A headline on a satire website reads, “Kid Outed As Homeschooler After Looking Adult In The Eyes While Talking.” Man, way to expose us. Although written as a joke, I find myself smiling at this allusion to the uncanny knack homeschoolers have for interpersonal skills. A veteran homeschooler myself, I’ve heard all the stereotypes — some true and others less so.
The “homeschool weirdo” myth? It’s even more stubborn than the kids who insist on full eye contact and follow-up questions. Many parents, though, are realizing homeschooling might be the best way to support their child’s growth — not just so they’ll look adults in the eyes, but so they can thrive academically, emotionally and personally.
Homeschooling remains a minority choice, but its popularity has grown significantly in recent years. Following the pandemic, rates nearly doubled and have stayed well above pre-pandemic levels. This trend spans racial backgrounds, parental education levels and household incomes.
Why is this happening? Here are three ways homeschooling helps kids reach their potential.
Intellectual development
According to research from the National Home Education Research Institute, the home-educated are outperforming students in institutional schools. On average, homeschoolers score 15 to 25 percentile points above their public-schooled peers on standardized academic achievement tests. They also tend to score above average on the SAT and ACT.
The homeschool environment allows many students to thrive academically. The one-size-fits-one teaching style caters education to each child’s strengths and weaknesses. Kids can go at their own pace, rather than being held back by or forced to keep up with the pace of the classroom. And busywork — the suppressor of love of learning everywhere — can be politely escorted out the door.
When kids aren’t bored or overwhelmed, what’s to stop them from loving school? And what better way to help kids reach their intellectual potential than to help them want it for themselves?
Social and emotional development
The number one question I get asked as a homeschooler is whether I had any friends. Luckily, yes — homeschoolers can and do have a social life. Co-ops, online classes and extracurriculars provide abundant social opportunities. And because students aren’t tied to traditional school hours, they often socialize in diverse settings, building communication skills across age groups.
One of these skill-developing groups is the family. As parents work with, play with and teach their children, they become a team. In an article for Psychology Today, family scholar Calvina Ellerbe explained that her own children became more responsive and that meaningful interactions increased when she shifted to homeschooling.
And these benefits aren’t limited to parent-child relationships. Children learn emotional and social maturity from siblings. The family can spend more time engaging in relationship-building activities together. School can be structured around family instead of family structured around school.
Personal development
Homeschooling provides many opportunities for personal growth and development. Because of my flexible schooling, I was able to start a piano studio as an 8th grader and continue teaching lessons for the next five years. Not only was this a dream come true, but it also let me save up for college and learn many skills that I still use today.
The curriculum flexibility of homeschooling allows children to explore their natural interests, letting students become musicians, athletes or young entrepreneurs. Children are natural learners, born with the desire to discover. Homeschooling fosters this innate attribute, giving young students the freedom they need to explore and pursue.
During this pursuit of interests, students may learn to be responsible for their own learning — accountable to themselves for reaching their goals. Additionally, parents are better able to guide the influences and ideas shaping their child’s development. Kids may also be less subject to forms of negative peer pressure or bullying, contributing to a healthier sense of self.
Of course, not every family has the resources and bandwidth to homeschool, and homeschooling is not the best choice for every child. However, children do need an education built around them — one with freedom, fun and family. Homeschooling offers this environment in unique ways and might be the right choice to help your child reach their full potential. And who knows — maybe they’ll even master the rare art of talking to adults along the way.