Advantages Of Homeschooling

Advantages of Homeschooling: Why Families Home School

Recent Survey Results by Dept. of Education

85%: Concern about public school environment

72%: Desire to provide religious or moral instruction

68%: Dissatisfaction w/academic instruction in public schools

Advantages Of Homeschooling

• Strengthens family bonds. The time spent together naturally creates close sibling and parent/child ties.
• Spiritual beliefs can lead your child's environment and education.
• Flexibility in how and what they learn, allowing them to learn about the "real world" by being part of it.
• Flexibility in life. "School" is worked in and around family priorities and plans. You do not have to work around homework and school calendars, for instance.
• No homework! (Well, not in the public school sense) This is simple, but perhaps one of the overlooked advantages of homeschooling.
• Individualized, one on one attention and instruction. A child can even receive a superior education because of these principles.
• Homeschooled children are better socialized. They get along better with people of all ages and backgrounds.
• Not a lot of wasted time. A lot of time at public school is spent waiting, for one reason or another. At homeschool, much more can happen in much less time.
• Children learn at their own pace and can advance at any time, not waiting on others or being rushed.
• Minimal peer pressure and negative influences. At a homeschool, children associate with children of different ages and adults as well, so they can decide on their own without the influence of peers.

  There is limited exposure to common, immoral and destructive influences (bullying, focus on consumerism and superficial trends, bad habits, drugs, alcohol, sexual activity, etc).

• Child typically develops characteristics such as independent thinking and self-direction. Instead of pressure to compete with others, focus is more on attaining their personal best and challenging themselves.
• Hands-on learning. Trips to the park, the museum, the zoo. You can spend an afternoon educating your child by going fishing or having a picnic and nature exploration.

  Making positive contributions to the community is also typical of homeschooled students and is a most wonderful service-learning experience.

• Higher test scores. Homeschooled children often out-perform public school peers on standardized tests.

Let's look at more advantages of homeschooling by diffusing some popular misconceptions.

Myths and Reality

Myth: Homeschooled kids work all day at the kitchen table or desk from 9 am to 3 pm. They are alone, isolated, and must not have any friends.

Reality: Homeschool families are often active and enjoy parks, museums, Girl/Boy Scouts, 4-H, and volunteering. They take part in sports and classes such as art, language, theater/drama, music, and dance. They are able to take advantage of attending public places of entertainment and learning without the long lines and crowds of people.

There are usually home school groups in your area that can be a source not only for support, but another valuable opportunity for your child to meet and get to know more people!

Homeschool children make friends outside of public school much the same way that adults make friends outside of their job. It's just a part of life unless you resist it on purpose!

Myth: Homeschool is a social disadvantage for children compared to public school.

Reality: The issue of socialization is often raised as a criticism of home school. When, in fact, that it is one of the main advantages of homeschooling. Such criticism is simply born out of a lack of knowledge on the subject.

Dr. Raymond Moore, author of over 60 books and articles on human development, has done extensive research on homeschooling and socialization.

"The idea that children need to be around many other youngsters in order to be 'socialized,'" Dr. Moore writes, "is perhaps the most dangerous and extravagant myth in education and child rearing today."

After analyzing over 8,000 early childhood studies, Dr. Moore concluded that, contrary to popular belief, children are best socialized by parents -- not other children.

Based on research in July 2000, the Discovery Institute published an extensive report written by Senior Fellow Dr. Patricia Lines on the social skills of homeschoolers vs. non-homeschoolers.

Below are details of several controlled studies.

Character traits of homeschoolers:

• Well adjusted
• Demonstrated fewer behavioral problems.

To further exhibit the reality and advantages of homeschool, many other studies have been conducted that show that home-schooled children:

• Are more self-confident and less peer dependent than public schooled students.
• Are able to relate better to adults, from respect to the ability to have deeper relationships.
• Show more responsibility in relation to younger children/siblings.

"Where did we ever get the idea that 2,000 13-year-olds were the ideal people with which to socialize other 13-year-olds?"

Myth: It will be difficult for homeschooled children to qualify for college.

Reality: Homeschool students often stand out and are viewed by college admissions officers as being self-directed, mature, and motivated learners. They are accepted and recruited by some of the top universities because of their creativity and academic readiness.

Homeschoolers score above average on the ACT. In 2000, they placed highest on the SAT college entrance exams.

Homeschoolers have also had success in college acceptance based on athletics. In 2001, the NCAA declared about 100 homeschooled students eligible for athletics as freshmen at major universities, up from 85 the year before.

Standford, for example, welcomes home schooled students and the proportionate number of accepted applications, in 2000, exceeded the rate of other applications.

Though there are many non-academic advantages of homeschooling, there remains no need to shy away from investigating the academics of properly homeschooled children.

Myth: Homeschooled children will have a hard time in the real world.

Reality: Is public school an accurate picture of the real world? Is the real world about being put in a room and segregated by age and ability? Putting much time and effort into making sure you can pass a certain standardized test?

Yes, there are tests you will need to pass depending on what road you take to your future. But, I believe the focus of education should be more on useful, tailored learning. To make the most of precious time and resources.

In my experience, the world not only allows for creativity, but it NEEDS more people who are bold, self-motivated, self-sacrificing, and creative. People who will take advantage of their freedom to choose the life they want and the method of working their gifts without limits.

The freedom of homeschool allows children, from the beginning, to do what they will continue to do for a lifetime. Grow, learn, and interact with people of all ages.

As with anything, the parent must be a model and provide opportunities, but the proof is in the results.

Homeschooled children typically develop the highly coveted relationship and communication skills that will help them, not only in the real world, but to make the real world better!

We'll conclude this section on the advantages of homeschooling with some facts:

• On average, homeschool students in grades 1-4 perform one grade level higher than their public and private school counterparts.
• By grade 8, the average homeschool student performs four grade levels above the national average.
• The number of families choosing to homeschool grows at an estimated annual rate of 7-15 percent.

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