Benefits of Homeschooling

Mindy at Grateful for Grace is at it again, this time asking "If you had 5 minutes to sum up the benefits of homeschooling, what would you share?"  Wow. Ummm........

As she didn't have a chance for deep thought before answering, I'm just going to dive in and say what comes to mind.

For me, the biggest benefit is that it allows us the freedom to set our own travel schedule.  We are able to go with The Chemist on business trips; we are able to travel to the US regardless of school season; we are able to vacation in the off-season when prices are lower and people are fewer; we are able to be in charge of our own time rather than handing over those reigns to an institution. This is the single biggest thing that has kept us from using more structured options, and is the biggest factor in which on-line program we chose for our oldest son. Seriously.

I struggled with handing over the educational reigns when we first chose to use an on-line program; it was hard to resign as teacher and become only mom (at least to that son). I was not willing, none of us were, to also hand over control of our schedule. A school does not know our family enough to get to tell me (us) when we can vacation, when we can take a holiday, or that we can or cannot travel with The Chemist when he has long business trips. That flexibility is a benefit we hold tightly; no surprise that it's the first thing that springs to mind for me.

Other benefits.....the ability to meet each child exactly where he is. If we need to spend 18 months on Algebra, because I foolishly jumped from 7th grade math straight into Algebra (skipping over Pre-Algebra), we can.

If a child needs to move through more readers in a month than some of his siblings read in a year, we can do that, too. If one child needs for me to scribe for him (he dictates, I write) because of difficulties with handwriting, I can do that and I don't even need an outside expert to give me permission or authorize it for me.

If we need to stop and spend 6 months on multiplication facts before returning to regular math, we can. If, after that amount of drill, the child is ready to speed through the regular math, we can accelerate our pace and he can speed through.

If another child needs intense remediation to learn to read, we can do that, too (though we did in that case seek out expert help).   Each child, each student, gets exactly what he needs, at exactly the right time and at the right pace. No one is forced to move too quickly, or too slowly, through the study material because there is not a class full of other students who are setting the pace.

There's more, of course. Family togetherness, though I think even non-homeschooling families can have that. Tailoring not only the pace, but the subject matter as well, to the needs of each student. For example, I can skip over books about giant tidal waves when I'm working with a child with major anxiety. Or I can read it to him, as an example of how people survived such an event, in hopes it encourages him. The key factor is, I get to decide, because I know my child best. And even now that some of mine are in on-line programs, with someone else dictating what they read, I can read alongside each one and help them navigate these sometimes muddy waters.

We can tailor not just the subject matter, but also the curriculum, the learning/teaching style. If one student needs a workbook approach, we can do that. If another needs a very hands-on, project based approach, we can do that. Never has that been more true than now with The Adventurer; he is using very few of the curriculum choices that worked for his older brothers, because he learns very differently than they did.

If the boys had all attended public school, The Adventurer would now be expected to learn in whatever manner his teacher used; she would not be able to adapt her teaching style to meet him where he is.  As his mom & homeschool teacher, I can do what she cannot: I can, and have, adapt my teaching methods so that they are exactly the style through which he best learns.

These are the biggies for me, for my family. We remain in control of our schedule; we set the school pace to meet the needs of the student rather than force the student to meet the pace of the school; and we tailor the curriculum & subject matter to meet the learning styles, interest & other needs of the student rather than force a square peg into a round hole. I suppose all three of those fall under the heading of flexibility, in one way or another. What it means to me, though, is that we can give totally individualized, tailor-made tutoring for each individual student. At a fraction of what that would cost us if we were to outsource such a thing.

That's the benefit, for us.  What about you? Which benefits make your list?