, go on vacations–just spend more time together as a family as they stay on track on the set curriculum.
5. Socialization
There’s plenty of proof that public schools don’t teach children how to get along with others. In fact, it appears public schools tend to breed bullies and social misfits. Homeschooling, on the other hand, provides a chance for children to socialize with kids their own age on online and offline homeschooling platforms.
6. Dissatisfaction With the Public School System
One of the main reasons that homeschooling is growing at such a tremendous rate is because parents are becoming dissatisfied with public schools. In fact, recent polls show that many people feel American schools need to be completely reformed.
7. Quality Instruction
Homeschool tutors have a variety of educational backgrounds and classroom experiences from which to draw. Many have master’s degrees, advanced college degrees, and some even have doctorates in a variety of subjects. In addition to the required education needed to obtain teacher certification, homeschool instructors often have decades of experience in the classroom.
8. Better Grades
Homeschoolers typically excel academically because they can get one-on-one attention from their teachers and parents. They can avoid the distraction of other children who are not learning, and they do not have to wait their turn to ask questions about the lesson.
9. Increased Independence
Unlike public schools, homeschooling teaches learners to be independent from an early age. Homeschool students tend to be more responsible, self-directed and mature than their public school peers.
10. Learning About the World
Homeschoolers have a greater chance to learn about the world outside of America’s borders. They are able to travel more frequently with their families, experiencing other cultures, people, and governments’ first-hand. Homeschooled children are exposed to a wider variety of materials, resources, and contacts than traditional students.
11. Flexibility
One of the biggest benefits of homeschooling is flexibility. Learners and their parents are not bound by time, location and learning approach. Since students can access their course material online from any part of the world, they can travel comfortably or carry on with their everyday jobs. Homeschooling is especially good for adult learners and travelling families.
12. Bullying
Homeschoolers are bullied less than their peers in public school. Those who do not fit in with the popular cliques typically get picked on or tormented by their classmates, forcing them to either change who they are or drop out of school. Homeschool parents can provide a safe environment for children, while still encouraging individuality and letting children develop at their own pace.
13. One-On-One Time
Homeschooling parents get to spend a great deal of special one-on-one time with their children. They can provide a loving and nurturing environment for them, while still allowing them a lot of independence in learning and expressing themselves.
14. Fostering Creativity
The traditional public school classroom environment can be inherently limiting to some students. Homeschooling allows each child to learn according to their unique needs and interests, fostering more creativity among children.
15. Support of Special Needs
Some students thrive in a traditional classroom setting, while others struggle. Homeschooling allows special needs children to focus on their strengths and weaknesses, rather than the inadequacies of their classmates.
16. Improved Family Relationships
Homeschooling families tend to spend more time together than traditional families do. Parents are able to take more interest in their children, while children are more involved in family activities.
17. Improved Socialization
Homeschooled children often have a better social network than their traditionally schooled peers, who rely on parents and teachers to introduce them to other kids. Homeschoolers typically have a wider variety of interests and hobbies, allowing them to meet other children with similar interests more easily.
18. Military Service
Homeschooled children are often better prepared to enter military service, allowing them to get ahead in their careers more easily. Homeschoolers typically have more self-discipline and initiative, which make them better candidates for the armed services.
19. Opportunities to Travel
Homeschoolers are able to travel more frequently than their traditionally schooled peers, which is especially helpful in terms of pursuing college and careers. Trips abroad allow them to see more of the world, while internships give them hands-on experience in various fields that they may not ordinarily learn about at home.
20. Better College Prep
Homeschooled students typically do better on college entrance exams than their traditionally schooled peers. They are more likely to be accepted into top-ranked universities, giving them a head start on their career paths.
Reasons for the Continued Growth of Homeschooling
1. Parents are Focusing More on the Individual Needs of their Children
Parents are allowing their children to be more independent. A homeschooling parent can tailor certain courses, activities, and lessons to fit the individual needs of their child. Parents are taking a step back from being overbearing with their kids so that kids can learn how to use critical thinking. Critical thinking is an important skill that needs to be used in everyday life, and this skill cannot be taught if parents are doing all of the learning for them.
2. There are More Homeschooling Parents Now than Ever Before
With the pandemic, homeschooling has become more popular than ever before because more parents see it as a viable option. In the past, to homeschool a child you had to have a college degree and know how to teach. Now, with the rise of peer-to-peer learning communities as well as online courses being offered by experts, more people can offer their knowledge and insight for a price. This is not only great for kids but also for parents who don’t have the time or money to homeschool their children. Homeschooling is essentially running your own school, which requires more teachers than just a parent (depending on how many kids you are trying to teach).
