Is Homeschooling Good For Students?
Homeschooling. A lot of us have heard about it. But, what is it and is homeschooling good for students? I would like to share this article on a friend’s experience of homeschooling her child.
What is Homeschooling?
Put simply, homeschooling is schooling at home. What’s more, it could be a simple solution to a growing issue. The issue? That of ensuring every child receives a quality education.
There are many reasons impacting how a student receives their education. Often, teachers find themselves overworked and underpaid. This makes it more difficult for teachers to equip their students knowledge and wisdom. Furthermore, students can have problems with bullying. Let’s face it, in society, bullying is becoming a huge social problem. It hugely impacts the mental – and sometimes physical – wellbeing of countless individuals. Also, with neurodivergence on the rise, is on-site schooling the best way to ensure delivery of an education? A neurodivergent person learns differently and communicates differently. Tailored learning may be a much better option for someone who falls into this bracket.
When a parent makes the decision to switch to homeschooling, each one of these issues is mitigated. Furthermore, the parent has a personal and vested interest in the outcome of their child. This means, though they aren’t getting paid, they are motivated to deliver the highest possible quality of education to their child.
Growing Trends In Homeschooling
There are some interesting statistics that demonstrate my friend isn’t the only one on the homeschooling bandwagon. The National Home Education Research Institute offered some interesting results for the United States of America. 3.7 million students found themselves homeschooled according to their data during the 2020 – 2021 school year. 5.22 percent of all school age students engaged in homeschooling as per data from late March to early May 2022. “Homeschooling has had a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.1% between 2016-2021” (Kaminski, 2023). In Australia, the situation also shows a leaning towards homeschooling. There is a 9 percent increase across all states and territories between 2019 and 2021.
Particulars Of The Interview
My friend is 51 and her child is 11. They haven’t always been together and life hasn’t been as smooth as it is now. She has led a life of violent ups and downs, despite being born into a privileged family. Moreover, for her to homeschool her last child is a major achievement. She has been homeschooling her only child for 5 months. I asked her the question: is homeschooling good for students. I’m honoured that she has given me permission to share her answer with you.
The Interview: Is Homeschooling Good For Students?
The Decision
I made the decision to homeschool because he was being bullied and had low grades. The schools he has attended doesn’t address bullying, regardless of alleged mottos. When it comes to low grades, they just push them through. Furthermore, if you child has learning difficulties it’s even more challenging.
Personal Qualities
As a parent, you must have the drive to help your child excel. Also, you need patience, understanding, and love. Furthermore, you need to comprehend that you learn along with your child on the journey. Mistakes are also part of the learning curve. Finally, it helps if you have external support, such as a family.
Is It Expensive?
Home-schooling can be expensive. However, maybe not as expensive as an on-site school. With an on-site school you pay for school fees, uniforms, supplies, and excursions. It gets a bit much when you aren’t earning an income. Finally, with an on-site school, if you receive funding for the child, it gets distributed amongst other students.
It depends on what you choose to do. I do it on a budget. Education isn’t free, so I may as well have control of where the money goes. I pay for sport and tutoring. Also, with home-schooling and a child with a diagnosis you can get money from welfare for each term. As a result, this help goes to your child and improves their educational outcome.
Equipment
There are a few vital items in order to make the homeschooling experience easier. My friend divulged her necessities. They use pen, paper, computer, internet, printer, library, and finally educational games.
Any Improvements?
He’s more relaxed and has shown improvement in retaining what he’s learning. Moreover, his tutor’s noticed the difference in his reading. We haven’t done specific test to see. It’s early days. I hope it works.
In Your Opinion Is Homeschooling Good For Students?
Yes. Absolutely. Indeed, there are many benefits to homeschooling.
- I’m not driving to school everyday of the week. This means I’m saving fuel, don’t have to buy uniforms, and no more lunch box duty.
- It is on one on one learning with my child. This means I get to know him better. Furthermore, we have extra time to do other things, such as sport, without the stress of running around.
- Also, I can find out the goals my child has and we can work towards that as a family.
- In fact, homeschooling allows us the opportunity to evolve as a family.
- Finally, I get to witness my child achieving things. These are precious, feel good moments. I’m so proud of him and how far he has come.
They grow so fast when they’re at school. As a parent, we miss those special moments when we aren’t around them.
Source: Freepik.
moving forward And Answering The Question: Is Homeschooling Good For Students?
Homeschooling is good, not just for the child, but the entire family as a whole. In fact, when a child is homeschooled, they have the opportunity to surpass themselves. Furthermore, the entire family has the chance to strengthen their bonds. Without the distraction of the classroom a child is able to concentrate on their studies.
