My background. I grew up in a family of teachers – my mom and aunts, cousins, and so on. I got my undergraduate degree in Elementary Education and taught 4th grade prior to heading to law school. Later, our first two children went to public school, and then, we chose to homeschool our youngest two children. I have been on many sides of the “education” choices parents face, and I have considered the options and impacts on families and children. Out of all of the options, I find homeschooling has the most advantages.
Advantages in Homeschooling.
1. Flexibility. In terms of flexibility, there is no comparison between public schools and homeschooling. Homeschooling wins this hands down.
(1.) School Schedule. In public schools, you are locked into their schedule and start/stop time with zero flexibility.
(2.) Sick Days. If your child does not feel great, if you were in public school, you would probably send him on to school, but if homeschooled, you likely would have your child sleep in and start school after they feel better.
(3.) Family Vacation. If you want to go on vacation in the middle of a traditional school year, it is no problem if you are homeschooling. You can find the benefits of a less crowded and less expensive vacation.
2. Curriculum Choice. In public school, as a parent, you have little to no input on what or how your student is taught. By contrast, when homeschooling, you are the teacher, principal, and superintendent. YOU get to decide what and how you want to teach your children. There are many quality curriculums that homeschool parents can purchase and implement from home. As the parent, YOU get to decide what kind of worldview your student learns. For example, if you want a Christian perspective taught, there is no resistance.
3. Personal 1:1 Instruction. In public schools, the ratio of classroom teachers varies, but I had about 26 students when I taught. As a classroom teacher, I strove to make the classroom interesting and meet the needs of each of my students. However, this cannot compare to the ratio of homeschooling, which can be 1:1 or 1, to the number of kids in your family that you are teaching. Even if you have zero educational instruction background, this ratio is incredible for helping ensure your child learns the concepts before you go to the next lesson. In public school, this would be an impossible goal.
The good news is that your family can decide what is best for your child(ren). These are a few of the advantages for you to ponder. I hope you will be encouraged to look into it more and consider homeschooling. Some families make a decision year to year. Others make a decision and stick with it. There are also some great private schools that work for many families. There are many good options, and YOU get to decide what is best for your family.
Blessings,
Jeanne
Copyright 2025
