There are so many great reasons to homeschool your kids, but many parents still feel unsure about making this change because of the misconception that homeschooling can lead to a lower standard of education, and ultimately, make your kids less smart.
However, statistics show that homeschooling can actually have the complete opposite effect, and that in fact, homeschoolers tend to be smarter.
So, are homeschoolers smarter? It would seem so. Here are the main benefits of homeschooling for learning and intellect to explain why.
1. Statistics Don’t Lie
We mentioned that statistics suggest that homeschooling can be beneficial for a child’s education and intellectual development. But what do we mean by this?
Well, studies have shown that while students attending public school tend to graduate from college at a rate of 59%, an impressive 67% of homeschooled students graduate from college.
Homeschooled students also graduate more frequently than kids from private schools and Catholic schools. 54% of Catholic school students graduate from college, whereas only 51% of private school kids end up graduating.
So, from the statistical data alone, it is reasonable to suggest that homeschoolers may be smarter than kids educated in either public or private school. If you’re wondering why that could be, keep reading!
2. More Focus On Subjects Of Interest
One of the main reasons why homeschoolers are often smarter than school-educated kids is because homeschooling provides the opportunity to focus more on subjects of interest.
A traditional school education means following a rigid timetable and allocating a specific amount of time to certain subjects every day.
That might mean taking math far more frequently than taking history classes, for example, which is not necessarily going to be beneficial if a child wants to study history in higher education.
Homeschooling does usually involve covering the same subjects taught at school, but there’s no rigid, mandatory timetable to stick to.
This means that kids are able to focus more on subjects that genuinely interest them, which will motivate them to dedicate themselves more to learning and is likely to result in success later on when it comes to higher education.
3. Opportunity For Personalized Learning
In addition to the ability to focus on subjects that interest them, homeschoolers are able to learn in the way that works best for them, as opposed to the way the curriculum deems best.
There are many different kinds of learning styles, including reading and writing, auditory learning, visual learning, and kinesthetic learning.
Much of the learning encouraged in school is based around reading and taking notes, and while this certainly works for some students, others may really struggle to absorb information in this way.
Homeschoolers are not bound by curriculum-mandated exercises and assignments, which means that they are able to use kinesthetic (tactile and movement-based), visual (image and graphic-based) or auditory learning to pick up new information.
This may mean that individual homeschoolers absorb information better on average than those learning in school.
4. Extra Time To Learn
Another benefit of homeschooling for learning and intellectual development is that homeschoolers get extra time to learn (if they want to).
Think about it: when kids have to travel to and from school each day, there is a certain amount of time dedicated to the commute.
Even the learning kids taught at school do when they get home is assigned to them according to the curriculum, which means that spending any additional time on areas of interest is very difficult.
On the other hand, homeschoolers can continue to learn about something that interests them without being bound by hour-long learning slots, and if they want to keep learning after their usual hours, they can do so more easily because they don’t have to travel home and complete mandatory homework assignments.
5. Ability To Adjust Schedule
One of the biggest obstacles to students learning to their full potential in school is, quite simply, the schedule and timetable.
School starts at a certain time, and finishes at a certain time. Lunch breaks are worked into the schedule with no room to adjust, and classes are allocated in one-hour slots that can’t be moved around.
This isn’t an issue for homeschoolers. If a child’s circadian rhythm means that they learn best if they start a little earlier or a little later, they can easily do so.
If they start to feel tired and hungry at any point in the day, they can take their lunch break and refuel for the rest of the day, and if they feel better able to study Spanish than Biology one afternoon, this can be arranged.
As a result, homeschoolers tend to learn more effectively because they aren’t forced to push through fatigue or mental blocks.
6. No Bullying Or Classroom Distractions
A common argument against homeschooling is the worry that students won’t be socialized properly.
However, there are many ways to ensure that kids get to enjoy a rich social life outside of school, and not being in a classroom full of other students every day can be beneficial for learning.
Unfortunately, bullying is still a major issue in schools, and being bullied can have a detrimental effect on a child’s ability to learn, as it can affect mental health and focus.
Even if bullying is not a factor, being surrounded by other students during learning time can lead to a lot of distractions, which is not nearly as much of an issue for homeschoolers.
Final Thoughts
All kids are individuals, and what works for one child may not work for another. Although many children may thrive in a school environment, the statistics show that based on college graduation, homeschoolers tend to be smarter.
There are several reasons for this, ranging from the ability to focus on subjects of interest and learn in the way that works best for them, to not having to deal with the negative impacts of bullying and classroom distractions on learning.
Leave a comment