Why Homeschooling Can Be Better than School

Homeschooling is a form of education where children study at home. It has several benefits when compared to learning at school. 

Homeschoolers can have an education that is specific to their learning style. They can also go at their own pace and skip subjects they find boring. When compared to public school students, homeschoolers score higher on standardized tests. 

Homeschooling can also help with sleep, which is important for academic achievement. Besides, it can help with behavior as children can be difficult to control due to tiredness. Homeschoolers get more sleep than students who attend school. Almost 55 percent of homeschoolers get enough sleep, but only 24 percent of students who attend school do. 

Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions about homeschooling. For example, many people believe that homeschoolers have no socialization and spend all day doing work at home. However, that is not the case. Homeschoolers have more free time for activities like music, sports, and field trips. They can also socialize through homeschool groups. In fact, it is public school students that have less socialization because they are in a classroom and not in a community. 

Homeschoolers also do not have to follow a public school schedule. They do not have to be homeschooled from September to June or go to school from Monday to Friday. That can help students who need to take breaks from learning. They also do not need to go to school for six hours a day. In addition, they can avoid homework, which can benefit them. In the public school system, a teacher cannot meet the needs of individual students, meaning that they must present a lesson, assign homework, and move on to another task. Elementary school students can have two hours of homework or more every night, which can result in stressed-out children and parents, and that does not help kids learn. However, parents can decide not to assign homework. In a survey, more than 60 percent of homeschoolers studied for three hours or less every day, which is why they have more time for activities after their schooling is over. However, public school students can have six hours of school and two hours of homework, meaning that they do not have time for activities the way that homeschoolers do. 

Another benefit of homeschooling is the freedom to choose whether to vaccinate your child. Although public health experts say that vaccines should be mandated for school, parents should be able to decide if that is the way for their kids. Even though there are religious exemptions parents can file that allow their children to go to school unvaccinated, six states do not allow religious exemptions in the United States. In California, for example, parents with children in schools are planning to homeschool their children if a COVID-19 vaccine mandate goes into effect in fall 2023. 

Besides, homeschooling allows parents to make religion part of teaching their children. In public schools, teachers can talk about religion, but they cannot practice religion with their students. That can help parents who want to raise their children in their faith without school influencing them. For example, schools can pressure children to turn away from their religion or do things against it. That is good for parents who are raising their children as Christians, as homeschoolers who grew up Christian were more likely to be Christian as adults. 

Also, communication students face at school can be damaging. For example, students can encounter drugs, smoking, alcohol, and sexual pressure. In the United States, 38 percent of 12th graders used an illegal drug, and 35 percent of 12th graders used marijuana in the past year. It is also illegal to drink under 21, but 53 percent of 12th graders consumed alcohol, and 33 percent had been drunk in the past year. 

Also, many people believe that homeschooling is illegal. Although it is illegal in some countries, in the United States, it is legal in all 50 states. By making homeschooling illegal, these countries are not allowing parents to choose what education would be better for their children. 

In addition, homeschooling is not expensive. The average cost per year per student is between $700 and $1,800. Parents usually pay for the curriculum, materials, field trips, and extracurricular activities. 

Homeschooling also has benefits for the government. Taxpayers in the United States spend $14,360 per student. However, taxpayers do not spend money on homeschoolers. With roughly 3.7 million homeschoolers in the 2020-2021 school year, homeschooling saved taxpayers $56 billion. 

Homeschooling can also be a good lifestyle. Parents do not need to go to school to drop off or pick up their children. Besides, parents can bond with their kids when they teach them. Also, schools take up a large portion of a family's week, while homeschooling allows for more family activities. Moreover, homeschoolers can take vacations when other children are at school, saving travel money.  

In public schools, teachers must move on to another lesson and cannot slow down for a student, meaning the student will be left behind. However, parents can slow down if their child is having problems with a lesson. 

On the other hand, there are disadvantages to homeschooling. For example, it is often difficult for both parents to work, and one parent must stay home to teach his or her children. It is already difficult for many families to get by on two incomes, and it can be even more challenging for many to get by on one. However, parents can work from home while homeschooling their children. They can also work part-time in the evening or on the weekend. 

Also, there is criticism from friends and family about deciding to homeschool children. That can happen when they believe in the misconceptions of homeschooling, such as lack of socialization. For example, they want to blame the parents of the children for taking away their social life. It is important that parents educate their friends and family about homeschooling so that they understand that their children have many opportunities to socialize. 

Although skipping subjects can sometimes be an advantage, it can also be a disadvantage when parents ignore essential topics. For example, students learn about other religions in school. Still, sometimes religious parents do not want to teach their children about other faiths. That can be bad because it allows children to believe misconceptions about other religions. 

Moreover, homeschoolers cannot participate in extracurricular activities in the same way that public school students can. For example, many high schools in the United States have marching bands, sports teams, and speech and debate. However, homeschoolers cannot participate in these activities. Parents have the option to homeschool their children until high school and send them to public school afterward. 

Homeschooling can have advantages over public school. It is crucial for people to understand homeschooling so that they do not believe misconceptions about it. 

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