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.
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.
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:
- More than half of Americans between the ages of 16 and 74 (54%) read below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level.
- Only 35 percent of fourth graders are reading at or above grade level. In addition, 64 percent of eighth graders are reading below grade level.
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?
Related – Pride 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?”
Homeschool Reality: Weekly Lesson Plan Recap #40
Monday
THE PLAN
- Physical Therapy – 2 hours
- YouTube Video or Google Search About A Preferred Topic
- Blood Plasma Infusion – 4 hours
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED
- YouTube – Mark Rober
- YouTube – Fish Geoguessr
- Blood Plasma Infusion – 4 hours
Tuesday
THE PLAN
- Audiobook and Discussion
- Social Time with friends at school – 1 hour
- Art class – 1 hour
- Voice class – 1 hour
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED
- Audiobook and Discussion – Banned Books
- Social Time with friends at school – 1 hour
- Art class – 1 hour
- Voice class – 1 hour
Wednesday
THE PLAN
- Physical Therapy – 2 hours
- CTCMath
- Banned Books Study
- Creative Writing – Poetry
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED
- Physical Therapy – 2 hours
- CTCMath
- Coraline Bug Theory (Halloween Book Study)
- Creative Writing – Poetry (typed)
Thursday
THE PLAN
- Audiobook and Discussion
- Social Time with friends at school – 1 hour
- Music Technology – 1 hour
- Rock Climbing Class – 2 hours
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED
- Audiobook and Discussion
- Social Time with friends at school – 1 hour
- Music Technology – 1 hour
- Rock Climbing Class – 2 hours
Friday
THE PLAN
- Halloween Chemistry
- Rock Climbing
- Current Events Discussion
- Audiobook and discussion
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED
- Halloween Chemistry
- Rock Climbing
- Current Events Discussion
- Audiobook and discussion
Our Nontraditional Homeschool Lesson Plan For This Week
| Week 41 | Lesson Plan |
| Monday | 1. YouTube Video or Google Search About A Preferred Topic 2. Blood Plasma Infusion – 4 hours 3. Current Events Discussion 4. Government – Midterm Elections |
| Tuesday | 1. Audiobook and Discussion 2. Social Time with friends at school – 1 hour 3. Art class – 1 hour 4. Voice class – 1 hour |
| Wednesday | 1. Physical Therapy – 2 hours 2. CTCMath 3. Banned Books Study 4. US History – The Civil War |
| Thursday | 1. Audiobook and Discussion in car 2. Social Time with friends at school – 1 hour 3. Music Technology – 1 hour 4. Rock Climbing Class – 2 hours |
| Friday | 1. Chemistry Experiments with Friends 2. Rock Climbing 3. Audiobook and discussion |
Reference Note: My son attends classes on both Tuesday and Thursday at a specialized private school. This is for elective classes like art and music, as well as social skills.
New Interest-Led Homeschool Lesson Plans And Updates, Every Week
Additional Resources For Strength-Based And Interest-Led Homeschooling
Take a look at all of our past lesson plans and recaps.
Research has shown that a learner who spends the most time studying in areas of strength, tends to perform exponentially better in all academics including the areas of weakness.These resources are a great place to start!
Shawna Wingert is a former training and development professional turned education specialist, and has homeschooled her two children for the last ten years.Shawna has written four books about homeschooling unique learners and has been featured in homeschooling discussions on Today.com, The Mighty, Simple Homeschool, My Little Poppies and Raising Lifelong Leaners.
You can find her online here at DifferentByDesignLearning.com.
