What is Homeschooling? – Bursting the Myth of Cheap Education

Kelsey Bowersox
January 1, 2022
What is Homeschooling – Bursting the Myth of Cheap Education

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Have you ever come across a thought about what homeschooling is? What is it all about? Come here and have a look. 

There’s an unfortunate stigma associated with the word cheap, and it often means that you have to sacrifice quality for money. While there are a few areas where you need to splurge more on quality, this is not the same as always. Sure, you may think that education should need more money for quality, out of all things, right?

Nope. It turns out, as you can get some of the best education for your child by doing this one simple thing. So, without beating around the bushes let’s come straight to – what is homeschooling?

What is Homeschooling?

Homeschooling is specifically what you think it is. Instead of putting your kids through conventional institutions, teach your kids at home – led by either a teacher, parent, or tutor. Historically, this practice has been around far longer than modern schooling.

During the 18th century, the lack of formal education became a problem, and starting of formal schooling options succeeds. Homeschooling then received a popularity boost in the 1960s and 70s by critics of modern education.

Hybrid Homeschooling

Hybrid homeschooling is a split between regular schooling and homeschooling. This method is relatively unpopular still some parents adopts it who don’t have the time or energy to teach full-time. Think of it as the best of both worlds.

People always muddled with distance learning homeschooling, but some notable differences are. The only difference is who is teaching the child. With distance learning, the teaching is the responsibility of the teacher instead of the parent. Homeschooling gives the parent complete control of the who, what, and where’s of a child’s education.

How to Start?

While the recommended age to start homeschooling is around 6-7 years, there is no set way to homeschool your kids. That’s why most of the people look should look for state homeschooling laws and must review them.

Typically, the parents or tutors you choose must have certain qualifications, and a GED is usually the minimum requirement for a parent to teach their child. You can also check with Wyzant.com to help find a tutor for your child as a supplement or a permanent part of their schooling.

Be on the lookout for homeschool communities. These communities are here for support, and they often feature neat educational activities for local homeschoolers.

It is a great way for kids to socialize and learn new things. These communities are also a great way for the parents to receive the help they need to educate their children better.

Did you know there are many different methods of learning for homeschoolers? These methods include:

● Charlotte Mason homeschooling

● Montessori homeschooling

● Unschooling

● Classical homeschooling

● Eclectic homeschooling

Let’s study about these methods in detail:

Charlotte Mason Homeschooling

Charlotte Mason’s method is named after the woman who created it, Charlotte Maria Shaw Mason. She provides education on child-centered thinking on liberal arts, and her methods focused on concepts rather than facts. However, this didn’t stop her teaching method in factually based subjects like math.

The Montessori Method

The Montessori method Strays from formal education and focuses on educating children through their interests. Maria Montessori is the creator of this education, and there is plenty of scientific evidence to support her theories.

Unschooling

Unschooling is a unique informal learning method that uses the child’s own experiences to teach them. You can only achieve it through play, responsibilities, and personal interest.

It also includes many types of social interactions and interests that the child chooses or shows interest in. Instead of teaching, parents look for moments to help their children learn. People consider it as a controversial method of schooling.

Classical Homeschooling Method

It mainly focuses on grammar, logic, and rhetoric. This method is one of the oldest has gone through many changes. Currently, some of them use it to teach liberal arts and sciences.

Eclectic Homeschooling

Parents use Eclectic method who want to pick and choose which methods best work for their child. Do you like the idea of letting your child choose their interest but still want a highly structured system? Eclectic gives you the chance to find the right way for your child to learn truly.

Don’t forget to choose the right curriculum. Some states require you to use a certain curriculum, and you will be able to see this in the state laws previously mentioned. Other states allow you to choose your own. You have a plethora of options for curriculum, including AOP’s Lifepac and Bob Jones for elementary and high school for all subjects. 

What Are the Benefits?

How can we forget the benefits of what is homeschooling? Let’s have a glimpse of it. 

While conventional schooling is still having a wild popularity, homeschooling is getting its recognition too. It is especially true during the pandemic when parents had no choice but to keep their kids home.

Technically this type of learning was distance education. That didn’t stop parents from entertaining the idea of homeschooling their kids due to safety concerns, and it opened the door for parents to realize the benefits of homeschooling.

Cheaper Rates

Most notably, homeschooling is insanely cheaper than formal education. The average cost of sending your kids to a traditional school can add up to $9,000-$10,000 a year, and it is a far greater amount than if you choose to homeschool, which costs only $900 yearly.

Tailor-Made

At home, the parent can tailor it to their kid’s needs. It makes homeschooling more individualized. Critics often focus on the rigid style of learning taught in schools.

For example, a popular cartoon came from a newspaper featuring a famous quote by Albert Einstein. The cartoon is of a class of animals assigned a “fair” test to climb a tree, and it becomes apparent that most animals cannot attempt such a feat. Albert Einstein’s quote is read as follows, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a book by its cover, it’ll be your biggest stupidity.

