Hidden Benefits of Homeschooling

A-Z Homeschooling: Benefits

By A. Hermitt, published Dec 28, 2007
Published Content: 1,167  Total Views: 1,575,430  Favorited By: 90 CPs
Contact  Subscribe   Add to Favorites
Rating: 4.2 of 5
 
Font
 
Font
 
Grab this
Any homeschooler can quote superior test scores and the freedom of homeschoolers to explore their own interests. Everyone knows that school crime and danger are no longer a problem, and bullying is all but avoided. A great many homeschooling benefits are evident even to those who oppose homeschooling. In addition to these homeschooling benefits are rewards that are happening behind the scenes.

Here are some of the hidden benefits of homeschooling:

Eating Habits: There was a marked difference between my children's eating habits in school and their eating habits after we started homeschooling. When they were in school, my son ate in a rushed manner as he had become accustomed to waiting on line for his meal for 20 minutes and then wolfing it down in 10 minutes. My daughter on the other hand, after waiting in line, grabbed the dessert and threw the rest away. Since homeschooling, not only do they not only have more lunch options, they have time to eat it and I am no longer paying for food that will only be thrown away.

Medical Improvements: Before we started homeschooling, my son was suffering from a stomach ailment that was only getting worse. Having been born with it, we were prepared for a lifetime of problems. Since homeschooling, and having the freedom to use the bathroom whenever he wishes for as long as he needs to. After about a year of homeschooling, his problems are barely detectable.

Affection toward parents: How many 11 and 13 year olds still hug and kiss their parents? I quite a few, and most of them homeschool. Whether public educators want to admit it or not, formal schooling drives a wedge between parents and children. If the daily separation were not enough, then there are the subliminal messages that start in middle school that parents are the enemy.

 
Share
 
Save For Later
 
Publish Yours
 
Print
More by A. Hermitt
View all »
Hidden Benefits of Homeschooling

Notebook.

Credit: sakura

Copyright: sakura, via Wikimedia

You may also like...
Other topics: 
Comments
Showing Comments 1 - 15 of 27
Next >>
 
cool thoughts--i will keep it in mind as my little ones get older!

Add a Comment

Posted on 01/07/2008 at 9:01:27 PM

 
A fellow homeschooling mom here too! Great article! I have noticed the same with my son. He was constantly being bullied in school and I choose to homeschool this year. His behavior immediately changed and he no longer hated doing school work. It was the best decision I made for us both in a long time. He is not a morning person, so we can do school work in the afternoon and evening when we both are at our best! I get hugs and kisses all the time and he is Ten! Great Job! Thanks for writing!

Add a Comment

Posted on 01/07/2008 at 9:01:01 PM

 
Wonderful article! I enjoyed! :-)

Add a Comment

Posted on 01/07/2008 at 7:01:11 PM

 
Awesome article. I've been fighting with friends and family about my reasons for homeschooling my girls, and you've nailed it right on the head. Homeschooled kids aren't all necessarily "smarter," just as publicly schooled children aren't necessarily more social - but there is a definate advantage to homschooling because the child/children are given the opportunity of one-on-one tutoring and nurturing - something that is nearly impossible in a classroom of 25+ unique students. It's also a great alternative for hyperactive children or children with a learning disability, because no one can understand them, have more patience with them, and figure out what learning strategies work best for them than their parents.

Add a Comment

Posted on 01/07/2008 at 7:01:27 PM

 
Great article. I hadn't thought about some of these benefits before. Especially about how kids interact with their parents.

Add a Comment

Posted on 01/07/2008 at 6:01:21 PM

 
First of all, I question whether the doc is really a doc. He could be, but really, he is an anonymous person as far as we can tell. Even so, he hasn't posted a link to all the research he refers to. Could be that it doesn't exist. He seems concerned about homeschooled kids not having enough diversity. Oh really? I was in public school and spent all my growing up years with a bunch of affluent white kids my same age. How diverse is that? In contrast, because we homeschooled, we lived in India. In a city of 3 million people, there were 20 white people, counting our family. Our kids played with Muslim, Hindus, Sikhs and Jains. We were the only Christians in the neighborhood. Wow, too bad that homeschooling deprived my children of interacting with different types of people, huh? That is only one example. My kids (who are now in college and doing fine) thought it was so weird when we moved to a neighborhood with a bunch of white people. It just didn't feel right to have so little diversit

Add a Comment

Posted on 01/07/2008 at 5:01:53 PM

 
To the so-called doc: I know well how studies are conducted and the statement that non-homeschooling methods are best at preparing a student for college and listening to lectures is patently false and biased. I know many college professors who would laugh mightily at this statement. C.S. Lewis and Bertrand Russell were taught by tutors and did very well in life, as did the founding fathers of America and many, many others. But if you're looking for lazy students who listen silently to instructors, well yes, then public schools are great. Good teachers work hard though and like homeschooled students who they can interact and learn with.

