What is the main reason parents decide to homeschool their kids?

Question

What is the main reason parents decide to homeschool their kids?

Answer 1

As glurpy said, there really isn't any "main" reason.  Every homeschool family decides to homeschool for their own reasons.

I live in an area with hundreds, perhaps thousands, of homeschool families; homeschooling is protected under our state constitution, and the city departments (like parks and rec) and local businesses are extremely homeschool-friendly.  I really don't know that I could go anywhere in town without running into a homeschool parent or child.

However, nearly every homeschool family I know does so for different reasons.  For some kids, it's academic - the schools in our area could not meet their needs.  For others, it's health related.  For still others, they homeschool due to religious convictions (not to keep their child "sheltered from evolution" or anything like that, but because they feel it's what God would have them do).  And for still others, it's because their children just plain learn best in an individual situation.  Some do it to foster strong family relationships and to be their child's main mentor.  And some do it for their own reasons.

Homeschooling is a very individual thing, and you can't tack a "main" reason on it.  The only reason that could be tacked on it is that for whatever reason, it's what's best for the child.

Hope that helps!

Answer 2

to save their money as possible they cant efford it

Answer 3

The  answer will vary from family to family.

It would be like asking the  question concerning the main reason parents would decide   where to go on vacation.  

Would you like to know our reason to homeschool?  Our son was not learning in school.  He was in the 8th grade and the school officials said he was performing at his potential.

They were wrong.  We homeschool him in  a tutoring style that the public school was unable to provide.  The officials in school did know that he worked best with personal instruction and in small groups.   We could not afford the time and money for Sylvan.  It was more efficient for us to homeschool him, providing him the method of instruction that works for him.

Please do not confuse homeschooling with distance learning.  They are not the same.  Distance learning would not work for our son, because it would be the same style of teaching  that did not work in the classroom.   Statistics show that the scores for homeschoolers are above those of traditional public school (classroom)  and online schooling scores are behind that of traditional public school.

Answer 4

I think it basically comes down to one word- FREEDOM. All the reasons people state are due to not having the freedoms to do those things in school or not do them.

Answer 5

We home schooled our children in the 80s when it was mostly Christians from Church who were home schooling We home schooled to protect our kids from the humanistic values being taught in the public schools, our one daughter had medical issues and we traveled a lot.. Others did it because you were a better Christian if you did so; this is what we were taught. We were Missionaries and traveled a lot; so to keep the family together we home schooled. We did let the kids attend a class or two in the Churches privet school, and they had a wonderful environment for World History, Geography, and Social studies. My kids had privet tours of many places in DC, experienced Cajun food and people and societies in the US and Europe. Plus other noted places of interest.  I am not sure I’d it again, except foe the reason of keeping a family together or other peer related issues.. We found others doing it and the kids hated it because it was just another way for parental control. Then others did it for better or ’noble’ reasons and the kids loved it. I even came across public school teachers’ homeschooling because the local school was deplorable! In England you are allowed to home school so long as the authorities know about it. In Germany it was illegal.

Answer 6

My mom are homeschooling me and my brother because when he was in kindergardan he came home cus and talking about how lesbians have s*x and how his best friend was touching girls places. so yeah and for me because my 4th grade teacher was a B*tch and she would like stand behind i kid and act like she was gonna strangle them and then sometimes she would take scissors and act like she was gonna stab you. A whole lot a parents told on her but they could not fire her because she had been working there for 20 years.

Answer 7

Mine decided to homeschool because of all the negative stuff that can often go on in school, and also because they wanted to give us a truly Christian education, which they could do by homeschooling us.  But they take it year by year and are not adamant that everyone should homeschool or anything like that, they just felt it was best for us, and I can say that it has been the best!

Answer 8

Public schools are just unacceptable for one reason or another.  That's the main reason people begin to homeschool.

Answer 9

my mom took me out of school because i was being bullied alot.

Answer 10

there are many reasons, some including:

-choice of curriculum:

  -for religious curriculum

  -for advanced classes

  -for special needs children

-flexible schedules:

  -for busy families

  -for traveling families

  -for children heavily involved in sports or acting etc.

-remove children from:

  -unwanted bullying

  -sexual harrassment

  -poorly run schools

  -weak curriculum

this is by no means a complete list, everyone that homeschools has their reasons, which can be part or all of the above list or more.

Answer 11

all sorts. Parents may decide to home school their kids because it's more easy for them, or because their children are ahead of the class, or because their children have some individual problem at school. No matter what's the reason, it still need careful consideration and the parents should consider the impact on the children.

Answer 12

I don't know that there is a main reason. I know many homeschoolers and they all seemed to have come to the decision for different specific reasons. Even those who pulled their kids from school (and I probably know more homeschooling parents who have pulled their kids than who started out homeschooling) have different reasons: treatment of other kids at school, other social stuff going on at school, treatment by teachers and administration, school not meeting children's educational needs... In one case, the mom described to me what I think would actually constitute abuse by the school.

Among those who started homeschooling, some were very influenced by John Holt, others knew homeschooling families and decided, "Hey, I can do that!", others decided to homeschool for preschool and kindergarten so they could be with their children longer while they were young and then decided they could continue longer, others decide it because they can tell that their children won't have their educational needs met at school, others are concerned about the social environment and think their children would be better off in a healthier envrionment, and many other reasons could be listed.

Although people tend to cite religion a lot, I have yet to meet a homeschooler in person who said that religion was the reason they chose to homeschool. We have free religious schools here as alternative programs within the public schools, we have religious private schools and we have what is essentially a public Catholic school system.

Answer 13

so they can control the content of the educational materials.  so they don't have to be worried about their child with other children.

some people live in far rural areas, some people do it for convenience.

Some people do it because their child has a learning disability...

There are many, many reasons...

Answer 14

To give their child a higher education.

To protect their child from the public school atmosphere.

To give their child one on one help.

Answer 15

I think if you are looking to nail down a main reason that parents choose to homeschool, you could phrase the decision something like:

The public school did not meet the needs of my child(ren).

Those needs are many and varied.  As others above have said, safety, positive vs. negative social environment, academics, flexibility, health related concerns, bullying, etc.

Answer 16

The reasons are varied.  Different people will have different reasons.

Some do it to have control over their children's education, so that they can be sure their children are getting a good, sound education.

Some are more concerned about values; they don't want schools teaching their children to disregard their own values or to think that religious ideas are not important.  They want their children to learn their values without negative, destructive input from others.  They don't want their children being taught by other children that it's cool to get bad grades or to take drugs or whatever.

Some are concerned with safety; they don't want to worry about their children being bullied and harrassed, or to worry about someone bringing a gun to the child's school and killing their child.

Some are concerned about their schedules; they don't want their life based on the schedule of a school, to have to plan vacations only when a school says it is okay, or to have to have their family life take a backseat to homework and projects that come up often at the last minute.

Some just enjoy getting to spend time with their children and getting to know them well and don't want to have to give that up any earlier than necessary.

Most people homeschool for a combination of reasons.  Very few people have only one reason for taking on such an important job.

Answer 17

Well, what is the main reason people public/private school their children?

I don't think there is one answer. It is just the best choice in their case.

Answer 18

some get suspended, and some just want to