Method and Why Parents Choose Home-School

The article works through the range of methods home-schooling parents use, from highly structured miniature classrooms to free-form unschooling, and the main reasons families choose home-schooling instead of available alternatives.

Three approaches to home-schooling

Home-schooling parents take numerous different approaches to teaching their children. One approach may work wonderfully with one child and not with another, even within the same family. Home-schooling allows the flexibility to adjust the approach to fit the individual child, which is one of its advantages over standardised classroom teaching.

The three main approaches form a spectrum.

The miniature school or school-at-home approach is the most structured. Some parents use exactly the same methods being used in public schools. They have small in-home classrooms with desks, chalkboards, and other classroom equipment. They follow schedules with specific start and end times for different subjects. They administer scheduled tests and use grading systems to evaluate progress. Their stance is that the public school approach is essentially sound; the difference home-schooling makes is that the parents can provide personal supervision that a teacher with thirty students cannot. The child gets a structured education with the added benefit of one-on-one attention.

The unschooling approach is the opposite end of the spectrum. Some home-schoolers follow the approach developed by John Holt and others (covered in detail in the next chapter), letting children become excited about their surroundings and learn through exploration and discovery. There is no fixed curriculum, no scheduled subjects, no testing. The child’s own interests drive the learning, and the parents support the child’s discoveries as they happen.

Most home-schooling parents take a middle way between these two extremes. They allow children the flexibility to follow their interests while providing structure where necessary to ensure the child is learning the basics. The basics (reading, writing, arithmetic, basic science, basic history) are taught with some structure; the broader exploration of topics that the child finds interesting happens with much more flexibility. The combination tries to capture the benefits of both approaches without committing entirely to either.

The variety of approaches is one of home-schooling’s distinctive features. A conventional school cannot offer the same flexibility, because it must provide a standard programme to many students at once. A home-schooling family can adjust the approach to the specific child, the specific subject, and even the specific stage of development the child is currently in.

Flashcard

What are the three main approaches home-schooling parents take?

Tap to reveal

Answer

Miniature school (school-at-home), unschooling, and the middle way

Miniature school: same methods as public schools, with in-home classrooms, schedules, tests, and grades, plus personal one-on-one supervision. Unschooling: no fixed curriculum, schedule, or testing; child’s own interests drive the learning. Middle way: flexibility to follow children’s interests while providing structure for the basics. Most home-schooling parents take the middle way. The variety of approaches is one of home-schooling’s distinctive features; a conventional school cannot offer the same flexibility because it must provide a standard programme to many students at once.

Why families choose home-schooling

Many families decide to home-school their children, and the reasons cluster around several major themes.

The first is lack of confidence in the educational system. Many parents believe they can provide better education than any public or private school is offering. The parents may have specific complaints: academic standards at the available schools are not satisfactory, the learning environment is poor or absent, the teaching is uninspired. The parents who choose home-schooling on these grounds are not necessarily anti-school in general; they are dissatisfied with the specific schools available to them and confident they can do better at home.

The second is religious or spiritual beliefs. Some parents feel that religion has fallen to a distant second place in modern school education. Public schools, in most countries, are required to be secular in ways that exclude religious content from the curriculum. Parents who want their children’s education to be religiously formed may find this unsatisfactory. Some religions have specific rules or beliefs that are best adhered to or met in a home-school setting, where the family can integrate the religious life with the educational work in ways that a secular school cannot.

The third is special needs. A child with special needs may thrive in a home-school environment in ways they would not in a conventional classroom. The special needs may be specific to learning style, developmental level, or overall physical health. Conventional classrooms can have difficulty providing the more specialised attention, instruction, and interaction these children require. A tailored home-schooling curriculum can be a key to educational success for some children. Parents who are already aware of and in tune with their child’s special needs have a head start in finding the precise learning style and approach that works.

The fourth is parenting philosophy. Parents may believe they can foster desirable character traits and morals in their children better than a conventional school can. Through home-schooling, parents hope to instil their personal morals and values in their children. Some parents feel that the philosophies of the schools and the school staff do not complement their own family and parenting philosophies. The mismatch leads them to choose an arrangement where they can shape the educational experience to match what they want for their children. Parents may also feel alienated by a failing school system or by a difficult environment on the school campus.

The fifth is unattainable private schooling. Many parents who would prefer private schooling over public schooling cannot send their children to private schools, often for financial reasons or because no suitable private school is available in their area. Home-schooling becomes the option that gives them the alternative to public school they wanted. This category is significant in many communities where private school access is limited.

Other reasons include practical concerns: transportation and convenience (where commuting to school is difficult), inaccessibility of schools (in remote areas), behaviour problems of children (in cases where the child has difficulty in the school setting), and concerns over safety (where the school environment is judged unsafe for the particular child).

The combination of reasons varies across families. Most home-schooling families are driven by some combination of these motivations, not just one. The decision to home-school is usually substantial enough that multiple converging reasons are needed to push the family into the choice.

Flashcard

What are the main reasons families choose home-schooling?

Tap to reveal

Answer

Lack of confidence in available schools, religious or spiritual beliefs, special needs, parenting philosophy, unattainable private schooling, and practical concerns

Most home-schooling families are driven by some combination of these motivations. Lack of confidence: parents believe they can do better than the available schools. Religion: parents want religious formation that secular schools cannot provide. Special needs: a child whose needs the conventional classroom cannot meet. Parenting philosophy: school philosophies that do not match the family’s. Unattainable private schooling: families who would prefer private school but cannot afford or access it. Practical concerns: transportation, accessibility, behaviour, safety.