I have been in the world of science education for over two decades, but it wasn’t until I became a mother that I started thinking that homeschooling is best.
Homeschooling is one of the best methods of educating children because it allows for a safe, personalized and flexible learning experience. Schooling at home offers a wide range of benefits, such as the ability to tailor the curriculum to suit the individual needs and interests of students, control of the educational environment, and freedom to include meaningful context to learning.
So if you have been on the fence about homeschooling or want to know why I believe home is best, this blog post is for you.
Although this article advocates for homeschooling, I recognize and acknowledge that sometimes our circumstances prevent us from homeschooling.
Benefits of Homeschooling
1. Customizable Curriculum
Customizing curriculum means tailoring educational content to fit the unique needs and abilities of individual learners. It involves adjusting the scope and sequence of learning objectives, selecting appropriate learning materials, designing activities and assessments that align with student interests and learning styles, and modifying instructional strategies as needed. The goal of customizing curriculum is to optimize the learning experience for each child, helping them to achieve their full potential. We all know that ‘one size does not fit all.’
Homeschooling enables parents to approach the subject matter creatively and align their lesson plans to the needs of their children. By customizing the learning experience, parents can introduce their children to various topics and encourage a life-long love of learning.
2. Multi-Age Learning
There are many benefits to having multi-age classrooms, also known as mixed-age learning. Here are two powerful benefits:
Positive Relationships: Multi-age learning allow children to form friendships and learn to appreciate the differences in others. The older students can act as mentors to younger ones, creating a positive and supportive learning environment.
Long-term Socialization: Multi-age learning mimic real-life situations where individuals interact with people of all ages, teaching children to be adaptable, respectful, and more socially conscious.
3. Flexible Learning Environment
Another benefit of homeschooling is the control parents have over the learning environment. Parents can provide a calm and comfortable space for their children to learn without the distractions and disruptions commonly found in traditional classrooms. Flexibility allows students to concentrate and focus on their studies without external disruptions, which can help reinforce discipline and develop strong study habits, leading to academic success. In addition, it often shortens instructional time allowing children to spend extended periods outdoors.
4. Strong Family Bonds
The personalized approach to education by providing one-on-one interaction between parent and child fosters a strong bond. This allows for a more individualized educational experience and fosters more robust relationships between parents and their children. Not only does homeschooling promote learning, it also supports personal development and helps build strong character qualities such as resilience, determination, self-discipline, and self-motivation.
5. Multisensorial Learning
Multifactorial or multisensory (as is commonly known) learning is an approach that considers multiple factors that can impact a student’s ability to learn. This can include the student’s learning style, previous learning experiences, genetic traits, motivation levels, environmental factors, social interactions, and more. The goal of multifactorial learning is to create a learning experience that is tailored to the individual needs of each student and that takes into account all of the various factors that can impact learning outcomes. This approach has been shown to work best for students with dyslexia and other learning challenges.
Homeschooling provides parents flexibility and opportunities to cater the mode of education to the homeschooler. It enables them to spend ample time with their child in tailoring a learning experience. All types of homeschooling offer advantages that suit different needs and preferences, making homeschooling an attractive alternative to traditional education in public or private spaces.
6. Practical Learning
Trade skills are just as valuable as academic knowledge, and homeschooling allows space for that. First, trade skills expose children to hands-on learning, which helps them better understand how things work in the real world. They can also develop problem-solving and critical-thinking abilities, as well as gain practical experience in a particular field.
Moreover, learning trade skills cannot only broaden the potential job opportunities for students but also allow them to start their businesses. By mastering a trade, students can become masters of a particular craft, such as carpentry, plumbing, welding, or masonry. They can use that skill to make money and support their families and communities.
7. Preservation of Family Values
Homeschooling preserves family values by shielding children from toxic and potentially damaging messages from adults in a traditional school. After all, children are susceptible and sometimes easily persuaded by the messages they hear from adults.
Homeschooling Styles
Homeschooling is a growing trend in education that has gained popularity in recent years. There are many modes of homeschooling, each with its benefits and drawbacks.
These modes of homeschooling are somewhat superficial because a significant number of homeschooling families choose to educate at home for very specific reasons-hence using whatever resources are available to reach that goal.
- Traditional/Academic Homeschooling: This is the most commonly used type of homeschooling, where parents follow a structured curriculum based on state or national academic standards. Parents usually purchase textbooks and other learning materials to teach their children at home. Tests and quizzes are given to monitor the child’s progress.
- Unschooling: This approach emphasizes the child’s natural learning process and gives them the freedom to pursue their interests without the structure of a curriculum. Parents act as mentors, helping children find resources to learn from, allowing them to explore topics and subjects they are interested in.
- Montessori Method: This approach involves using individually structured, child-centered learning environments in the home. Montessori homeschoolers provide hands on educational tools and other materials to enable children to discover and learn at their own pace.
- Classical Homeschooling: This model is based on the classical liberal arts approach to education that involves a deep understanding of the classics, language arts, history, math, and sciences. The curriculum is usually sequentially and focuses on grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric.
- Unit Studies: This approach involves integrating different subjects in a themed unit study. Homeschoolers select a topic and use various sources of information to explore the issue. Examples of unit studies include world civilizations, botanical science, and pond life.
- Eclectic Homeschooling: This choice of homeschooling is a flexible approach that allows the parent to use unique insights and curricula to suit their child’s needs, interests, and learning style. Eclectic homeschoolers typically use a combination of modes depending on the time of the year or family circumstances.
Regardless of the mode you chose, keeping track of your ideas and plans is always useful. You can buy my Homeschooling Planner on Amazon.
Homeschooling Laws
Homeschooling laws in the United States vary by state. Some states require that the parents file paperwork with the local district, while others have little to no requirements. In general, homeschooling is legal in all 50 states, but the details can vary drastically depending on the county you are in within your state.
There are no federal laws (that I am aware off) that explicitly describe the right to homeschool. However, there have been many federal court rulings for specific cases supporting the right to education at home. In addition, all states have some level of formality regarding rules. Hence, I encourage you to visit the Home School Legal Defense Association to learn more about rules and regulations.
Take Aways
In conclusion, homeschooling is an excellent method of educating children. It provides a personalized, efficient, and customizable approach to learning that can help children achieve academic and personal success. By empowering parents to take responsibility for their child’s education, homeschooling can help develop well-adjusted, intellectually curious, and skilled at navigating the world independently.
So if your and your child’s circumstances allow, homeschooling is best! I would love to hear from other parents about the decision-making process to homeschool or not homeschool. But, more importantly let’s flood social media bragging about how homeschooling is best.
Use the hashtags:
#homeschoolingisbest
#chillaxscienceisbest
#familyvaluesfirst
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