| Whilst there are probably hundreds of reasons why | | | | members often choose to homeschool. The old |
| people choose to home-school, these ten seem the | | | | maxim "The family who plays together stays together" |
| most common good reasons why you would embark | | | | often comes in here and although this doesn't preclude |
| on this process. | | | | family members participating in their own individual |
| | | | activities, homeschool families enjoy a greater number |
| 1. Your child has special needs - Children with | | | | of recreational activities as a family. |
| Aspergers syndrome or Autism Spectrum Disorder, | | | | 6. Nomadic lifestyle. Many families from those in the |
| ADD or ADHD respond much better to one-on-one | | | | Defence Force, to fruit-pickers and showies, move |
| tuition. This is very difficult and costly to provide at | | | | around in their employment. This often has a |
| school, but is very easy at home. Their education is | | | | detrimental effect on their children's schooling and is |
| less likely to suffer as a result of hearing or speech | | | | often a reason for choosing to homeschool. Many |
| impairments or other such impediments - Mum and | | | | families also choose to be on the move temporarily, |
| Dad usually can understand them perfectly! Such | | | | travelling around the country or around the world. |
| children often do better in a familiar environment with | | | | Homeschooling provides a cohesive education for their |
| just one set of 'rules' - not one at home and one at | | | | children. |
| school which we are so familiar with. Children with | | | | 7. Alternative Educational Theories. Some people have |
| chronic medical conditions who spend a lot of time in | | | | researched other educational theories proposed by |
| hospitals often benefit from homeschooling too. | | | | people like Charlotte Manson, Montessori, Froeble, and |
| 2. Your child is not performing at the standard of other | | | | Steiner, and see great merit in their methods. |
| children. These deficiencies are often not caught until it | | | | Homeschooling allows them to follow these alternative |
| is too late to do effective mediation. Practices such as | | | | methods, which are available in the education system |
| repeating years at school and doing remedial classes | | | | but often not at a convenient distance. |
| or out of school tuition can have questionable | | | | 8. Gifted and Talented Children. Such children often |
| outcomes. With Homeschooling, you can start the | | | | need to spend many hours practising in the area |
| process from the beginning. Parents can keep a much | | | | where their gift or talents lie. Schools try to cater for |
| closer record of their children's performance, helping | | | | these students, but lack the resources to tailor such |
| them to negotiate learning obstacles along the way | | | | individual programs and although there are some |
| instead of discovering their lack of knowledge well into | | | | schools of excellence which cater for such children, |
| their schooling years. | | | | very often families find they are too far away. |
| 3. Your child is being bullied at school. Whilst teaching | | | | Homeschooling is an option which allows them to fit |
| children effective negotiating techniques is a plus, many | | | | school around such gifts and talents. |
| children bear the scars of bullying well into their adult | | | | 9. Values. Families who have value codes which may |
| lives. Schoolyard bullying is becoming a scourge of | | | | not necessarily be, but can include religious or cultural, |
| schools and although many of them have taken | | | | find homeschooling is a valid option for them. There |
| pro-active steps to prevent it, it doesn't mean much if | | | | has been much debate about including values in |
| they have cut bullying incidents by 99% if your child is | | | | education, but much of the criticism levelled at historic |
| the 1% they didn't manage to prevent. Homeschooling | | | | schooling systems was pointed at values education of |
| ensures bullying is not an issue. Peer pressure is | | | | the time. Values are not a homogeneous entity, so it |
| reduced and issues such as drug and alcohol abuse | | | | makes it very difficult to decide which and how to |
| are more likely to be avoided or observed early | | | | include them. In recent years, schools have erred on |
| enough to mitigate. | | | | the side of safety by ignoring them completely - which |
| 4. Lack of choice. Many parents choose to | | | | has probably had as disastrous outcomes as those |
| homeschool because they have limited alternatives. In | | | | being blamed on the historic schooling systems! |
| many places, they have only the choice of one school | | | | Homeschooling allows the passing on of family values. |
| which may be unacceptable for many reasons: it may | | | | 10. Dissatisfaction with the curriculum - many parents |
| be too small or too big, not have enough resources, be | | | | are not happy with what their children are or are not |
| a boarding school, have a 'reputation', etc. At the end | | | | taught at school. It is also common for children to not |
| of the day, only parents and the children themselves | | | | learn or not be taught things which are actually in the |
| will answer for their standard of education or lack | | | | curriculum. At Homechool, you pick your own |
| thereof. In homeschooling many parents feel they are | | | | curriculum and the way it is taught. In places where a |
| empowering themselves and their children by providing | | | | 'core curriculum' is required by legislation, this can |
| a better quality of education than that on offer in their | | | | usually be easily incorporated. Early literacy is an area |
| particular circumstances. | | | | where many parents find their children are let down. |
| 5. Family cohesion. Families often find that school and | | | | Homeschooling allows the use of resource material for |
| its extra-curricular activities eat into a lot of family time. | | | | the teaching/learning of such basic skills, such as that |
| Parents who wish to have a close family unit and | | | | from Quantum Literacy, which may not be used in |
| keep communication at a high level between its | | | | schools or in their child's school in particular. |