Five Reasons to Homeschool from an Educator’s Perspective

I have yet to delve into the world of homeschooling; however, the more I do my research, the more I realize that homeschooling my daughters may be the best thing for them in the long run. I have been a part of the public education community in various capacities for the past fourteen years, and I can honestly say that the public school system continues to leave me looking for alternatives, and quickly.

There are a myriad of reasons why parents choose to homeschool their children, and many public school educators are moving their children away from the public system to an extremely private one: homeschooling. If you’re looking for reasons to homeschool your kids, please turn in your homework (yes, that’s a pun) and make sure it’s something you can handle. An education is nothing to mess with.

There are several factors to consider when choosing to venture into uncharted territory. First and foremost, can you handle being with your children literally twenty-four hours a day? If you are in doubt for any reason, do not homeschool. At least his son would receive an education, if not a very good one, if he continued in the public school system.

Here is a list of my top five reasons why homeschooling may be our next step.

Bullying in schools has become more commonplace than in years past. With the advent of social networking sites and texting/cell phones, cyberbullying has displaced face-to-face confrontations, and this, in turn, has caused the most unlikely bullies to rear their ugly heads at society. . And since old-fashioned bullying still takes place, some kids at school aren’t safe, whether they’re in the school building or at home. While many schools say they are taking a tough stance on bullying, our Senate leaders think the anti-bullying stance is too tough on bullies. Pursuant to a recent amendment to SB 3004, school officials will no longer be permitted to use suspension or expulsion as a form of punishment until physical harm occurs, and; then the bully can only receive three days off and cannot suffer academically from her bullying. I’m starting to think this should be my number one reason.

Socializing is often a strong idiot argument against homeschooling your child. However, with all the work that schools are piling into a school day, socializing is highly frowned upon in schools. It’s so bad that many schools don’t let students fraternize or talk during lunch. The school says kids won’t eat if they talk, but hey, isn’t that their call? A couple of missed meals and then struggling through the day may be just what a child needs to learn to combine food and socialization. And what socialization skills do schools really teach beyond kindergarten? Students are not allowed to talk in class. In fact, every time my middle school daughter got in trouble at school it was for talking and/or socializing. There are certain socialization lessons that need to be taught that weren’t there twenty years ago. Like teaching students how to carry on a conversation without having a cell phone attached to their fingertips. Oh wait, I forgot that cell phones are prohibited in most schools.

The curriculum in America’s schools is being revised at an alarming rate, and in some ways, I think it will hurt far more than it will help. Many schools across the country, for whatever reason, are purchasing Common Core. Yeah, the common core will help schools meet or beat their numbers on standardized tests, maybe. But more importantly, it is taking away the creativity of good teachers and creating little drones that don’t, can’t, and won’t think or do for themselves. I was recently in a seventh grade classroom where the students really expected me to read the story to them so they could answer the study guide questions. humin what? I am a former English teacher who loves the classics. However, we are not students of this advanced technological age who can read or understand Shakespeare, Dickens and all the other ancient authors still taught in school. Yes, there are valuable lessons in his works. Yes, teachers should use examples of these works when teaching concepts or writing. But forcing a child to read Romeo and Juliet just because the two main characters are roughly the same age is ridiculous. There are great things out there that can teach the same lessons and be more relatable to today’s youth.

Money is another major issue when it comes to homeschooling your kids, and you wish this reason was really as simple as saving some money. Let’s face it, education has become a matter of money. More money is being pumped into feeding the children. More money is being spent on discipline issues. More money is being stopped, suspended or cut altogether. Money is the only reason the school cares whether your child is absent or not. Students know that they will get their homework and have time to complete it if they are absent, and how much would they really miss if they were absent for a day or two? Why does the school need to make sure your child is there and why are there attendance rules? The school needs to fill its maximum number of students daily to receive the maximum number of funds per day, which many schools do not receive in time to start. Now get away from all that drama and you might be able to do amazing things with your finances once you’re homeschooled. No more registration fees. No more fundraising expenses. No more sports fees. No more lunch money. There is no after school or before school day care. No more summer nursery.

Common Core is teaching students how to think the same way so they can pass a useless test. And, that is if they are taught to think at all. I’ve been to ACT prep sessions and taught them. Our main goal was to teach them tricks to add a point or two to their test. The tricks became the center of attention. For example, we teach them which answer to choose based on statistics. As most of the time, the correct choice is the third option. Students are discouraged from adding their opinions or sharing their beliefs because it is not relevant to the lesson in question, which was designed by the folks at ACT and taught in their schools with no room for creativity and independent thinking.

The decision to homeschool is entirely up to you, but I seriously hope that you will do the necessary work to ensure that your child receives a quality education. But most of all, if your child continues through the journey of the public school system, be sure to teach him how to think, solve problems, make educational decisions, and become an independent and successful burden on society.