There is a lot of skepticism among teachers and parents when it comes to homeschooling despite the fact; there are plenty of good reasons for it. Teachers and some parents are against homeschooling because they’re afraid that their children will grow up to be a weird and awkward kid with little to no social skills. Oh, yes—I forgot to mention growing up with no friends.
When asked why some parents decided to homeschool their kids and shun the traditional system of public or private schools, they believe the school environment today has changed tremendously over the years, and not all changes have been fruitful.
Some concerned parents don’t want their kids to be educated in a Godless, government-sponsored, bully-infested school environment, whose core academic mission statement is “Common to the Core!” or “Common Core!”, or something like that.
Parents homeschool their children by themselves and hiring private tutors. However, it’s worth mentioning that just because worked or working for some families doesn’t mean that it will work for everyone else. Said that, before you decide to homeschool your children ensure that this is something you, your kids, and your private tutors can handle.
It doesn’t matter whether your kid is going to a traditional school or being homeschooled. The important thing is your child should be getting the education to succeed. If you’ve second thoughts about homeschooling, there are always public and private schools.
Here are five reasons to homeschool your child according to an educator’s perspective:
- Bullying/Cyberbullying
- Socialization Skills
- Costs
- Common Core
- Curriculum
1. Bullying/Cyberbullying
Bullying has become prevalent in both public and private schools, and even though some teachers and parents might argue that things have become better, it’s still there. In today’s era of smartphones and social media sites — old school bullying has morphed into cyberbullying, which is, in some cases, worse and has resulted in some fatal cases. Cyberbullying has created even more bullies with even depraved attitudes.
As old face-to-face confrontations and cyberbullying in schools exist, some parents think their kids aren’t safe in their schools. Bullying or cyberbullying, bullying severely scars a student emotionally, and a bullied student will suffer academically and feel insecure throughout his or her life. So, if your kid is reportedly bullied in school and the school authorities failed to address the issues, homeschooling is the best option for your child.
2. Socialization Skills
Homeschooling critics always had the impression that homeschooled children lack social skills. But the reality is actually the opposite. Today’s students are so burdened with classwork, assignments, and tests, that socializing with fellow students are very much frowned upon. The situation has become so dire that school authorities don’t allow students to socialize or fraternize, or even during lunch hours. Why? School authorities have an absurd idea if the students keep chatting, they won’t eat. Furthermore, students aren’t permitted to talk to their classmates or use their smartphones. The point is simple—you kids will learn little to no socialization skills in a typical public or private school.
3. Costs
This is one of the primary reasons a lot of parents decide to homeschool their children. Let’s be honest: education isn’t free, and the modern-day education system is all about money. We are spending more money than ever to feed the students, to discipline them, for standardized tests, and so on. The only reason you receive a call from the school authorities is when your kid is absent or not is money. There is no need for students to have a 100% attendance rate in school. Maybe students are absent is because he or she is sick or working on their homework and tests. There is nothing wrong if a student misses school for one or two days. The reason why schools are so serious about having maximum attendance is that by doing so, it can get more funding from the government. Then there are all sorts of other superfluous fees like athletic fees, lunch money, registration fees, athletic fees, and what not. Just save your money and all the hassles of sending your kids to school by homeschooling them. Online tuition providers like SmileTutor provide thousands of tutors that can teach in nearly every subject, at a very low cost.
4. Common Core
The only purpose of the so-called ‘Common Core’ is to teach students to be and think alike. For what? To pass a useless test? Let me rephrase it: They are trained not to think at all. Standardized tests like the ACT Test are found to discourage students from speaking about their views and opinions, which hampers their creativity and independent thinking.
5. Curriculum
The curriculum that is taught in US schools is overhauled from time to time, which only hurts students. As more and more schools are adopting the Common Core to prepare students to score big on standardized tests, it will further cripple the creativity and logical thinking prowess of the students as well as the teachers. After all, what is the point of students being taught Shakespeare or Dickens, which is useless for today’s youth?
Homeschooling, done right, can prove to be highly effective. There are numerous benefits for homeschooling, from costs, convenience, to flexibility. It’s definitely worthwhile to consider home-based learning as alternative education for your child, should they find school uninteresting or ineffective for their learning.
Author Bio: David A. Buhr has over fifteen years of experience in the field of Education. He specializes in writing articles on Education-related topics on his blog. He is presently working at SmileTutor, a reputable presence in the education industry.
