"Why" homeschool

Most people can agree that the average public school in the U.S. is failing our students in multiple facets. There are certain aspects that are antiquated and need to be revamped and other parts that have had an overhaul in the wrong direction.

Sometimes the public school setting simply cannot alter themselves to give certain children their best education due to individual needs.

Safety concerns are at an all time high for students. Everything from bullying to bomb threats effect the student's well-being on a daily basis.

Kids are busier than ever! There are so many competitive sports and scholarships requiring more and more of the kids each year. The traditional school schedule is not conducive to good sleep patterns on its own and when you add these extra tasks, the children tend to lose their childhood years.

Religion and politics are ever-growing subjects in schools and are highly controversial. Many families keep their children home to be sure of what and how these subjects are presented to their children.

These are just a few factors that many families consider when they choose homeschooling for their children.

Working on 3rd grade geometry skills with The Good and The Beautiful curriculum

Control of Curriculum

One of the biggest reasons I hear for homeschooling amongst the parent groups is control of the curriculum. This want for control can be based in many different hopes for their children.

Some families are concerned what is being taught in schools. Unless they are learning at home do you actually know what your kid is learning? If you ask them when they get off the bus you will most likely get a shrug, some vague story, or even an "I don't know" for an answer. Even if they do have something to share, is it everything that was taught today? Are there any real details? What about the subtle lessons they learned? What about the "small things" mentioned? What signs are on the walls of the halls or books in their libraries? Do these align with your family's beliefs?

If you ask the school what your student is learning they will most likely give you the blanket common core standards sheet and leave it at that. So we never truly know what is being taught to our children directly or otherwise when we put our trust in someone else to do it for us.

This was a part of our decision to keep our children home. We were confused by what was being put in a place of importance vs. what was not. There was more emphasis on not talking, when and how often children needed the restroom, and if the child was absolutely tolerant of all behavior in a room and less on academics, challenging themselves, time management, and conflict resolution skills amongst each other.

Now, I'm sure you are saying "but tolerance is a good thing" and as a blanket statement I can agree to the fullest extent, but not when tolerance is preached over preserving a safe and constructive learning environment.

The teachers and schools as a whole often have their hands tied with difficult students as any real repercussions are difficult to enact and enforce. This leaves the other students at a disadvantage sitting through yelling, poking, whispering, noises, and general interruptions to their lectures or work time. How is a child to collect themselves and stay engaged if they must redirect every 5 minutes or so when the classmate is so distracting? Now think about how a child with ADHD or other attention deficit concerns supposed to follow along.

Sometimes students need a more personalized approach to things due to underlying concerns like learning disabilities, dyslexia, ADHD, autism and other mental or physical disorders. Homeschooling provides the option for a 1:1 ratio instead of the 15:1 or 25:1 they would see in most public schools. In a special education class they are often still at a 6:1 or worse ratio. Even if the ratios are not the hardest part, some learners may need more time in certain subjects, such as reading for those struggling to overcome dyslexia. When it comes to ADHD and autism the child may need time to just get up and move. It would obviously be a distraction to others for a child to simply stand up and wiggle silently while the teacher is lecturing. It is also not practical for a student to roam the hauls aimlessly throughout the day when they need a mental break. At home they distract no one and can even go for a short walk to disconnect if needed.

Some families wish to involve their faith and beliefs in educating their children. This is a freedom only found in homeschooling through bible studies, implementing faith in all teachings, and choosing curriculum that align with their beliefs and worldviews. While this is not something we practice in our homeschool, it is a major component to many homeschooling households and has a huge influence on the homeschooling community as a whole.

Safety Concerns

It has become commonplace to hear about bomb threats, shootings, fights, and bullying at all levels of schooling. Elementary schools with the youngest of learners are not free from safety concerns.

Bomb threats are commonly treated as a joke that someone wanted to skip a test, but they have happened and they have ended the lives of many. Thankfully the threats do usually result in finding nothing and no one being injured. When a threat is made the school must evacuate resulting in major interruptions to the learning day, students standing in the elements they are not dressed for, and sometimes parents needing to return home and miss work due to an early release.

