Would My Homeschooled Child Be Better Off In School?

For many homeschool parents, the question often in the back of their minds is, “Would my homeschooled child be better off in school?” I know, because I have been asking myself the same question for years.

Would My Homeschooled Child Be Better Off In School?

Last week, I spent some time with a child almost the same age as my son. She struggles in reading, like my son. She struggles with writing, like my son. She is sixteen years old, and her parents have just started homeschooling her. 

As we worked through different options for reading practice, her mom said to me, “I think she would’ve been better off if we’d homeschooled her.” 

“Funny, I used to wonder all the time if my child would’ve been better off in school,” I replied. 

The reality is, we do the best we can with what we’ve got and our children are always better for it. Nothing is as impactful as a parent doing the best they can for their kids. 

Would My Homeschooled Child Be Better Off In School?

For years, I struggled with this question. 

Although I knew there were so many advantages to homeschooling, I felt inadequate when faced with my son’s learning differences and disabilities. I often wondered if he would be better able to read if someone else had taught him.

It’s one of the reasons we enrolled in a public homeschool charter school. It seemed like the best of both worlds. 

We’d have therapists working with him on all the things, including reading intervention and educational therapy, but he would still have the advantages of homeschooling with me. 

Spoiler alert: It was not the best of both worlds.

I shared what I think are the pros and cons of homeschool charters, based on my experience,  in this episode of The Raising Lifelong Learners Podcast. If you want all the details, take a listen!

Traditional School vs. Homeschool

As my son worked with an educational therapist, three times a week at our kitchen table, the realization slowly hit me. 

She was doing exactly the same things I had been doing for years. 

If anything, I was better at them, because I knew my son. I could incorporate interests and skip the exercises that I knew he would find “babyish”. 

I knew more about my child than she did, and that gave me an advantage. 

Public School Reading Programs

Please, let me stress, I am wildly supportive of public school teachers trying to figure this reading thing out with 35 kids in their classroom. I struggled to figure it out with one. 

That being said, take a look at these reading statistics:

I share these statistics in the hope that if you are homeschooling a struggling learner, you will see the reality. You may be worried that the school down the street may be a better option for your child, but is it really?

PRIDE reading program

RelatedPride Reading Program: An Excellent Choice For Struggling Readers

The Homeschool Debate

It may shock you to hear that, even with the above statistics, I do not think that homeschooling is the best choice for every family, or even for every struggling reader. 

This is not a “homeschool is better than” discussion. 

Simply put, you have no idea if your child would be better in school. What you should know is that school is not necessarily the solution it seems to be, especially if your child has learning differences.

When I look at the reality, it helps me feel more secure in my decision and not have the constant worry and wondering, “Would My Homeschooled Child Be Better Off In School?”

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One Comment

  1. Dana Robbins says:

    Ty for you outreach and heart of compassion! There is much wisdom amd strength in sharing our stories. We all learn and seek ways to help our suffering child. Along the way you do feel isolated and are in a lot of ways. I value and appreciate deeply your outstretched hands and heart to help me help my son. God bless

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