Today I spoke to my neighbor, who home-schools her 5 year old, about homeschooling. It has come to my attention that a lot of parents in different parts of the world are thinking of homeschooling their children, but they do not fully understand why (and if) it is required in the first place. Here are a few common reasons why some parents decide to home-school their children:
Less Stress
Everyday parents often dedicate hours and hours on homework after their child returns from school; however, re-teaching exactly the same thing their children learned in the morning can be exhausting and frustrating for both the parent and the child. After a long day of work and school, children long to go home to relax and spend time with their family. If family time also means revisions and multiplications, your child will quickly get bored and you will eventually resent the intrusion into what used to be your family time.
No Violence
No parent likes their child to be bullied and that’s another reason why parents opt for home-school. The escalated violence in elementary, middle and high school worries many parents – sometimes other children carry guns and knives in school to show off or scare other children. If school isn’t the issue, it’s probably the environment – if violence and crime have saturated your environment, you will feel the need to react in a way that your child remains safe while you still have time.
Family Values
If your child spends almost 8 hours outside home, you might wonder if he/she understands your family values, traditions and religious beliefs clearly. We all know that children grow and become inspiring people if they have a strong foundation, which is hard to build if they mix with other children in an institutional setting. Not those other children may bring in bad influence, but they will certainly not be able to cultivate your family values. Some parents argue that making their child aware of their values and tradition is best done when they’re young. In this case, homeschooling encourages strong beliefs, resulting in matured adults.
Academic Progress
We all know that every child is different and each develops in her own way and in her own time. School curriculums are designed for specific age groups, ignoring this important notion. What happens then is that one child may pass and the other may fail simply because she didn’t have her time to learn certain skills – resulting in slow academic progress. Children who fall behind in classes will start to either ignore lessons completely or show extreme signs of stress. Homeschooling allows a child to learn in her own way without pressuring her and gives you ample opportunity to spend time with her.
Unmatched Schedules
There are times when parents have to relocate to other countries which force them to transfer their children from one school to the other. Sometimes family work or certain activity schedules don’t match with school schedules – resulting in constant school absence. Single parents or those who frequently travel prefer to home-school their children so that neither their work nor their child’s education is compromised.
When you have no choice…
Sometimes no matter how much you want your children to go to school, you remain with no choice but to home-school them. The reasons could be anything from financial instability to no school availability, health problems or disabilities.
Child Behavior Problems
Sometimes parents face a different issue altogether – child behavior. If you feel that your child has social issues and does not like being in a crowd, sending her to school will only make matters worse. These children are bright, no doubt, but sending them to school may increase their fear and make them shy and numb to anything others say. Often these children are exposed to bullying and swearing, ultimately making them feel that’s the only way to get around.
What you need to keep in mind is that no matter what your reasons are, if they’re best for your family right now, your reasons are valid no matter what people tell you. Homeschooling is all about meeting your child’s needs the way your child wants and if no school is able to give you that, and you’re willing to give it a try, you might actually enjoy homeschooling your already smiling child!
Photo Credit: istiyanto.com
