Why Homeschool?
Families have many different motives for deciding to take the BIG
step and remove their children from the institutional school setting
and bring them home to educate. Although we may have joined the
homeschool march for different reasons, the benefits are fairly
universal.
Many families choose to homeschool because they desire to oversee
the values their children emulate. Because the on-campus school
requires such a large time commitment, these parents realize it
is difficult for them in the few waking hours left to instill
their own family's positive models and attitudes to any significant
degree. When mom and dad become the teachers, they also become
the principal models in the child's life. Removed from the institution,
the child's peer group becomes predominately his siblings and
friends of the parents' own choosing. These two items alone, parent
as primary value setter and supervision of peer influence, are
the driving force behind many families choosing to homeschool.
Numerous students simply do not achieve well in the institutional
school setting. This is usually the result of their particular
learning style...not being addressed by the curriculum and instructional
methods. The outcome of this mismatching of learning style and
classroom techniques is either bored unchallenged pupils or lost
"slow" learners. When parents take over the instruction,
they can tailor-make the curriculum and methods to suit their
child's needs. In this fashion, each student can flourish!
All children have interests and many know from an early age what
they want to be "when they grow up." Homeschooling allows
the child to devote time to his or her own pursuits. Besides freeing
up time for children's individual preoccupations, many parents
incorporate these into their student's curriculum. If a child
is a budding ornithologist, the course of science study could
include or exclusively be on birds, or a student who desires to
be a missionary to Peru could devote his social studies to understanding
Peruvian history and geography, as well as learning Spanish. Again,
the curriculum can be tailored to fit the child.
Most parents hold opinions on which skills are significant for
their children to master. Some wish their children well-read in
the classics; some feel equal time should be spent on developing
work ethics and skill as is spent on academics; some believe their
children should plan to attend a prestigious college and thus
will gear curriculum to attaining high SAT scores; some desire
their children to be involved with ministries or community services
during part of their school day; some like to have their children
in time-intensive music or sports training, etc. The point is,
when you home teach, whatever you believe to be most important,
becomes most important; no one else sets the agenda.
Many families choose to homeschool so they can spend more time
together as a family: when in school, their children left for
the bus at 7:30 am and did not return home again until 4:00 PM
-- not including homework assignments or afterschool activities.
Sometimes parents' work schedules run counter to the school's.
Many parents, wishing to enjoy their children and family life,
realize there simply isn't enough time left after school commitments
to accomplish that. They want to daily experience first- hand
their children's lives; each struggle and each milestone mature
into those special memories that bind families together.
The Homeschool Adventure begins with a different focus for each
family, but the advantages are pervasive: parents as value-setters,
customized curricula, attainment of individual goals, and closer
family ties.
Have you ever considered doing schooling from home?
If you would like to get an education
from the comfort of your own home, sign up for an
online
education. Getting your degree online means you do your work on
your own time. No more missing class again! You can obtain a
degree in just about any field with online
educations. Sign online today to learn more about
online
degrees!
