The first step to homeschooling is making your decision to home educate your child. It is important to become informed and knowledgeable about some of the main concerns you may have. Explore these areas of our website to learn more about the initial decision to homeschool.
|
| |
| Making Your Decision |
| |
The reasons people decide to educate their children at home are varied and can be unique to each family. Some look towards a better educational experience, others are concerned with moral and social issues, some are concerned with safety, and still others have special needs that they wish to address. Explore these reasons and others that have led families to homeschooling.
|
|
| Advantages of Homeschooling |
| |
Ask anyone who loves homeschooling what the advantages are, and you'll probably hear a long list of the benefits of educating children in the home. Homeschooling is a journey and an adventure, with benefits and rewards for the entire family. Come find out what these advantages are and decide if homeschooling is right for you.
|
|
| Teaching Your Own Children |
| |
Are you qualified to teach your own children? The answer is yes! It is challenging, but rewarding, to educate your children in your home. Find out what these challenges are and how to address them.
|
|
| Socialization |
| |
"But what about socialization?" So the typical question goes to anyone who homeschools. Find out what socialization means to homeschooling families and strategies to engage your children and your entire family in social activities and connections.
|
|
| Research & Statistics |
| |
Learn about current research and statistics involving homeschooling families, the homeschool movement, and the educational system.
|
|
| Public School Issues |
| |
Many parents are basing part of their decision to homeschool on issues with public schooling, from bullying to poor academic performance to problems with governmental control.
|
|
| Community Outreach |
| |
Want to help homeschooling integrate into the community at large? Are you a homeschool group leader who talks with the media or provides information to new and curious homeschoolers? Here are tips to help you present homeschooling to the public and the media.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Does Homeschooling Prepare Kids for the Real World? |
|
Larry and Susan Kaseman |
|
As homeschoolers, we are sometimes asked challenging questions. One is: Does homeschooling prepare kids for the real world? The implication seems to be that because homeschooled children spend so much time with their families, and because they are spared the hard knocks that often accompany attending a conventional school, they will not be prepared for the challenges and problems of adult life in the real world.
Sometimes, this question offers a welcome opportunity to explore fundamental questions. What is the real world, anyway? What attitudes and skills prepare one to deal with it effectively? To what extent do our expectations and our preparations for the real world shape the world in which we live?
|
|
|
|
Sources of Curriculum or Books |
|
Parents of homeschooled students obtain curriculum or books from a wide variety of sources. This study shows that a majority of homeschooled students had parents who used one or more of the following sources of curriculum or books for their children’s home education: a public library (78 percent); a homeschooling catalog, publisher, or individual specialist (77 percent); a retail bookstore or other store (69 percent); and an education publisher that was not affiliated with homeschooling (60 percent). Approximately half of homeschooled students used curriculum or books from homeschooling organizations. Thirty-seven percent of homeschooled students used curriculum or books from a church, synagogue or other religious institution and 23 percent used a curriculum or books from their local public school or district.
|
|
|
|
Homeschooling Comes of Age |
|
Patricia M. Lines |
|
The rise of homeschooling is one of the most significant social trends of the past half century. This reemergence of what is in fact an old practice has occurred for a distinctly modern reason: a desire to wrest control from the education bureaucrats and reestablish the family as central to a child's learning. This article discusses the growth of the homeschooling movement, the future growth of the homeschooling community, some of the reasons to homeschool, and public acceptance of homeschooling. |
|
|
|
Socialization: A Great Reason Not to Go to School |
|
Karl M. Bunday |
|
This "Learn in Freedom" article provides research supporting the positive socialization homeschooled children receive. Discusses research supporting the conclusion that homeschooled children have higher levels of self-esteem and communication skills, and fewer behavioral problems, than other children. |
|
|
|
Ten Reasons to Homeschool Through High School |
|
Cafi Cohen |
|
Cafi Cohen lists ten reasons to homeschool the older child, including efficiency, getting a head start on college, allowing for work experience, limiting peer pressure, and more. |
|
|
|