What If Your Kids Don't Prove Homeschooling Works?

by Valorie Delp | More from this Blogger

04 Oct 2007 06:13 AM

Statistics overwhelmingly show that home schooling works. There has been research that shows that home schooled kids are better socialized, have better opportunities, score higher on achievement tests, and get into better colleges. Colleges are coveting young homeschoolers who they deem are more mature as a group and more serious about their studies. In fact, I've yet to see a good study that suggests that home schooling, on the whole is bad for kids.

But what if your kids just score average on their SAT's (or worse--what if they don't do well), and what if they're socially awkward. What if they don't get into a phenomenal college and what if well. . .they're just mediocre. Have you failed as a home schooling teacher? Could it be that home schooling for your situation was a bad idea?

Did You Do Your Best?

I have long said that one of the reasons I believe home schooling works so well is that you have highly invested parents. Ask any classroom teacher and they'll tell you that they can work miracles with a student whose parents are highly dedicated but when the parents don't care. . .it shows up in student work.

But the reality is that some children are different. Not everyone is made to go to Harvard and that includes students from the home schooling community too. It doesn't mean you're a failure. It means that you followed the right educational path for your child. A path, by the way, that he may not have had in traditional school.

What's Your Measure of Success?

I have written before about how I feel strongly that home educators should take the time to write a philosophy of education statement. What do you hope to accomplish when your journey is done and how will you get there?

My philosophy of education states that I want my children, above everything else, to be scholar servants. If they don't use their abilities and talents to serve others, then I consider my work, and their intelligence to have been mostly a waste. Notice there's nothing in that statement about high SAT scores. . .or even college for that matter.

Perhaps it's not your child or your home school that failed but your expectations that needed adjustment.

Regardless, if your child doesn't seem to 'succeed' like the rest of the home schooling community or like research suggests that he should--it's okay. It doesn't mean that you've failed. Remember that home schooling affords opportunities that simply aren't in traditional school and it's those experiences that you've provided your child.

Learn more about Valorie Delp

Hello everybody! My name is Valorie and I am one busy lady! When I'm not writing or editing for families, I am busy trying to get my brood of 5 in line.

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Nola Redd (7081) 04 Oct 2007 06:50 PM

Great perspective to keep in mind. Thanks!

Andrea Hermitt (5512) 05 Oct 2007 11:56 AM

that is a toughie... how does one measure success or failure when you don't have the in-school experience of the same child to measure it against. A so so outcome of homeschooling could have been an all out failure in public school... there is no real way to know.

Valorie Delp (49340) 05 Oct 2007 04:18 PM

True. . .but I don't think that we need to feel like we have to second guess our decisions. KWIM? Kids are built differently and the expectation that they'll all do superiorly well is not realistic. Perhaps they are just doing better than they would've done. But of course I wasn't considering the 'fixing' from public school that parents have to do sometimes.