It is not what you do for your children, but what you have taught them to do for themselves, that will make them successful human beings.

-Ann Landers

By now you’ve probably heard of homeschooling.  It almost seems to be gaining greater popularity by the day.  Today it is not uncommon to meet homeschooling families in your community, online and across the country.  The days of the radically brave moms who pioneered homeschooling are a thing of the past as homeschooling has become more accepted and involving around 11% of American children.

It certainly is an exciting time for homeschooling as families are discovering the freedoms that go with it.  Homeschooling is reshaping the educational landscape and providing families with an empowering and enriching educational experience for their children.  Because the growth is surging homeschooling families can easily thrive in parallel with and alongside the traditional  school system.

Public and even private schools have been moving away from teaching the educational basics of reading, writing and arithmetic.  And, have been focusing more time on social issues and other non-academic topics that may not align with parents’ beliefs.  Many of these changes have been introduced without the parents’ knowledge or consent.  It almost seems like once a parent leaves their child at the school door, any parent input could be ignored and disregarded.  How many parents even know what their child is learning or what the school’s curriculum is?  Many parents would probably be shocked if they knew.

Why guess as to what your child is exposed to and is learning?  Wouldn’t you, as a parent, want to have full involvement in the upbringing of the young people who mean the most to you – your children?  As the growing awareness of the benefits of homeschooling  continues, the options and opportunities for children can only exponentially expand.  

So, what is homeschooling?

In essence, it is an educational experience outside of the established school system norm.  It can take shape in many different forms.  The parents can take full responsibility for their child’s educational experience.  The child can participate in an online program.  A private tutor or tutors can be hired.  Or, it can be any variation of these.  Or, none.  The possibilities are endless and up to the judgement of the parents who know their child best.  

A homeschool education allows for flexibility and ultimate personalization in the learning experience for your child.