The Tea
You’ve started researching home schooling options because something just doesn’t feel right about your child’s school situation, but there is so much information to take in. You feel as if you’ll never be able to make sense of the laws for home schooling in your state, let alone figure out which curriculum is best. You’re left wondering, ‘Am I making the right choice in considering home schooling? Will my child do better at home?’
Making the decision to home school can be a huge hurdle to overcome. As a society, the “norm” has long been to send our kids to school. However, many parents are now opting to take on the responsibility of teaching their children at home. For some parents, opting to home school is a clear choice. While others may find home schooling intriguing, parents are often unsure if it’s a good fit for their child. Below we will review four signs that home schooling may be a good fit for you and your child(ren).
The Brew
How does home schooling work?
As the name suggests, home schooling is a form of education where your child learns at home rather than in a traditional classroom environment. Most children were home schooled before the turn of the 20th century, since schools as we know them today were not as prevalent. Home schooling students account for 6-7% of students in the US, and this number has been steadily increasing each year by between 7-15%. However, not all home schoolers have a parent-teacher and learning is not always in the home specifically. You must declare your child(ren) with the school district to officially be a home schooling family. Also, they must not receive more than 25 hours a week of education from any school (public or private). Whether your child learns at home or in another non-traditional learning environment, they are officially home schooled.
What does home schooling look like?
Home schooling can look like whatever you want or need it to, as long as you are abiding by relevant laws in your state. It includes a structured schedule for some. For others, it takes a more organic approach. Some home schooling parents opt to teach their own children, while others prefer to use the help of online programs or tutors. Other families opt for schooling outside of the home that is still outside of a traditional classroom. Some examples of this would be home schooling co-op programs or tutoring centers.
What are some signs that home schooling is right for you and your child?
Choosing to home school is a decision often filled with uncertainty. It requires time commitment and dedication to ensure your child is successful in their learning journey. If you’ve considered all the responsibilities of home schooling but aren’t sure that your child is ready, let’s look at four signs that home schooling is right for them.
Your child has mixed scholastic abilities
Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Kids, even in younger grades, will recognize this fact, which is why many students show preferences for certain subjects. However, there are also cases where a child is “twice-exceptional.” This applies to a student who is gifted in one area, but lagging behind in others. This student could simultaneously qualify as a gifted student and for special education. While school systems attempt to provide appropriate resources for students who need them, “twice-exceptional” students often go unidentified. This makes it difficult to determine how many students fall into this category.
Flexibility is one big advantage of home schooling. You can design your child’s curriculum to be what they need, meeting your “twice-exceptional” students where they are academically. There is typically no need to stress about standardized tests that will place your child as an outlier, or stress about meeting certain benchmarks in a curriculum with home schooling. Your child will likely thrive with the support provided by home schooling as learning can be tailor-made to them.
Your child is a kinesthetic or gifted learner
You may be familiar with the idea that everyone has a different learning style. The four learning styles are visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and reading/writing. Most young children (kindergarten to second grade) are inherently kinesthetic learners. Students start to shift to different learning styles as they enter third grade, however, some students remain kinesthetic learners (mostly males), which makes a traditional classroom (where learning becomes primarily visual and auditory) a less-than-ideal learning environment. What’s more, if your child is a gifted learner, they may not be challenged enough at school – probably not due to a lack of trying on the school’s part.
Home schooling is a great fit for both of these types of learners. You can advance and adapt your curriculum until it’s at a level that is truly challenging, or you can develop creative ways to challenge your child’s learning through camps and online courses. Incorporating multisensory learning opportunities is usually a great way of meeting a kinesthetic learner’s needs. There are great resources online for curriculums that include multisensory learning, or you can create lessons on your own.
Your family moves often
While this point refers to the whole family, it really boils down to how your child handles the moves. Some children are able to quickly adapt to living in new places and integrating into new schools. However, others are not able to handle the transition quite as well, making home schooling an excellent option for families that have to move often. Home schooling provides consistency for the child that transcends the location in which the learning occurs, and helps to make the move easier for you and your child.
You feel your child will thrive better at home
Sometimes, a parent’s intuition trumps everything else. If you feel drawn to home schooling, and sense that your child would do better in that kind of learning environment, then that’s all the information you need. The bond you have with your child is special and provides you the opportunity to pick up on things your child is dealing with often before anyone else.
The Pour
People turn to home schooling for many reasons. Whether you identify with the signs listed above, or other signs, it’s a great way to connect with your children while guiding them through their learning journey. If you’re still unsure, just remember that home schooling doesn’t have to be a permanent choice; it’s an option that’s always there when you need it.
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