What to Consider When Considering Homeschool
As you find yourself in the throes of a new school year, I know many of you parents are already frustrated. Your child is back around kids who have a negative influence on him. The teachers are assigning too much homework. Your child is returning from school in tears. You may already be wondering—is this the right place for my child?
Of course, you have to give these transitions time. Everyone—students, teachers, parents—needs to adjust, get back on a schedule, and get some more sleep if possible. But for some of you, alternatives to public and private schools might be a serious consideration and conversation you are having in your home. While there are stigmas around homeschooling, concerns about a child's socialization or quality of education, my experience with children coming to my practice who have been homeschooled has been overwhelmingly positive.
Children who have been homeschooled often exhibit strong self-confidence, make eye contact better and have a higher respect for their parents and adults in general. They are also better at communicating with adults because they are more accustomed to being around them. They also often have stronger and healthier relationships with their siblings and parents because they have more opportunities to spend quality time together.
But don’t just take my word for it. Homeschooling in the U.S. is on the rise. What was nearly nonexistent just a few decades ago is now becoming a popular alternative to public and private education in our country. It’s estimated that 3.4% of children in U.S. grades K through 12 are homeschooled. From 2010 to 2016 the number of children who were homeschooled in the U.S. grew from two million to 2.3 million, and that number continues to grow.
The beginning of the homeschool movement can be traced to the 1970s when the Supreme Court ruled that removing prayer from schools was not unconstitutional, leading groups of Christians to take their children out of the public school system. Today, all kinds of families homeschool who come from all kinds of religions, ethnicities and backgrounds.
A few more positives to consider regarding homeschooling:
Less Negative Peer Influences
You can’t protect your child from all negative peer influences but homeschooling your child could significantly reduce how many negative influences your child is exposed to and the amount of time she could spend with peers like this.