Why Homeschool Is Becoming A Popular Choice Among Millennial Parents

Like all public spaces, the classroom hasn’t been immune to the extreme politicization of recent years. Increasingly, teachers feel they have a right to express and influence students based on their own personal and political views.

Along with the increasingly dystopian circumstances of being a public school student during the Covid pandemic, more parents than ever are considering homeschool as a legitimate option. Many parents across the political spectrum see their children being forced to wear masks, social distance, and carry the burden of adults’ fear, and they believe it’s a step too far. The damage being done to children due to these new regulations is undeniable from an immunological and psychological perspective. 

I think the case for homeschooling has never been stronger. Here’s why.

The Politicization of the Classroom 

An alarming number of viral videos are coming out of North American classrooms showing teachers inappropriately expressing their political views to their students. Not only do they cross a line in trying to persuade their students that their opinions are the only correct choice, but they actively mock and use shaming tactics against students who may disagree.

Political Rants and Lack of Objectivity

One of the most shocking videos secretly recorded and uploaded to the internet by a student shows a chemistry teacher using class time to go on a tirade about how much she hated the president and thinks anyone who supports him is an idiot. She even boldly encourages students to tell the administrators she’s saying so as she believes there will be no consequences for her behaving this way. 

Teachers are meant to be facilitators of learning to think for yourself, not social justice warriors.

Classrooms are supposed to be spaces where children can learn to think critically and to think for themselves. They should be offered a spectrum of opinions and information on many controversial topics and then equipped with the research skills and confidence to decide for themselves what they believe. Teachers are meant to be facilitators of this crucial process, not social justice warriors who propagandize youths with their own personal ideology and political preferences. 

Pushing Radical Gender Ideologies

In the case of gender theory, we enter even more distressing territory where activist teachers and educational groups have made it their chief concern to indoctrinate impressionable students with their beliefs on sexuality and identity. 

This leaked audio from a Toronto schoolroom where a teacher encourages students to disregard their parents’ beliefs in favor of gender ideology should give every parent great pause.

Under no circumstances should a teacher’s sexuality, gender beliefs, or ideological positions be a topic of discussion in classrooms. The fact that it has been normalized, and in some places embedded in the health curriculum, shows how far gone the school system is.

The Lowering of Academic Standards

The standards and curricula in public schools have been steadily lowered and dumbed down over the past decade. In many places, students are no longer able to fail exams or assignments, they’re simply given unlimited chances to redo their work until they receive a passing grade. The same can be said about what’s required to pass a grade as well. The governor of Oregon recently ended math, reading, and writing proof of proficiency requirements for high school graduates. What was required of students only a few decades ago is no longer expected of today’s youth, which, not surprisingly, produces mediocre results for everyone. 

If parents are to protect their children from these harmful ideas and anti-education practices occurring all over the West, one crucial way to take back control of our children's education is exploring family-centric education options like homeschool. 

The good news is that there are many more than these distressing reasons to put a child into a homeschool environment. As it turns out, even if the public school system wasn’t circling the drain, there’s a profoundly positive argument to be made for homeschool being better for children by almost every metric. 

The Benefits of Homeschooling

Covid Policies

The most obvious reason why homeschool is better than public school is that kids will not be forced to comply with illogical Covid regulations requiring them to stunt their social development by masking and social distancing for seven hours a day. Parents are able to determine what’s best for their children’s health and safety rather than the often unscrupulous school board members and local politicians. 

Customization

Personally, my favorite reason why homeschool is the best is because the pace, flexibility, and concentration of homeschool curricula are completely customizable to the needs, skills, and limitations of the student. If your child is exceptional, they won’t be forced to move at the pace of the slowest student in their class. If they work better in the afternoon rather than morning, that’s an accommodation that’s easily made. If a child has a particular passion for classical literature, a STEM field, or music, then these subjects can receive extra time and attention. 

Homeschool curricula are completely customizable to the needs, skills, and limitations of the student. 

Better Future Outcomes

The customization of education produces extremely successful future outcomes for children. Homeschooled children have better post-secondary outcomes and are more likely to have multiple degrees than their publicly schooled peers. Homeschoolers also have better social skills, are more socially mature, and have better communication methods than their publicly schooled peers. They’re even more likely to be entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs provide local services and employment of fellow community members which enrich the texture of society on the whole. 

A study was recently released showing that rates of abuse are lower for homeschooled children too. Couple this with the fact that children are not being used as proxies for a radical teacher’s activism, and the home shows itself to be among the safest environments for learning. 

Children who are homeschooled tend to live healthier lifestyles than their publicly schooled peers too. This is due to the fact that they have much more free time for hobbies, can spend significantly more time outside, are given time to explore, daydream, and play more often, and are more frequently taken on field trips which greatly facilitate learning. 

Flexibility

Many children don’t fit into the one size fits all program at public schools. Some children need to be able to eat more frequently due to high metabolisms, others need to be able to engage in physical movement regularly in order to focus. 

Homeschoolers have better social skills and tend to live healthier lifestyles.

There are children who do very poorly in loud, chaotic classroom environments and feel overstimulated by the noise, distraction, and frequent bullying of other students. The homeschool setting alleviates all of these issues by working with a child’s needs, rather than pathologizing them for not being able to sit still under fluorescent lighting all day. 

Finally, young boys and girls learn in very different ways. Homeschooled children can be offered education styles that are more in alignment with their nature due to the freedom of the home space.

Closing Thoughts

Homeschool is an intimidating undertaking for most parents. Taking the reins of your child’s education into your own hands is a huge responsibility, but it’s entirely worth it. The restrictions on two-income homes can make homeschooling more difficult, but not impossible. Home school communities, co-ops, and parents are joining forces to make homeschool more accessible to lots of different types of families. 

Don’t let the circumstances of your situation make you feel like homeschool isn’t an option for you. If you desire it, there’s a way. Reach out to local homeschool groups and seek support from more experienced parents if necessary.

Homeschooling your children allows for more family time, more home-cooked meals, more safety, more future success, and for families to not have their beliefs undermined by ideologues. Children deserve to blossom according to their own timeline rather than a standardized one. By taking on the challenge of homeschooling your kids, you allow them the freedom to think, grow, and be who they are truly meant to be. 

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