Homeschooling is slowing gaining more traction, as more and more parents want to advocate for their children, their children’s rights, and their personal beliefs. According to a recent Forbes magazine, homeschooling isn’t just growing in the United States. The article stated that the Office of Schools Adjudicator saw a 40-70 percent increase in parents electing to homeschool. 

This increase in studies is not just happening abroad. In Southern Utah, home school programs are expanding to meet the needs of parents. The article states that within a decade, the population of those involved in home education in Utah increased by about 1,000 students. In the last four years, however, the population almost doubled in size. 

Just under 9,000 students in Utah were being homeschooled during the 2012-2013 school year, but the latest numbers from 2016 show homeschooling has grown to over 16,000 students.

Why are parents turning to Home School Programs as a viable option?

There are many reasons why a parent wants to take an active role in their child’s education. Homeschool programs do not necessarily have to be religious. As a matter of fact, wanting to have a say in what their children learn is of the largest reasons why parents opt to use a homeschooling curriculum. 

People feel empowered to choose how and when a child learns about a topic, as opposed to following a state mandated timeline. Some children are able to grasp topics rapidly, and need the additional time to expand their learning, while others need more time to build upon foundations. In a traditional classroom, these children are either sitting bored, waiting for others to catch up to them, or are left behind as they struggle to keep up. 

Other parents are exhausted by standardized curriculum and testing, and the push to perform instead of learn. They want their children to enjoy their school years, and look for homeschooling programs that promote a more holistic learning experience. 

Medical concerns and bullying can also be reasons parents want to keep their children out of a public school district, as there is not necessarily support for children who cannot defend themselves, either emotionally or physically.  

How to find the perfect homeschooling curriculum

There is no ‘perfect’ curriculum for all students. It can actually take parents a long time to find the perfect material that’s best suited for their children. Some parents who are homeschooling high school students may use newer, online homeschooling programs. Others choose to dual enroll their students with a college to offer them more challenging courses and electives. 

While there is a struggle at the beginning of the home school process, parents like that there is the flexibility to change their minds. In a St. George News article, Nina Wolf, Utah Home Education Association chairman, shared how she was able to find the perfect curriculum for her daughter. 

“Kids are not cookie-cutter models,” said Wolf. “Every child is different, their learning styles are different and their strengths and weaknesses are different.”

Wolf chose to create her own colorful, fun curriculum to learn grammar. However, her 7-year-old daughter let her know that it was too distracting. Wolf went out the next day to find a more straightforward curriculum and found her daughter understood the content better. 

This would not have happened if Wolf’s daughter were enrolled in public school, she shared in the article.

“Because I was homeschooling, I had the freedom to take what was happening and change it and find a way to make it work for her,” she said. “If she had been in school and that was just the curriculum, there’s not much I could do about it.”

With that freedom, though, comes a cost — financially and emotionally — on a family who chooses to home educate. 

“There are significant sacrifices involved,” said Wolf. 

Still, parents feeling led to have home schooled children can find support. Home Education associations like the Christian Home Educators Association (CHEA) of California, support groups, and co-ops can give valuable aid to parents learning the home school process. Online college classes for dual enrolled students can ease the busy schedule parents may find themselves in. There is even a home school legal defense association, to help parents understand what their rights are.

Regardless, there are plenty of choices parents can make, freely, as homeschooling parents. It’s up to them to learn what their rights are, and determine if this is the right education choice for them. Since the sacrifice is for their children, parents find that the payoff of home schooling is well worth the investment.