Is homeschooling a good choice for your family?

If you are wondering if homeschooling is a good choice for your family and are thinking about taking charge of your children’s education, you are not the only one. In Spring 2019, in the US, 2.5 million children in grades K-12 opted for homeschooling, and the trend keeps increasing especially since the beginning of the pandemic.

Why are families considering homeschooling?

Absence of progress at school, philosophical or religious differences, health considerations are all major factors for families to choose homeschooling. Whatever the reason, parents frequently ask themselves the following questions before making the final decision:

Will my child receive a good education?

Parents want their children to be successful, and they should know that in a study published by the National Home Education Research Institute, it appears that homeschoolers have an average standardized test score of 87 percentile compared to a score of 50th percentile in certain subjects for those going to public school.
Another study led by Michael Cogan by the University of St. Thomas revealed that the homeschool graduation statistics are 10% higher than that of students from public schools. Homeschoolers can be more successful from a personalized educational plan, versus a standardized setting. A tailor-made schedule takes into consideration the interests, learning style, and availability of the student.

How does it work?

Each family gets to decide how to handle homeschooling and determine the option that best meets the child’s needs. As Sir Ken Robinson declared “We have built our education systems on the model of fast food where everything is standardized”. Look at it as offering education and not just academics. Parents are free to design a curriculum, rethink learning pathways depending on the family’s and child’s needs. However, be sure to follow your State’s homeschool laws, some States are less friendly to homeschooling than others (https://hslda.org/legal).
Homeschooling is parent directed, but it doesn’t mean that you are alone. Many communities and organizations can help access teaching resources and support your project. Parents can choose to teach material they enjoy and reach for outside help for some subjects such as arts or science. And with its popularity increasing, you will find many opportunities to socialize as much as kids in a mainstream school.

Can I afford it?

With some research and ingenuity, you can still manage to offer a good education to your kids and keep your budget under control. If you need to have a tutor or some online curriculum services, you will increase the cost, but it will remain far less than a private school.

You don’t have to do everything by yourself!

So if you wonder if homeschooling is a good choice for your family remember that homeschooling is about enjoying the process of learning, so enjoy the subjects that you are teaching. And if that’s not the case, or you think you’re out of your depth, reach out to specialists. Maybe look for a tutor in a foreign language, or one specializing in challenging math and science courses. Acadomia has the resources to help you and your child be successful by providing you with the best tutors in the subject of your choice. Our team is here to support your family.