By Lara Hawkins
Over the years, much about homeschooling has changed. What largely started for the purpose of inducing religious principles in children, has now acquired a mainstream application. Today homeschooled students enjoy the exposure of social media, online learning, friendships, and other extracurricular activities, but without any major setbacks such as those encountered in physical classrooms. Let’s discuss the reasons why homeschooling could be the most intelligent option to make your teens true learners.
1. Personalized learning is the strongest form of instruction
One of the main ideas of homeschooling is to allow the learners to learn at their own pace and style, as comfortable with them. This is what we call “personalized learning” in the education sector today.
Some big names in the industry such as Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, etc. are all in favor of personalized education, as it uses technology to cater to the individualized needs and lesson plans of each student. Bill Gates even pointed out that personalized learning helps the student improve his or her reading and mathematics skills.
Parents homeschooling their kids can take the approach a step further. This is because parents are normally the best resource of providing relevant, powerful instructions.
2. Students explore more of what they are truly interested in
Without some formal classroom instructions to guide them through their course’s curriculum, students are given the freedom to explore a plethora of topics not normally offered until the arrival of their college or university tenure. For example, students in high school can encouragingly study Psychology, Business Finance, Consumer Behavior, and other courses normally offered in college majors.
Some parents are educated enough to provide such knowledge to their children themselves. However, the case with the majority is different, relying on various online learning portals such as Khan Academy, workbooks, etc. While other parents might be more inclined to take their children to community colleges.
You might be okay to teach English, Mathematics, General Science, or even Literature to your kids, but remember, the scope of education is much beyond than that.
3. Social media helps students form meaningful connections
One of the most common misconceptions regarding homeschoolers is that they have poor socialization skills. The fact has some truth to some extent, but only before the introduction of internet.
Today, homeschoolers have equal opportunity to meet new learners across the world as much as any student in private or public schools, while enjoying the lack of distractions as experienced by those sitting in the classrooms. Despite all the unhealthy addictions and other cognitive problems that all learners in this phase of life experience due to the chaotic mess coming from the social media, students can still make strong connections for a better learning experience and future career prospects.
4. Homeschoolers are safe from bullying and gossiping cliques
Bullying, one of the most critical and toxic concerns that students in public schools have to deal today, is something that homeschoolers are safe from.
Many experts argue that bullying actually helps the students to toughen up their character and maturity before stepping in an exhausting and overwhelming practical life. But on the downside, students suffering from physical or verbal abuse in the classroom potentially develop anxiety and depression.
Okay, we aren’t going to the extent of taking the case of Hannah Baker in “13 Reasons Why” into account, but still the affects from school bullying are worth considering. This is what homeschoolers are safe from while keeping all their focus on their studies.