When most people think ‘homeschool,’ they think of the stereotypes attached to it, like the stereotype that people only homeschool for religious reasons. And while many do, statistics show that there is now a wide range of parents homeschooling their children worldwide. So why are so many parents homeschooling?
Why are so many parents homeschooling?
Since homeschooling is becoming so popular, it’s no surprise that around 3.7 million children were homeschooled in the United States from 2020-2021, from kindergarten to grade 12. According to the National Home Education Research Institute, this translates to roughly 6% to 7% of school-aged children. In comparison, in the spring of 2019, 2.5 million children were homeschooled in the United States. Following the same trend, Canadian families have turned to homeschooling as their education choice. According to The Fraser Institute, an average growth rate of more than 5% per year.
So why are so many parents homeschooling? There are so many reasons, and each homeschooling family has their unique reason for homeschooling. But some of the most popular reasons include:
Homeschooling offers stability.
The pandemic was a staunch reminder that the education system is fragile and struggles to pivot when things get messy. Children need stability, especially when it comes to their education. While many may assume that homeschooling is the opposite of a stable educational choice, they’re mistaken. Throughout the pandemic learning chaos, homeschooling families continued to do what they had done all along: learn. While many traditionally schooled children were slipping through the cracks, homeschooling children continued to thrive with their education.
The pandemic aside, there are many other reasons traditional education isn’t the most stable choice. Let’s take a look at education in Ontario, Canada, in the school year 2019-2020 before the pandemic made things even messier. Many forget that a teacher strike saw children missing essential learning time. Compacted with the pandemic caused learning loss to affect children in momentous proportions.
Homeschooling offers safe learning.
We have all seen the news and been traumatized by images of school shootings across the United States. Something so horrifying is, unfortunately, happening more and more. Many parents are fearful when they drop their children off for school, and many children face immense anxiety throughout the school day. As such, homeschooling offers safe learning, where children are safe in their own homes with the people they feel safest with, their parents.
Homeschooling is customizable.
There is no such thing as one size fits all regarding education. Yet, traditional education is very much one size fits all. When we try to answer the question of ‘why are so many parents homeschooling?’ we cannot overlook that homeschooling is customizable to meet the student’s needs. Every child is unique, and so is their learning style.
Say your child is technically in grade 4 but understands math on a grade 5 level; their reading and writing are on a grade 3 level. Homeschooling allows you to help your child learn what they need to learn. Not forcing them to understand the same way everyone else is, because one size fits nobody.
Or if your child learns better with a hands-on approach vs. Sitting at a desk for hours. Homeschooling offers the opportunity for children to learn in the way that best suits them.
Homeschooling offers different social opportunities.
When you think of homeschooling, you may assume that socialization isn’t a homeschooling family’s strong suit. But that’s false. Homeschooling offers children a fantastic opportunity to socialize in ways many traditional learning students do not have ready access to.
Homeschooled children can volunteer with their families at community events, nursing homes, veteran halls, and more. These opportunities allow children to socialize with more than just their peers. They can socialize with a wide variety of people, which helps them to have better social connections and understanding of the people around them.
Homeschooling helps children become self-reliant.
Many homeschooled children are independent and self-reliant. This is because homeschooled children can learn at their own pace while also self-motivating themselves as they need to be accountable for their progress. The significant benefit is that it helps children by boosting their confidence and helping to shape a sense of responsibility. Additionally, homeschooled children have the chance to go deeper with their interests while learning. This benefits them as they continue to develop greater independence and self-direction.
They also can develop their organizational and time-management skills better. As many older homeschooled, students can manage their schedules around extracurricular activities and studies. These wholesome benefits are confirmed by 87% of peer-reviewed studies. These studies demonstrated that statistically, homeschooled students score much better on emotional, social and psychological development metrics than their peers in traditional learning venues.
Homeschooling is becoming a much more affordable option.
There’s a misconception that you must be ‘rich’ to homeschool your children. The truth is that with homeschooling gaining popularity, many affordable curriculum options are becoming available to serve homeschooling families with all financial backgrounds. Schoolio Learning offers excellent rates for an all-in-one, open-and-go, inclusive homeschooling curriculum. Parents can homeschool easily, knowing they didn’t just break the bank to provide a quality homeschooling curriculum for their children. Concerned about homeschooling costs? Check out this blog on affordable homeschooling curricula.
Homeschooling allows more one-on-one time.
When you ask the question of why are so many parents homeschooling? You will likely get this response. Many parents only see their children for a couple of hours daily. Between rushing to school, coming home and rushing to sports, then off to bed as soon as they get home, many parents feel like their children are growing up without them getting to be present for a lot of it. Homeschooling offers families the opportunity to spend more time together. With a much more relaxed schedule, homeschooling families can embrace the valuable time learning together. Indeed, there are stressors and things that take from our time, but homeschooling offers parents the ability to spend more time with their children.
Homeschooling offers a bully-free environment.
Unfortunately, bullying seems to be a norm in school. According to PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center, one out of every five (20.2%) students reports being bullied. 43% of students reported being bullied in the hallway/stairwell, 42% reported being bullied in the classroom, 27% reported being bullied in the cafeteria, 22% reported being bullied outside on school grounds, 12% reported being bullied in the bathroom or locker room, and 8% reported being bullied on the school bus.
One of the big answers to the question of ‘why are so many parents homeschooling?’ is that homeschooling offers children the chance to learn and grow in a safe environment, away from bullies and peer pressure, which means that children are free to be themselves without the fear of being bullied.
Homeschooling gives you the freedom to schedule your own time.
Parents that are homeschooling report that their children get much better sleep. Because they can sleep until their body is ready to wake up, some days are rushed, but most homeschooling days are much more relaxed than traditional learning days. Homeschooling families also have the opportunity to partake in more fun extracurricular activities, field trips, and learning fun.
Homeschooling keeps children from slipping through the cracks in the education system.
Unfortunately, many children are slipping through the cracks of a broken education system, even more so during and in the aftermath of pandemic learning. The sad reality is that many students are pushed onto the next grade level even though they don’t fully understand what they need to do. Thus many children are struggling now more than ever before. Yet, there is not enough time, money or resources available to help those children that are slipping through the cracks. Homeschooling meets the child where they are. Offering them the opportunity to learn what they need to and catch up on the areas they are struggling with.
There are countless answers to the question ‘why are so many parents homeschooling?’
While we listed some of the most popular reasons to answer the question of why so many parents are homeschooling? There are hundreds of more reasons. Each family is unique, and so is their reason for homeschooling their children. The bottom line is that homeschooling is becoming much more popular and for the right cause. Because children deserve the chance to learn in the environment that best suits them, whether traditional learning or homeschooling, finding the learning avenue that helps your child thrive is essential. Take some time to evaluate the pros and cons of homeschooling with conventional learning, then make the right decision for your family.