3. Homeschooling Students are Doing Better Academically Than Their Peers
There’s no denying that homeschooled students do better academically than their peers. Why? There are many reasons for this, but one of the biggest reasons is that students are being taught by teacher(s) who have more specific knowledge about the subject matter at hand because they are teachers with a deep understanding of what they’re teaching.
This means that homeschooling parents know exactly what to teach their kids because they are the ones doing the teaching. It also means that there are more mentors for kids, which means that each student is getting more help on their work compared to public school where students often don’t know who to go to when they need help.
There’s nothing worse than not understanding a subject matter and feeling like you’re all alone with no one to help you. Homeschooling is not only better for the individual but also for the community when it comes to helping children succeed in life.
4. Homeschooling Can Lead to a Better Education All-Around
Obviously, homeschooled students do better academically compared to their peers because they are being taught by people who have a deep understanding of the subject matter. However, there is more to homeschooling than just that because parents can give their kids a better all-around education.
For example, instead of having your child sit through hours and hours of history lessons (which can get boring for students and teachers), why not take them on field trips to historical landmarks? Not only is it more interesting for students but they’re learning about history at the same time.
5. Homeschooling Parents Have a Better Overall Understanding of What’s going on in Their Children’s Lives
Another reason for the continued growth of homeschooling is that it allows parents to have a better overall understanding of what’s going on in their kids’ lives. This is because if their kids are not in school, they are with their parents all day long. Homeschooled children have the opportunity to have more one-on-one time with their parents compared to public school students who are separated from their parents during the day. Parents can learn what really interests their kids and help them explore that interest because it is something that can be used to motivate students to do better in their classes.
6. Homeschooling is Being Offered at More Locations than Ever Before
As time goes on, the availability of homeschooling is rising at a rapid pace because more people are catching on to its benefits. You can now find online courses like High School of America’s which provide students with everything they need to graduate high school. You can also find peer-to-peer learning communities which helps connect parents who are willing to learn, teach and help one another out. Homeschooling is better than ever before because more people are seeing the potential that it offers every child who wishes to go through this type of learning.
7. Homeschooling Promotes Creativity and Problem Solving Skills
More and more homeschoolers are finding ways to teach their students in a fun, hands-on way that also challenges the mind. Using these teaching methods, many parents have found that their children exhibit creativity as well as problem-solving skills at a higher level than those who are educated in the public school system.
These problem-solving skills can be used to help students excel at their future jobs because they’re able to come up with fresh ideas that no one else has ever thought of before.
8. Homeschooling Provides a Safer Learning Environment
Homeschooled children are safer than ever before. They’re not being exposed to the harsh, violent environments found at other schools because they’re not under the supervision of complete strangers. This can be very important for parents who wish that their kids could have an education but don’t feel comfortable placing them in the wrong hands by putting them into public schools where they could be in danger.
9. Homeschooling is Changing Lives for the Better
Homeschooling isn’t going anywhere because more and more people are seeing that it has a lot to offer in terms of education, socialization, and community interaction. More parents are including their kids in this type of learning which means they’re getting a better education all around.
They can be more involved in their child’s academic life because they are there with them throughout the day. And parents are also seeing that homeschooling is giving their children a better all-around education which means success all around.
Homeschooling is Beneficial for Today’s Children, So Where Can You Start?
Homeschooling often seems like a daunting task because there’s so much to learn, especially when it comes to homeschooling younger children.
The best thing you can do is connect with other parents who are already involved in this kind of learning and find out everything you can from them. There are also countless online forums where you can get information about the subject matter, ways to get started, and educational resources. Use these tools to find out everything you need to know about homeschooling your kids!
How can You Get Started with Homeschooling?
Homeschooling laws vary from state to state, so before you begin homeschooling your children, it’s a good idea to check with the law in your area and make sure that it falls within those requirements.
For example, most states require that homeschooling parents provide an education to their kids which is equal in terms of textbooks and hours spent each day. Other laws may require a portfolio review or a vetting process for the homeschooling parent.
You can also get started by checking out online courses, reading books about homeschooling, and finding support from other parents in your area.
With our program, you can enroll at anytime throughout the year. After enrolling, you can begin your online studies within 24 hours while recieiving the best academic support online.
What age is best to start homeschooling?
One of the most common times to homeschool your children is during elementary school. However, you can begin homeschooling them any time you want!
Simply enroll them in an online course or read one of the books about teaching kids at home. There are tons of resources available to help you get started so take a look around and find what’s right for you and your children.