Homeschooling: Is It the Best Option for You and Your Child?
10 benefits and 10 pitfalls of this increasingly popular educational choice.
Posted September 16, 2019 | Reviewed by Devon Frye
More and more parents are choosing to educate their child at home, or to join with other parents who don’t want to send their children to the local schools. Not all homeschoolers are registered, so the exact numbers aren’t known, but most estimates put it at about 3 percent of the population in North America—and growing.
What Is Homeschooling?
Homeschooling takes many forms, from supporting your child in their learning for a few weeks or months during an illness or transition, to schooling them for the duration of their elementary and secondary years. Some parents take responsibility for teaching their child for part of a day, with the child attending school for some subjects or extracurricular activities, like sports or math or music. Some parents augment their teaching with online learning; others work collaboratively with other parents and community groups to create educational, social, and extracurricular activities for their kids. Others still homeschool their child through kindergarten, then enroll them in a local public school.
There are many homeschooling styles, models, and approaches. These include Montessori, Classical, Charlotte Mason, Unschooling, and Eclectic, among others, each of which has strengths and advocates, as well as drawbacks and detractors.
Why Do Parents Homeschool Their Kids?
There are as many reasons to choose to homeschool your child as there are parents who homeschool. These reasons include concerns about the local school’s quality of education or environment; a desire to provide a certain kind of religious or moral teaching; a child’s inability or unwillingness to fit into the local school environment; a school’s inability or unwillingness to provide an education that meets a child’s psychological or learning needs; a family’s living in a remote location; a temporary situation like travel, illness, or family transition; and a parent’s wish to manage their child’s education. Also, many young athletes and actors are homeschooled, allowing their parents to fit their child’s schooling around their professional activities.
What Are the Benefits of Homeschooling?
What Are the Potential Pitfalls of Homeschooling?
How Do You Get Started?
Homeschooling is not the best option for every family, but there are many benefits to this approach, and it can work very well in some situations.
“ Research Facts on Homeschooling ,” by Brian Ray
" Should You Home-School Your Child ?" by Marty Nemko
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Dona Matthews, Ph.D. , is a developmental psychologist and the author of four books about children, adolescents and education.
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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.