Individualized Learning

The parent can use different methods to seek out their child’s strengths with individualized learning. It also helps homeschooled children become more intelligent and better equipped to handle the world more than their traditionally educated peers.

According to studies, homeschooled children are more interactive and adaptive, whether socially, psychologically, or emotionally than traditionally educated peers. You’ll also see them scoring better on quality tests. 

Again, though, this is dependent on the method of homeschooling. Students of unschooling, for instance, showed below-average test scores compared to regular school students.

Studies have also shown that homeschooled students had a higher chance of getting into Ivy League schools. It may go against the idea that you need to cram knowledge into a strict schedule that traditional schools offer. The results are out, and it turns out that is not the case.

Extra Time for Other Activities

A child learns more from homeschooling, but they also have that extra time to pursue other interests, which helps broaden their horizons and nurtures good mental health.

What are the Problems in Homeschooling?

We have learned what homeschooling is and its benefits; now it’s time to look into some of its problems as well. 

While there are many benefits to homeschooling, some problems can still pop up. Please be aware of what can occur if you choose to homeschool.

Child Abuse

Abusing children is a major issue that can be harder to pick out in a situation like homeschooling. While we aren’t saying that you are a child abuser, this is still an area of concern for parents to understand. Unlike regular schooling, a child in homeschooling is more in danger to be in isolation.

Mandatory reporters or teachers do not regularly see them, allowing abuse to go unnoticed. Manipulation is a real thing that can be hard for outsiders to spot. Learning the signs of abuse as a parent can help you take care of other children in the homeschooling community.

Children such as Sean Paddock and Hana Williams were victims of such abuse and died at the hands of their parents. Thankfully, this issue is becoming more known. This way, you can put more protective measures to keep homeschoolers safe from parental abuse.

Parents Stress

Parent stress is another issue. Let’s get real here, educating your child is a full-time job and doesn’t leave much open for the parent to do much besides educating their child.

Be aware that burnout is not uncommon for parents who homeschool their kids. It becomes even more stressful if the parent wants to pursue other interests like a part-time job through Zip Recruiters.

A way to avoid parental burnout is taking advantage of hybrid homeschooling. This type of schooling uses the best of both worlds. A parent can teach their child at home and at a regular school to give themselves more time for other things.

Lack of Socialization in Children

Lack of socialization is one of the major factor of criticism against homeschooling. While some parents may isolate their kids more than others, socialization issues aren’t that big of a deal for homeschoolers.

As previously mentioned, there are many support groups for homeschooled children to socialize. However, it’s ultimately the parent’s responsibility to make sure their kids interact with others to help them develop properly.

Addressing Other Concerns

Have you heard any of the following concerns about what homeschooling is? Your child won’t learn as much. Are you able to teach them yourself? Will you have enough time to teach them? They won’t get much socializing.

Naysayers can put a damper on your plans to homeschool your kid. Understanding what homeschooling is can boost your confidence in making this decision.

There are plenty of criticisms against homeschooling, but are they true? Take a look for yourself as some of the most common myths about homeschooling that are not right. It will help give you peace of mind when deciding what to do with your child’s education.

More About Homeschooling Concerns

Many people believe that homeschoolers don’t learn the same things as traditional school students. While a homeschooler benefits from a flexible and personalized teaching method, they also have programs that teach them the same things as regular schools.

The main difference is that the parent chooses the method and curriculum that the child will learn from. It means they get to learn the same things but in a personalized way. If you have any other doubts, check out the facts. Homeschoolers generally do better than other students in other areas of development.

This personalization is something that most of the people don’t understand about homeschooling. We’ve already covered some of the different teaching methods, and there are also different types of curriculum and programs to choose from. Homeschooling doesn’t have to be the same boring routine you may find in a regular classroom unless you want it to.

Say No to Harsh Homeschooling

Homeschooling does not have to be harsh on the parents, and it doesn’t take much time and effort of yours to teach a kid. Nonetheless, it is feasible to provide your child with the best education.

As mentioned before, the parent only needs to have a GED or high school diploma, and the rest is up to how you as the parent want to teach your child. Depending on your choice of method and curriculum, you can be as hands-on as you want with your child’s learning. If all else fails, you have the option of hiring a tutor or choosing hybrid learning.

We’ve already been through this hurdle, but socialization is often the most voiced concern with homeschooling, and it is also often the most misunderstood. Children are at risk of isolation due to their parents, but that doesn’t account for most homeschool cases. Children have the option of community activities and other such opportunities.

Is Homeschooling Right for You?

On average, homeschooling offers more pros than cons. The best part of what is homeschooling is that – this type of education doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg like traditional schooling. With that in mind, there are some things to consider before jumping into the homeschooling system.

It will all come down to what you, the parent, can achieve for your kids. What is the best homeschooling method for you? What’s the correct curriculum? These are questions you need to ask yourself before jumping in.

There are many reasons to switch. Are you fed up with the system? Do you want better education for your kids? Do you wish to save money? Then homeschooling may be the best option for you.

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