Every year, a growing number of families turn to home education as an alternative to the public-school system. Just how many homeschoolers are in the United States? The Department of Education’s most recently released data shows that homeschooling has grown by 61.8% over the last 10 years. At present, there are over 2 million homeschooled kids.
Here are 5 reasons why homeschooling is the most intelligent way to educate children.
1. It is a Myth that Homeschoolers Miss Out on Socialization
In fact, you’ve probably heard a lot of myths about homeschooling, not just that “they aren’t socialized.” Although the socialization myth is the most popular and widespread, most stereotypes you know are likely to be wildly incorrect.
Some homeschoolers are anti-social. And so are some public school students and some private school kids. The common belief is that homeschoolers are anti-social is nothing more than a myth the general public refuses to relinquish.
Some of the highest achievers among our youth are well-adjusted homeschoolers who complete their homework in their living room instead of a classroom.
You may think that school children are primarily “socialized” at school, but this is only partially the case. Just look at the research.
A Pew survey demonstrated that 45% of U.S. teenagers spend time with their best friends during extracurricular activities like sports, afterschool clubs, and hobbies.
An even larger number of students, 55% of all U.S. teens, claim they regularly socialize with friends online and through social media.
Classrooms are not the only way to make friends.
2. Avoiding the Toxic Elements of Public School
What are homeschoolers really missing out on by skipping the public-school process? They are actually avoiding incredibly toxic aspects of the school’s environment that aren’t as present in other social environments.
For instance, there are fewer cliques, bullying, peer pressure, drug abuse, and gang violence outside of the public schools. Children that attend public school are also more likely to stop engaging in academics for fun. They have a decreased interest in creative arts and learn to procrastinate.
In some cases, your child may be incorrectly diagnosed with a disorder like ADD/ADHD because your child doesn’t fit into the public school mold. These are just a few of the warning signs.
3. Schools Kill Creativity, Homeschooling’s Personalized Education Lets Kids Thrive
Ground-breaking pedagogical studies show that tailored instruction and personalized education are the most important aspects of education. In the 21st century, experts not only agree this is the most efficient method, but they say it is the most responsible approach.
When it comes to personalized learning, homeschooling fits the mold better than any alternative.
This is the message that Ken Robinson gave in his famous 2006 TED.com talk, Do schools kill creativity? Over ten years later, Ken has reached millions of ears, but very few of his suggestions have been implemented.
P.S. Just in case you don’t have time to watch it–Yes, public schools do, in fact, kill creativity.
4. Elon Musk Is Doing It
When is Elon Musk (founder of SpaceX, PayPal, and Tesla) not receiving praise for being one of the most brilliant innovators of the present day? In fact, Elon isn’t just homeschooling his kids. He is unschooling them.
What is unschooling? If you thought homeschooling was radical, it pales in comparison to unschooling. Unschooling is a sub-form of homeschooling that advocates child-led learning. Essentially, students engage in pure, self-directed learning.
Nevertheless, when you look at the aim of unschooling, it makes complete sense. Unschooling focuses on equipping children with real world skills. After all, isn’t that the point of education?
Why is Musk unschooling his kids? He said that traditional schooling was “neither valuable nor interesting to him as a child.” Wow. That’s coming from one of the greatest minds of the millennium.
5. Homeschooling Curriculum Isn’t Required to Follow Common Core State Standards
Why do so many parents and teachers despise Common Core? The math makes no sense, and it is downright infuriating. Some parents believe it turns children into corporate cogs because the full focus of Common Core is to create a workforce-prep mentality. It was not designed with the goal of producing citizens capable of self-government.
Within days of retiring from office, well-known former Texas Representative Ron Paul released his very own curriculum, aptly dubbed the Ron Paul curriculum.
Ron Paul’s curriculum was designed to combat the Common Core mentality by focusing on critical and analytical thinking skills. His curriculum is just one of many options available to independent educators.
Even if you support the Common Core State Standards, homeschooling allows students to use a curriculum that is tailored to their individual needs and preferences.
A professional writer with over a decade of incessant writing skills. Her topics of interest and expertise range from health, nutrition and psychology.