More children are being homeschooled in the United States for a variety of different reasons. Some kids are bullied at school and their parents decide that their children would feel more comfortable learning at home. Other children really thrive being able to work at their own pace. Whether that pace is faster, or even a little slower if need be. Whatever the reason may be, homeschooling has definitely started to be more widely accepted as a means of education.

Instead of sitting in a classroom for six to eight hours a day, most homeschoolers can complete their work within three to four hours. This gives the child an abundant amount of free time to explore their own interests, and even have it worked into their curriculum possibly. For example, if a child is really interested in science, instead of only getting a science lesson at school that’s about an hour or so long, the student can further their knowledge on science by going to a science museum that a public school may or may not have had the time or the resources to take a class of twenty-five or so students to.

Some children may have a hard time focusing in school because of all the distractions that happen in a classroom every day. In a public school, a kid who is constantly distracted or daydreaming in class is typically written off as a discipline problem. Most of the time all these types of kids need is one-on-one instruction time, which a teacher who is constantly torn in different directions can’t provide, but a parent who is homeschooling can. Homeschooling isn’t only beneficial for children; it can be very beneficial and rewarding for parents as well. Many parents feel like because their children are in school for so much of the day that they don’t get to spend as much time with their child as they would necessarily like to. Through homeschooling they not only get to spend time with their children; they get to educate them as well.

Many parents also enjoy being able to cater the curriculum to their child’s individual needs. Every child’s learning style is different, and a lot of public schools sometimes tend to treat education as a one size fits all system, and that is definitely not the case. Some kids may pick up on a certain subject very quickly, and with other subjects you may need to slow down and explain things further instead of assuming the child understands it and just moving on. Everyone has their own learning style whether it’s in school, or just life lessons and general, and it is important to remember that.

I’m not by any means trying to undermine the public school system, because I really do commend teachers for how hard they try to help each individual student, even though at times it can be nearly impossible. I’ve been on both sides of the spectrum. I was in traditional school (public and private), from kindergarten to 5 ^th grade, homeschooled from 6^th to 8^th grade before going back to public school for high school. I’ve seen the pros and cons to both sides, and I wouldn’t change anything about my experience in school from kindergarten to now a soon to be sophomore in college. All I do want parents to remember is just go with your instincts, and discover what works best for you and your family.