Yes, You Should Homeschool!

By STEVE BELONGER
The Response
March 3, 2023


The decision to homeschool your children is often daunting because many of us struggle finding the confidence to believe we have the ability to pull it off. I can attest to the unsurprising fact that no one does it perfectly and neither will you. But like most things in life, we try and fail and learn and succeed.

There are two big reasons you should consider homeschooling. The first is that you probably have a well-reasoned view of the standards flourishing in our schools today, and probably have a good idea of the standards you would prefer to uphold in your child’s or children’s curriculum. And you have a right to act on your principles. Secondly, and fortunately, there are a lot of parents with homeschooling experience to consult for strategy and wisdom. It doesn’t hurt that resources are abundant. This is not an underground movement.

Curriculum is a driving reason to Homeschool

Most homeschooling families choose to do so because they don’t agree with the curriculum in the public schools. It is heavily influenced by Leftist political agendas supported by the National Education Association. Certain school districts push racial agendas and sexual confusion doctrine that many parents disagree with or want to handle with their own parenting skills. Historical knowledge, for example, can be skewed based on what the teachers add, or leave out, from their own worldview.

Homeschoolers can choose their own subjects, and more importantly, their textbooks that reflect their personal standards. They don’t rely on a school board, or a department head at the school to decide what textbooks are appropriate. Many families are distrustful of government officials in general and distrust of public schools also comes under this banner. Trusting your own judgment is usually a safer bet.

I’ve been a homeschool dad and a public-school teacher. Believe me, homeschool parents are just as smart as the certified teachers in the public schools. School teachers get better at it (hopefully) because it’s their daily job. My first year of teaching was very stressful. I had to learn a lot. And homeschooling parents are the same way. They teach and learn as the years go on. The mistakes they make in the first year, are often remedied for the next year. And, after homeschooling a first child, they often do better with a second, third or fourth child. This is a normal, universal experience.

Your worldview matters

Your worldview, that you try so hard to teach your kids outside of school, gets incorporated into their academic curriculum: no deprogramming necessary. You don’t find yourself conducting interrogations trying to find out what the school is ‘teaching’ your kids. It’s called moral education and you are not at the mercy of teachers who are chipping away at all the standards you thoughtfully instilled in your children.

You pick the books that have the role models you want them to admire. If you want your kids to appreciate Washington, Franklin and Jefferson, you can choose that. If you want them to read classic literature instead of Stephen King, you get to control that. Remember, in life most of our stress comes from things we can’t control.

Homeschooling offers hands-on approach public education can’t match

Your children will receive instruction based on their progress or lack of progress. If one is struggling with math, you can slow down and spend more time on it rather than moving on to keep up with the rest of the class. If your child is overperforming in math, you can let them excel and not wait for the rest of the class to catch up.

Colleges love homeschoolers. Homeschooled children know how to study independently. Their academic progress is closely monitored by their parents. No one gets socially promoted even though they are not proficient at their current grade level.

Another wonderful benefit is that, while you’re homeschooling, you’re building a relationship with your child that parents and children in the public school system can often only dream about. A bond and trust can grow between homeschool parents and children that is extremely difficult in other educational settings.

The hardest part of any venture is getting started. It’s a lot of work but the benefits can last a lifetime and most likely will. Homeschooling parents and children will heartily attest that it’s well worth it.