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The United States homeschooling community is thriving: The National Center for Education Statistics reports their numbers have at least doubled since 1999. These families cite many reasons for opting out of classrooms, but as Dustin Woodard, maker of the documentary film “Class Dismissed,” told WIRED, the Internet helped drive the trend.
The presence of online homeschool courses makes learning more accessible and engaging for learners, giving them more control over what, how, and when they learn. Woodward said that putting children in touch with a world of information online is “incredibly empowering,” but few schools capitalize on it. The home education market is.
Online homeschooling resources and curricula are booming, as are online learning programs such as those offered by the High School of America. Even some public schools now provide online homeschool choices. These courses can be used supplementary or exclusively in the home learning environment. Either way, they are diverse; many cater to particular learning styles and education philosophies. For families new to homeschooling, finding the correct online homeschool course needs little experimentation and a whole lot of research.
Common Homeschooling Communities
Homeschool families come from many various communities, cultures, and belief systems, some of which affect their educational options. The following are just some of the groups that encompass this much larger homeschooling community.
Families with logistical problems
Geography, travel and other lifestyle commitments make it hard for some learners to report to school or observe a conventional schedule, including rural or military families. The same is true for young artists or athletes with wide-ranging training and travel demands. Homeschooling makes education accessible to kids facing these kinds of logistical challenges. Some states with large rural populations even offer public online homeschool courses.
Children with special requirements
Learners with specific learning, mental, behavioral, and physical challenges may not thrive in traditional special education programs. Some medical conditions require special monitoring, equipment, and therapies that make attending school challenging, if not dangerous. Online homeschooling courses enable parents to maximize personalized instruction and support, including adaptive technologies, while tending to other needs.
Gifted & exceptional students
Despite their talents, many gifted kids fall behind in school — even when filtered into talented programs. Some of these students require more freedom; others are just bored. Self-paced programs and online homeschooling resources for exceptional students offer these families an alternative
Advocates of alternative learning methods
Desks and rote memorization do not work best for all learners. Online homeschool courses can be customized to meet the requirements of hands-on, kinesthetic, visual-spatial, and other such learning styles. Online homeschooling resources are increasingly popular among parents not drawn to traditional learning methods. There are also more classical, but advanced programs ideal for parents searching for a more challenging academic education.
Cultural & Religious Groups
Faith is no longer the number one reason most families opt to homeschool, but it remains a prevalent one-at both ends of the belief spectrum. Just as Christian parents may want to offer their children more biblical education, secular parents can pursue learning courses that emphasize their beliefs and values. Some online homeschool courses offer direct religious instruction, but others make sure that there is content in areas such as science or history that reflect families’ worldviews.
Significant Homeschooling Success Factors
Many families see homeschooling as a path to rich, individualized educational experiences that resonate with learners’ learning styles and requirements. This takes work. Here are a few ways parents can assist.
Parental involvement
Online homeschooling resources and child-directed learning can sometimes move parents from the role of educators to an observer, but that does not mean they can check out. Having parents on hand to answer questions, monitor progress, and participate helps children feel more confident and supported in their academics. It also allows parents the opportunity to recognize and respond to challenges.
Flexibility
Illness, unexpected guests, family emergencies, siblings, and even the weather can interfere with planned training and activities. Substitute homeschooling educators are also in short supply. Parents must allow for these interruptions and have a plan for responding to them.
Patience and grit
Even experienced homeschooling families go through rough patches. Sometimes this is a sign that a program or project is not working, but developmental spurts, stress, and other issues also make learning hard. Everybody has rough days. Learners benefit when homeschooling parents remain calm and supportive under pressure.
A plan B
Not all curricula and teaching methods work for every learner, and even those that do may become less effective as kids grow and develop. Homeschooling parents must be engaged enough to detect problems and make the changes necessary to overcome them, even if it means scrapping months of lesson plans and moving on to another program.
Community
Local and online homeschool courses and communities can help parents and their students feel motivated, supported, and inspired.
