How Online Schools Support Homeschooling Parents

What is Homeschooling?

Homeschooling is the education of children of school-going age, often referred to as home or elective home education (EHE). Several homeschool parents use less conventional, more customisable teaching approaches that institutions may not always provide. These methods are usually designed by a guardian, tuition teacher, or online teacher. Homeschooling in practice might vary considerably. The idealogy of homeschooling is different and can include organised forms based on usual school lessons to open, unstructured forms, and a homeschooling implementation free of lessons and curriculum. The guardians and caretakers who previously participated in traditional schools go through a de-schooling period to leave behind school habits and start inculcating homeschooling practices.

Need for Homeschooling?

Before mandatory school attendance regulations were implemented, most children’s education was handled by families and neighbourhoods. By the early nineteenth century, enrolling in a school had become the most popular learning method in developed countries. More individuals began to doubt the effectiveness and viability of education in the mid to late twentieth century, thereby leading the no. of homeschoolers, particularly in the United States of America and several European nations. In many countries, homeschooling is currently a moderately prevalent method of education and a legal option in public and private schools, which several individuals attribute to the emergence of Networking, allowing individuals to get knowledge rapidly. Homeschooling is also regulated or prohibited in several countries, as covered in  the document titled “Homeschooling International Status and Statistics.” Numerous students from various parts of the globe were compelled to study from home during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the virus’s danger. However, this was largely conducted through virtual education rather than traditional homeschooling.

Impact of Homeschooling on Children

Homeschooling critics believe children may lack social contact at home, resulting in weaker social skills. Some people are also concerned that some parents may lack the necessary abilities to assist and counsel their children in life skills. Critics further argue that if a child is not enrolled in school, they may not meet individuals from diverse cultures, worldviews, or socioeconomic classes. As a result, these opponents argue that homeschooling cannot ensure a complete and impartial education and that children might be indoctrinated if educational standards are not set. Frequent monitoring by regulatory agencies is not provided. Many studies suggest that homeschooled children outperform public school children regarding standardised test scores, social skills, and participation in cultural and family activities. Furthermore, studies show that homeschoolers have stronger self-esteem, closer connections, and better interactions with adults and are less subject to peer pressure. The figure below defines in detail why parents choose to homeschool over traditional classrooms. 

Homeschooling Over Traditional Method: 

Advantages and Drawbacks

Homeschooling can be done for various reasons, varying from individual interests to dissatisfaction with the state school system. Sometimes parents think that homeschooling offers their children superior educational chances; for example, since parents understand their child better than a professor and can devote their complete attention to education, usually one to a few or more people, and thus may more accurately adapt to their unique talents and shortcomings, or they feel they can best prepare their children for a future beyond the school. Educating children at home is also an alternative for families who reside in distant rural regions, are temporarily overseas, or travel regularly and so face hardship or difficulty in enrolling their children in school, as well as those who intend to spend more time and enjoy it better with their children. Apart from the reasons mentioned above, health and particular demands might also be responsible for why children are homeschooled and cannot attend school regularly.

Why Homeschooling?

While determining whether homeschooling is good or bad is difficult, it has been estimated that around 56% of parents favour homeschooling, indicating it is not a bad alternative. When it comes to traditional classroom learning, children and parents put in a lot of time, money, and effort. Still, the results include no personal time, poor health, and sometimes no interaction with family members owing to scheduling differences. Given the above considerations, parents should adequately select if their children require regular school or if they require homeschooling. After all, it’s a matter of children’s education, not merely a debate.