10 Benefits We’ve Gained from Homeschooling
“The object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throughout their lives.”
Deciding to homeschool our youngest two children was a BIG leap of faith for us. We wanted the flexibility and freedom that a homeschooling schedule would offer, but it was a foreign concept for all of us. Some of our family and friends were a bit skeptical too. We realized that this was a somewhat uncommon preference and we were going to have to forge our own path.
We filed the proper paperwork with our state, set up our homeschool, and jumped in with both feet! Here’s the BEST part… we started to see payoff almost immediately! Here are 10 exciting ways we have all benefited since pulling the girls from their public school learning environment.
Improved Recall – They talk about what they’re learning a lot! Dinner conversations are more robust. We need only ask “what did you learn today?” and we are rewarded with a passionate account of what they learned and how they performed. This recall tells us that they really understood what they learned and will retain the information long after the course is completed.
Good Competition – They get immediate feedback on assignments and assessments and they have the opportunity to retest for a higher score. This has made them take pride in, and responsibility for, their performance, and they work to achieve at a consistently higher level.
Increased Motivation – They actively seek opportunities to learn beyond the given curriculum. Rachel seeks opportunities to learn new techniques to improve her art and is now actively working on her first graphic novel. Sophie spends time on Scratch learning new and more efficient ways to code animations and games, and she’ll soon be ready to learn a more advanced coding language.
Real-World Application – For example, Rachel learned about Impressionism in her Khan Academy course and was able to speak intelligently about Impressionism when we took her to Claude Monet’s home in Giverny, France. She also gave us a comprehensive lesson on Grecian column structure while we stood admiring the architecture outside the Louvre. This real-world experience reinforced her learning and rewarded her by making her feel more confident.
Learning Opportunities Everywhere – Sophie sees a new video game that she likes and begins wondering what the code behind it might look like and how she could replicate it. It changes the way she views and interacts with the world around her.
Love of Learning – They don’t have to adhere to a specific mandated schedule. No more whining about getting up early to get to school on time. This also allows them to determine when their peak performance time is for each subject and complete the work when they are in the best frame of mind. They are no longer distracted by things that can happen in a classroom like disruptions or individuals having a bad day. They can learn at their own pace, going faster when the information comes easily and slowing down to absorb more challenging material. Their confidence has grown and their love of learning is at an all-time high.
Independence & Responsibility – I assign the number of steps that need to be completed in each subject for a given week. It is then up to the girls to manage their time effectively to ensure the work is finished. They start with help videos, provided by their teachers, and come to us with questions if they’re still struggling. Each milestone that is met independently brings a sense of pride and accomplishment. After receiving a 90% (or higher) on a test, they often can’t wait to share their results. If the test score is not the outcome they hoped for, it’s easy enough to regroup, review, and retest. Learning to work through challenges on their own, or knowing when to seek assistance, is a huge skill and mindset that will serve them well for their entire lives. We love watching them develop this determination and confidence.
Reading for Pleasure – With a traditional schedule keeping them at school for 7+ hours a day and sending them home with loads of homework, they weren’t keen on reading for pleasure. Now that they have control of their time, they enjoy reading more. Sophie has read various coding books and has discovered the I Survived series. She really enjoyed reading about WWII after having walked the D-Day beaches. The pages hold more excitement when real world experience brings it to life. Rachel loves Rick Riordan’s books and her time in the Greek, Roman, and Egyptian sections at the Louvre have reinforced her love of mythology which was first inspired by his writing.
More Experiences Together – Because we’re not tied to a school calendar, we can travel whenever we want. We can be out of the country for months at a time or go to the zoo in the middle of the week. If it’s a beautiful day, we can take a hike or go out for a picnic lunch and do lessons later. We eat more meals together and spend more time doing the things we love.
National Achievement Level – Our home state requires that homeschooled children take a national assessment of progress annually. We were pleased to see that both of our girls achieved significantly higher than the national average and one of them was in the top 2% relative to her peers!
We are so excited that this decision has not only given us the freedom to have Uncommon Family Adventures, but it has also greatly improved their individual lives in so many important ways. Have you ever thought about homeschooling? What are some things that have stopped you from making the transition? It might not be as difficult as you anticipate. We’d love to hear from you!