If you’re worried about children not getting enough engagement with peers, their are communities structured to support families that homeschool. Also, there is sports and other extra-curricular activities that the child participates in to get the socialisation that they need.
Why is it essential that we focus on why Is homeschooling good for students?
A quality education is vital for the future workforce of the human race. Children who are homeschooled tend to have better educational outcomes and will be a lot happier. Both of these things bring forth positive results as an adult when it comes to contributing to the economy and gross domestic product (GDP) of a nation. Homeschooling, when parents have the right mindset and equipment, is beneficial to achieving this outcome.
If you want to learn more about homeschooling, there are plenty of resources on the internet. Indeed, if you’re a parent and considering homeschooling, this is the beginning of your journey into your child’s academic excellence. My friend wouldn’t change a thing about homeschooling and is more than happy she took that chance for the benefit of herself, her child, and her community.
achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how they link to Why Is Homeschooling good For Students
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries – developed and developing – in a global partnership. They recognize that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality, and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.
United Nations.
Homeschooling ties in to two main Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The first is SDG 4 focused on quality education. Homeschooling is quality education, when delivered right. The parents don’t need to be university graduates, either. All the parents need is dedication to their children and outcomes. When homeschooled, the student can go at their pace. This means less stress.
Finally, homeschooling ties into SDG 8, decent work and economic growth, indirectly. Homeschooling reduces the financial burden on the government of state schooling. Furthermore, it eases the pressure on already burdened teachers. Also, a good education is something everybody needs before they are able to enter the workforce and give back to society in a meaningful way.
A Thrivable Framework
What is THRIVE? It is The Holistic Regenerative Innovative Value Entity. The word thrive also means flourishing. As you can see, the anagram and the definition tie in to each other. THRIVE forms the basis for the THRIVE Framework. It is a transdisciplinary, holistic modelling system. The model, itself, is the Systemic Holistic Model (SHM).
The SHM uses back-casting to solve problems. This method uses a way of envisioning the desired outcome and then work out the steps necessary to get there. But wait, there’s more! The SHM uses 12 Foundational Focus Factors (FFFs) to guide the decision making processes used in back-casting. Furthermore, these FFFs are the pathway, the tactics, to achieve the strategy, which are the SDGs whose ultimate aim is creating a thrivable future for everyone, including you and me.
In the context of homeschooling, back-casting is used. The parent is using this in their own personal life, rather than as a business.The parent engaging in this would not see themselves doing this, but it is exactly what they are doing. In fact, they are envisioning the outcome they want and then devising the path towards it.
Entity Model
Entity model is one of THRIVE’s 12 FFFs. Its aim is to navigate what an entity can do. An entity is anything from a small single-celled organism to the entire cosmos. These models shape the boundaries that outline their limits. THRIVE’s logo, a ciambella chart, outlines two important boundaries for humanity to adhere to. One is a social floor, denoting the minimum for an entity’s survival. The other is an environmental ceiling, where too many resources are taken from the environment. An education links into this FFF by ensuring people remain above the social floor through an education.
Multi-Capital
Another one of THRIVE’s FFFs is multi-capital. Multi-capital is about understanding that capital is not only financial. Real capital takes into account other forms of capital, such as social and human capital. Education plays a key role in human capital. When a business has an educated employee, this is part of their multi-capital and can be listed as an asset.
Another thing we can see with multi-capital, is that the parent, their time, and their interest in their child’s education, could also be seen as a form of capital. Though it isn’t within the confines of a business context, it is still an asset the parent can draw on to be an excellent homeschooler. Furthermore, the past and talents of the parent are also part of that capital.
Systems Thinking
Systems thinking is also a FFF. It is about looking at the big picture to solve the problems. We’ve all heard the phrase “everything is connected”. Well, it is. Systems thinking views the issues bearing these connections in mind. An education plays a key factor in developing the mind in such a way as so that it can see how the various parts of different systems interconnect and impact each other.
Furthermore, for a parent to homeschool their child, whether they realise it or not, they are looking at the situation through the lens of systems thinking. The parent is taking a holistic view of the situation involving their child and education.
Learning With THRIVE
Hopefully, this article answered your question of: is homeschooling good for students. If it did, I would love to invite you to continue your learning journey with THRIVE. We offer a wealth of resources for both the budding sustainability enthusiast and the experts in the field. Please, visit our website, peruse our informative blog, subscribe to our YouTube channel, sign up for our amazing newsletter, follow our fascinating podcast, or attend one of our incredible webinars.
