Homeschooling - A Good Idea?
When an idea of homeschooling for my son popped up in my head, I went into criticizing, scrutinizing, and some helping hand suggestions. From friends, relatives to neighbors, all tried to shed some light on the negative impacts of homeschooling. Of course, I’m not disappointed with them for this. They were simply shocked and wanted to share their opinion on why to go with conventional schooling.
However, I was seeking light in a different direction. Well, you can say I was hellbent on my decision. From my own experience in private schools and my research for the same pushed me more towards homeschooling. Yeah, I was determined my son will be a homeschooler. In fact, successfully adopting this education system for him became my goal.
I knew it soon; I will see him thriving in educational, personal, and professional life alike. Ultimately, his achievements will speak volumes that my decision to raise him through homeschooling was not wrong.
Why did I Choose Homeschooling Over Public Schooling for my Child?
Lack of Violence
Bullying is the most common cause of concern for parents while sending their little ones to school. So, it was for me. I couldn’t even imagine my kid in such a circumstance that would have made my kid’s life stressful.
Apart from this, there are several other types of violence, which create havoc in public schools, like turf lines, physical and verbal abuse, and drug use.
The fellow students who annoy or dominate other kids in the school can immensely ruin my son’s self-esteem. In the long run, it would have affected both his mental health and educational journey.
So, why will I not choose homeschooling over public schooling for my son? It is the best and secure option for him. You never know, your kid starts committing a criminal offense or sometimes out of mind harms themselves and everybody around him.
I don’t want my kid to go through any of these harsh scenarios. For me, homeschooling meant the least violence, better self-esteem for kids, and peaceful life for parents.
Personalized Curriculum
Homeschooling implies I can tailor the curriculum as per my kid’s personality and aptitudes. He could learn at his own pace and make progress quicker. This form of education directs kids as individuals.
Through a tailor-made learning system, you focus on enhancing your child’s knowledge in that particular area in which he or she excels. Homeschooling allowed my kid to emphasize more about what makes him curious instead of grades or to be a teacher pleaser.
Teaching techniques will base on how the child best learns as per the child’s personality. For instance, I discovered my son is more of a visual learner, so I included more visual elements into his training methodology. Thus, homeschooler’s education is planned just for that child that doesn’t happen in an intuitional setting.
Moreover, when my kid coped with a specific field of education, I bought extra resources to offer him more support. On the contrary, a child may be labeled and managed partially in the school system. As a result, it could usually become a social stigma and hindrance as kids have to undergo all kinds of barriers and prejudice.
Thus, during homeschooling, I never neglected my son’s special needs as he is always my number one priority. It is valid for every parent, so why not go with homeschooling? When it comes to education, giving precedence can never go wrong.
Improves the Child-parent Bonding
It is like a premium parenting program that is a pathway to create a better parent-child bonding. I closely engaged in the learning process with my boy, which seldom happens in the classroom schooling system.
Children sometimes do get little help from parents with their homework or assignments. However, the quality still varies on a vast scale when compared with the homeschoolers.
I, as a teacher, could share my knowledge with complete excitement and joy. On other days, I get to learn a few new things from my kid. Education became a two-way gateway.
Also, due to my intimate involvement with my son, I could understand his experiences and background. This knowledge eventually helped me to design his future scholarly activities.
Active and Efficient Learning Strategies
A benefit of homeschooling is its activeness and efficiency. You don’t need to be a teacher or hold an education degree to homeschool properly. As the parent, you’re the specialist on what your child necessitates.
The classroom learning environment means teaching many students at a time, ranging from 25 to 50 in numbers. So, it is not adequate for children to clear out hard to understand topics as they will find it difficult to ask questions and master the subject.
Homeschooling gave my child the autonomy to clear doubts. I could attend to his need whenever he wanted and in the best suitable way to improve his learning capabilities. To cater to his educational growth, I designed a systematic education system for him at home.
Here’s how I created a comprehensive learning strategy for my kid.
- In a homeschooling environment, I could help my kid with contextual learning, inspiring him to pursue his passions. I found interest-led education will help to improve his skills and knowledge of overall academic fields.
- Strengths-based learning does not focus on a child’s weakness that ultimately reduces his or her confidence. So, parents can include an inquiry-based learning system to help kids develop their critical thinking, which is a huge benefit of homeschooling.
- I decided to avoid or lessen the stress on behavior adjustment widespread in schools. Instead, I promoted intrinsic motivation for my child — a common perk of homeschooling. Active learning helps to advance self-dependency in a child. Today, my son can make his choices about how and what he wants to learn.
Final Words
By ideally using this educational system for my son, I witnessed he got a more independent approach towards learning and life. You, too, can help your child in developing their cognitive abilities and confidence through homeschooling. Though one suggestion I’ll like to give you is that choosing to homeschool your children is a big decision; there is a lot to consider. So, make sure you do research and organize the homeschooling system accurately.
It will serve them well in every phase of life. They will never feel the need to follow the herd, and they will seek out the answers themselves. Today, as I see how my 24-year-old handles life’s challenges by himself, it gives me a feeling of accomplishment of the goal I set in his childhood.