Add a Comment

Posted on 01/07/2008 at 1:01:16 PM

 
great article. and i totally get the thing about how kids feel their parents are the enemy just by hearing what other kids say. sleep and good eating habits are important too. and they can still get in plenty of socializing even if they are home schooled.

Add a Comment

Posted on 01/07/2008 at 11:01:31 AM

 
Hm. A problem I see in this conversation is an awful lot of generalization - such as homeschooled kids are 'smarter' and more this or that... how open minded is this? I think some home school situations are good, and some are bad...same as public or private schools. One issue I have though, here in Missouri at least (I just wrote an article about this and am waiting for it to publish) are that the regulations for home school is so lax. Any old body can home school their kid - regardless of their own credentials. Is that really fair to the child? I know a local family, for example, that I included in my article...their mother, the 'teacher' was a high school drop out. Not a single one of her five children, all adults but one, have gone to college. None have had the desire, and I doubt any of them could pass the entrance exam. Again, four are adults, and none of them even want to leave home. Its a sorry situation.

Add a Comment

Posted on 01/07/2008 at 11:01:46 AM

 
Great article, we will be homeschooling my daughter next year, She has ADHD and the school system is not able to provide what she needs. They only want her medicated. We are not going that route. From all the research I have done homeschooling will be so much better for her. If she needs to get up and run around she can. No longer will she be labeled as the bad kid in her class. The reasons you have listed are all reasons we are going to home school.

Add a Comment

Posted on 01/07/2008 at 11:01:19 AM

 
Hi, I too am a homeschooling mom...I also want to know that link of "extensive research" from Dr. Rozenberg! I have to say that since my daughter got homeschooled she not only improved academically but, believe it or not, socially. She has been active in church activities, interacting with people...in different scenarios, also brainstorming on projects. She has more time to volunteer and help out in the community---where she meets people on all walks of life and different ages. She goes to Stanford University during summer with other kids her age. I would not think we are the exceptions, a lot of homeshcooling kids are really doing great and are getting accepted in colleges. You talk about experimenting in labs...she does that at home too and with equipment sent by the government for free...she has her own microscope, slides, etc.

Add a Comment

Posted on 01/07/2008 at 10:01:21 AM

 
I am not by any means referring to just sitting in desks at college. This is hardly how classes are taught these days. Many classes go on trips, do their own field work, experiment in research labs, etc in part of listening and taking notes. To say that all college is is sitting at a desk silently all day to create worker bees is ignorant. Non-homeschooling education seems to do a lot better at peparing children for college when it does come to lectures and listening to instructors though, which is an extremely important part of learning. Plus, there is a reason why you can't homeschool a student through college. Additionally, you may think that shielding your children from cliques and bullying is a good thing, but a lot of times it isn't. Children learn significant life skills in non-homeschooling environments. They learn how to deal with bullying and strict rules as well, both of which come up heavily in the real world.

Add a Comment

Posted on 01/07/2008 at 10:01:31 AM

 
Hi Sylvie Mac, don't worry about Rozeburg's comment. I doubt he's actually sitting in an ivory tower anyway. I was discussing the subject of homeschooling over the summer with an Oxford don, someone who actually is living and working in an ivory tower, and he thinks homeschooling is definitely the way to go. Many Ivy League colleges like Harvard actively seek out homeschoolers which is well documented, and I'd take the word of people teaching at Oxford over the word of anyone else. ;-}

Add a Comment

Posted on 01/07/2008 at 10:01:20 AM

 
Dr. Rozeburg, I suggest you take a trip outside your ivory tower and experience the real world of schooling. "Socialization" consists of sitting at desks most of the day, silently listening to the teacher. The rest, what there is of it, often involves bullying, cliques, and rushing from one class to another. As for cooperation, it's been shown that large groups are comparatively ineffective for accomplishing anything in real life--the burden usually being thrown on the most intelligent and the rest riding along. You might also pay more attention to current information about the success and the advantages of homeschooling instead of dragging out the old cliches and stereotypes. The bottom line is that formal schooling is one way to get things done, but not always the best, and certainly not the only way.

Add a Comment

Posted on 01/07/2008 at 9:01:26 AM

 
Well said Dreah. I love homeschooling and the opportunity it affords my children. I couldn't agree with you more. My children have great socialization skills and I am often asked if they are in a private school. They are also considered highly intelligent by their peers and by adults in the business world. What a great opportunity to develop a well rounded person by homeschooling. Keep up the great work!

Add a Comment

Posted on 01/07/2008 at 9:01:53 AM

Type in Your Comments Below - (1000 characters left)
Your name:

Submit your own content on this or any topic. Get started »
Showing Comments 1 - 15 of 27
Next >>
Most Commented On