There have been 240 school shootings resulting in one or more fatalities and/or injuries between 2018 and 2025. That is an average of over 34 shootings per year. 34 a year breaks down to almost 3 every month which is further condensed when you consider the school year is not the full 12 months! This data does not include those that were thankfully stopped before injury or death could occur. That is an astounding number and one that terrifies many parents including myself. Demographics also do not protect children from these events. The best districts in the best neighborhoods have become victims of these atrocities. How do you send your child and just hope that someone doesn't enter their school with harmful intent? I did for years, but it did always sit in my mind and I worried of the guilt I would feel if anything ever did happen.

Fights have happened at school since they began centuries ago. It is bound to happen in any situation where multiple personalities are in a building together for 7-8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Not everyone will get along at all times, especially adolescents who are still developing their self-control and better coping skills to handle conflict.

Are they appropriate and should be ignored? Never. Are they difficult to prevent completely? Very much so. That being said, there are often signs leading up to it and conflict resolution is not always handled appropriately in schools. I remember being told often when in elementary school to simply "stay away from each other" rather than listen to our concerns and why we were fighting in the first place so a common ground could be found. This theory of staying away from each other simply does not work when you share the same classrooms, lunchroom, bathrooms, and bus. Often, the biggest fuel to fighting is bullying that occurs over a period of time.

Bullying is so commonplace in schools now that we even have a "stop bullying day" in October each year where children are to wear orange and pledge to not bully each other and report any that they see. Sadly, even with the attention it receives, this is still a common thread in all schools. There are still suicides, major injuries, and those who are permanently damaged by their peers fueled by bullying. While the home unit is not always free of conflict within the family unit, especially with sibling rivalry, there are more chances for it to be noticed and interventions put in place to help. Bullying even happens at co-ops and social groups time to time, but parents are present to intervene and teach conflict resolution. This is also better noticed and controlled in the environments where ratios of children to adults are better.

Extracurricular Schedule

Some children are in multiple extracurricular activities or have one so demanding they spend hours every day practicing and honing their abilities. These often include musical, physical, and employment or entrepreneur aspects.

Musical instruments have long been played by children and have shown to foster a child's growth in many ways. This makes it a popular academic pursuit for families both in public schools and homeschooling families. Sometimes, it becomes a passion and talent beyond what was imagined when they started. To pursue this a learner may spend upwards of 3 or more hours every day practicing which the traditional school schedule of 7:30-3:30 does not facilitate. By the time the student would return home at approximately 4pm and practice for 3 hours, it is now a late dinner at 7pm followed by any other needs like bathing and homework. By the time this is all achieved the child has had no time to be just that, a child.

Sports are a common pursuit also. Some athletes spend long hours every day practicing and conditioning their bodies to perform at high levels. This often follows the same schedule as instruments and leaves little to no time for a child to be young and enjoy their childhood. Not to mention, keeping grades at an acceptable level is difficult when your schedule is so tight and homework is difficult to complete on time. Lack of emphasis on sleep health is detrimental for a growing mind and body. This is often reflected in the child's grades and behaviors.

Both of these scenarios are easily solved by school not taking 8 hours a day. There does not need to be extra time built in for class disruptions, passing periods, bathroom breaks, etc. when you and your siblings are the only students, you do not need to move from one classroom to another, and you take breaks when you need-not when it is convenient for the school schedule. School can be done by lunch time, practice can occur at 1 and they can be done with all things school and extracurriculars before dinner. This way they can relax and be a kid or have family time rather than do homework and go straight to bed.

This benefit is seen in many situations with two notable ones being Taylor Swift so she could pursue her music career to multiple awards and tours and Simone Biles so she could pursue gymnastics to multiple olympic gold medals. Both achieve high grades and have thriving careers in part due to the time they could dedicate to their craft.

As the child grows older, entrepreneurship may become a hope. Having their studies finished by noon leaves hours to devote to running their own business or having extra instruction on how to start a business. They may want to sew, run a t-shirt store, or other crafted items. If entrepreneurship is not their path they could also start earning a living through traditional employment while their peers are still in school and not compromise their learning hours.

Know your "why"

If you did make the choice to homeschool, no matter your "why", make sure you know it and stick to it. You took on this challenge for a reason, remember it. Your "why" may change throughout your career as a homeschooling family and that is fine and natural. We grow and change so why wouldn't our wishes and thoughts? Write your specific "why" in the front of your planner or on a sticky note by your desk to remind yourself when you have doubts. This will help on the rough days where no one seems to want to cooperate, the content is difficult or boring, and you wonder if you should go check yourself in to the asylum for thinking you could really do this. Reminding yourself will keep you rooted and hopefully sane on these crazy days.