Home-schooling From a Student's Perspective

Adults Taught at Home Share Their Experiences

Nov 8, 2009

In a brief questionnaire, former home-schooled adults share their feelings and overall impressions on being taught at home.

Many questions dance around a parent’s mind when in the initial stage of making the decision as to whether or not to home-school their child. Books and articles have been written listing the pros and cons of schooling a child at home, and many are very good and informative.

Home-Schooling Parent's Concerns

Addressing issues such as how to keep a child socialized while in home-school and even stress reduction exercises for the home-schooling parent, these resources are an invaluable aid in making a more informed decision regarding whether or not to home-school. Books, articles and magazines cover almost every topic of concern to a potential home-schooling parent; from different types of curriculum available and scheduling to how to incorporate sports and crafts to a home-school.

Yet the one area that seems to be overlooked time and again in much home-schooling aimed writing is the perspective of the student. In particular, the already grown home-school student.

Percentage of U.S. Children Being Home-Schooled

According to the U.S. Department of Education, in 1999 about 1.7% of school-aged Americans were home-schooled for at least one year of their lives. The same government agency reported that in 2003, 2.2% of children aged 5 to 17 were being taught at home. The numbers continue to rise steadily.

Interview with Formerly Home-Schooled Adults

A group of former home-schoolers aged 18 to 25 were interviewed regarding their home-schooling experiences. The overall feelings of their school years were positive, but the brief questionnaire revealed that almost all of the former students would change at least something about their homeschooling experience; from not being taught at home for as many years as they were to simply being involved in more extracurricular activities.

One former home-schooler, James, now a children's pastor, had perhaps the least positive overall experience of all questioned. "I don't look back on my [home-school] years with bitterness", the young children's pastor said, "but in no way do I look back on school with rosy fond memories". His mother, who was a Texas State 1st-12th grade certified teacher, was his primary instructor.

Positive Home-Schooling Experience

On the other end of the spectrum sits a recently wed film major Holly. Of her over-all home-schooling experience she said "I loved home-schooling and would recommend it to anyone. [It was a] very positive time." The reason the 24 year old was taken out of public school and put into home-school in 7th grade was due in large part to her father falling ill.

Like many home-schooled students, 20 year Baylor psychology major, Elba, said that one of the biggest benefits of being home-schooled was learning at her own pace put her one year ahead.

Home-schooled Kids are Self-Motivators

For the most part, once these home-schoolers got a little older (middle school years), the majority of them were essentially teaching themselves. They all reported that they are now self-motivators and self-starters due in large part to their home-school experience.

Of the participants questioned, only two had primary instructors or teachers who were certified to do so. One participant's teacher wasn't even a high school graduate. Only two of the people questioned had reservations about whether or not they themselves would be willing to home-school their own children. Andru, 20 year old Army medic said he would give it serious thought simply because of the time needed to give proper instruction.

The chosen careers of the young adults participating in the survey included working in Christian ministry, intercultural studies, film, creative writing, philosophy, psychology, and Army medic.

If considering home-schooling and one of the main concerns is “what will this ultimately do to my child”, the candor of these young adults who have “been there, done that” can help shed light as to what type of future may in store for a home-schooled child.

"Home-schooling: A Student's Point of View". Informal Questionnaire on Specific Home-schooling Experience. 08-09-2009

The copyright of the article Home-schooling From a Student's Perspective in Homeschooling is owned by Elvira Nieto. Permission to republish Home-schooling From a Student's Perspective in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.