Homeschooling works for students who are behind, ahead, stubborn, creative, gifted, active, boisterous, strong-willed, or calm. No matter the mix of qualities you observe in your child, homeschooling can be tailored for their needs. In this blog post, we look at a few tips to help you accomplish this.
Personalized Learning
This personalized learning is often the number one draw that calls parents to homeschool their children. If you have a child who isn’t getting their needs met in a traditional classroom, then it’s time to make a change. The one-on-one nature of homeschooling is beneficial to students with all sorts of qualities and characteristics. And if you choose to use a curriculum provider for the content of their courses, then you get even more time to work with your child and tailor activities and hands-on learning experiences to their specific personalities and needs.
You can even scrap your planned lessons for a day or two to explore a topic of immediate current events, the topic of a book your child really enjoyed, or a scientific inquiry they expressed. Personalized learning means that you don’t have to abide by a bell-to-bell structure that a traditional school environment requires, and that sort of environment works great for both gifted children as well as students who might struggle to focus for long periods of time.
Flexible Structure
Personalized learning is also encouraged because of the flexible structure parents appreciate once they start homeschooling their children. Even if your state department of education requires a certain number of academic calendar days, you can still adjust your schedule to suit your needs, your students’ needs, and the needs of your family. A family trip can be educational, your students might work better later in the morning, or you and your students might need a day off on occasion to just be a family and have some fun. Students and families who need this sort of flexibility thrive with homeschooling.
With homeschooling, the burden of curriculum planning can be placed on a content provider, leaving you with a chance to take advantage of the flexibility homeschooling provides you. With a flexible structure, you get to pay more attention to your child’s needs, especially since you know them better than any traditional school staff member ever could. A flexible school day allows students to take breaks when they need to, to get out of the house to go for a run when they’re feeling unfocused or antsy, or to take a few minutes of quiet to reset their mental or spiritual state.
Productivity
How is it possible to take extra days off, take as many breaks as you need during the school day, and fit in lots of fun educational adventures and hands-on learning? The straightforward answer is that the traditional school day is packed with a lot of wasted time. From the five to ten minutes that it takes to take attendance and 8 minute passing periods to constant disruption from students whose reason for attending school has nothing to do with academics and the end-of-the-class-period checkout procedures, the public school system is wasting a lot of learning time. Homeschooling is a great reprieve for students frustrated with watching their time wasted every day at school.
When you take out the factor of 25 other students, your child has the privilege of getting down to business. Not only that, but you get to avoid the busy work that some teachers give in order to keep students occupied while they work one-on-one with only a select few students at a time. No wasted time and no busy work means that your child gets to focus on what is important in their courses and then move on to their own personal interests.
Homeschoolers are often provided opportunities to really discover what they most want to learn about, and they often have the chance to deeply explore their hobbies and talents. Curious students, gifted students, and student who need time to move around and take breaks all benefit from a more productive, less wasteful school day.
Safety
If you or your child has concerns about their mental or physical safety while attending a traditional school, know you’re not alone, and your concerns are founded on real issues of concern. According to federal data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the National Center for Education Statistics, federal surveys about school crime and safety prove that cyberbullying, student behavior issues, and school shootings have consistently risen over the past 10 years. For students who experience anxiety, homeschooling can be the best move to give them a chance to seek professional advice and alleviate their symptoms by providing a secure environment in which to grow.
The stress of today’s school environment takes a serious toll on students’ and parents’ mental health. In the past ten years, student bullying has risen to the point that over 23% of schools report serious issues with it on a daily basis. Parents feel helpless because they don’t always know the bullying is happening until its already taken a serious toll on their child. Students feel helpless because they’re backed into a corner: scared to report and scared not to report. Homeschooling offers a safe, nurturing environment in which your child can grow to be the young adult they were intended to be, unbattered by the hurting children walking the halls of most traditional schools.
Religious Freedom
One of the ways that children are harmed in traditional schools is when they are discouraged from practicing their religious freedom. Children are heavily influenced by those around them, so making sure that they are guided about their religious rights and beliefs is a benefit of choosing to homeschool. Your students can be taught the values of their faith, commit to practicing their faith on their own time schedule, and have the guidance of an knowledgeable, caring parent as they learn and grow. For especially spiritually sensitive children, homeschooling can be the exact environment that works best for them to explore their faith and blossom in their beliefs.
About Northgate Academy
If you’re not already a student at Northgate Academy but you’re interested in using our faith-based online high school program as an accredited choice for your Christian student, your Christian school, or as a resource for homeschool coursework, you can check out our programs online. We welcome and support our part-time students too. Every full-time student at NGA is assigned an Academic Success Coach and can communicate with subject matter experts via email or reach out to our staff through online chat and text.
Still have questions? Feel free to send us a text at 763-412-4701 or call us at 800-339-7132. Our academic support team will be happy to answer your questions or help guide you to the best program for you or your child.
