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Pop quiz! What type of education allows you to teach and your child to learn whenever and wherever they want? If you guessed public school, you would be incorrect. Private school? Nope. The answer is…homeschooling! Yes, homeschool programs offer families the utmost education flexibility. In what ways does homeschooling provide? Let’s take a look.
Flexible Schedule
We know that not all families have the benefit of working 9-to-5 schedules. Even homeschooling families have one or two working parents who struggle to conduct a school day during “regular” hours. At times, it’s an impossible task. Some parents work late shifts, some work overnight shifts, and some may even work multiple jobs. Why should families with working parents miss out on all the benefits a homeschooling flexible schedule provides? If you’re homeschooling as a single parent, your schedule may be even more difficult.
And that’s one of the major advantages of homeschooling–education flexibility. It doesn’t require an 8-to-3 school day. School can be six hours a day or two hours a day. It can be five days a week or three days a week. School can start at 5 am or 5 pm. You get the idea. The point is, homeschooling works around your schedule, not vice versa. And the beauty is, you can try different times, options and schedules until you figure out what works best for your family!
For instance, busy parents may want to take advantage of live online homeschool classes with teachers when they are unavailable to do the teaching themselves. During live online classes, learners will be part of an engaging learning experience with students from across the United States and around the world. Teachers keep parents up to date regarding the student’s progress and help to hold them accountable for class requirements.
Location
If you’re thinking about homeschooling, you obviously know that school can be conducted in the comfort of your own home. That’s what many people picture when they think about homeschooling–a comfortable, welcoming classroom setup inside the home where you teach and your child learns. And that’s the way that many people go–it certainly is a tried-and-true homeschool method.
But it’s not the only one.
How about homeschooling at a nearby park? Or at a museum? Maybe a zoo? The point is, homeschooling knows no boundaries, and the possibilities are nearly limitless. Maybe you drop your child off with the grandparents for the day–homeschooling can happen there! Perhaps you planned a road trip with the family. Guess what? School can take place in the car! Or on a train or a plane!
In fact, some families are so busy traveling with competitive student-athletes or performers that homeschooling almost has to happen on the way to practice or rehearsal, or a meet or competition. You’ll often find student-athletes and performers with books and a laptop spread out wherever there’s room as they study in between reps or during a break. Homeschooling makes these dreams possible–otherwise, there wouldn’t be enough hours in the day to hone their craft and receive an education.
But your child doesn’t have to be a star athlete or a musical prodigy to benefit from the flexibility of being able to take school everywhere. Learning about sharks and marine biology at an aquarium is just as rewarding!
Pacing of courses
If you were a public or private school student, you know that there’s not much education flexibility. You’re at the mercy of the state and the school district, both of whom have standards that need to be met each school year. So, kids are more or less locked into the subjects they’re going to learn without much say in the matter.
Students are also at the mercy of their teachers and other students. Because of these state standards, teachers must keep the lessons moving at a certain pace so they can finish all of the mandated curriculum by the end of the year. This is fine if a student is able to keep up and understand what’s being taught. That’s not always the case, however.
If you struggled in a certain subject while you were in school (for me, it was all math beyond algebra), you probably remember how helpless you felt as the teacher and class kept moving forward with the lessons while you struggled to grasp the concepts and, subsequently, fell behind. It’s an awful experience for a child of any age, and it’s one that damages their already-fragile confidence. Which begs the question…
Why put your child through this?
The complete opposite scenario is also a possibility. Your child is so good with the lessons and concepts that they learn it quickly…and then wait. While not as helpless a feeling, having to wait for your classmates and teacher to catch up to what you already know is no fun. And it can leave a student bored and uninspired.
Not with homeschooling. If you have a child who’s struggling with a topic or subject, you can take as much time as necessary to help them get it right. And you can use other resources (online supplements, tutors, etc.) to help them get there. Conversely, if your child demonstrates proficiency in a certain subject or lesson, you can move right along to the next one! Homeschooling allows your child to learn at their pace, not everyone else’s. Again…education flexibility! For highly motivated high school homeschool students, a dual enrollment homeschool program will help them earn college credits while in high school. Plus, Bridgeway Academy also offers a homeschool associate’s degree program, where students complete a total of 10 to 11 college courses in both their junior and senior year.
Choice of curriculum
It’s safe to say that there are many parents who are unhappy with either what schools are teaching their children (and at what age). Or they’re not thrilled with measures that are being taken to remove certain topics from the classroom. Regardless of beliefs, it’s important to know that there is something you can do–take your child’s learning into your own hands.
Yes, some states do lay out certain homeschool requirements as far as subjects to be taught (check your state laws here). But for the most part, you are free to instruct what you please and how you please. So, if there are sensitive topics that you feel your child is too young to learn, it’s your decision to stay away from them for now. Or, if you think it’s important that your child learns about a subject that has been pulled from schools, you may take that route as well. Similarly, if you’d like to incorporate a religious worldview into your child’s studies, there are plenty of faith-based homeschooling curriculums for you to use. With homeschooling, you’re not bound to a small handful of publishers. You can pick and choose the homeschooling curriculum that’s right for your family.
If you’re considering homeschooling, Bridgeway Academy is the perfect partner for you so you can flex your flexibility! We offer a variety of accredited homeschool programs that suit every learner, including online-only courses, live online classes with a real teacher in a virtual classroom, textbook learning, and blended learning. Plus, when you enroll with Bridgeway, you get a dedicated academic advisor who walks with your family every step of the homeschool journey.
To learn more about how Bridgeway Academy can help you maximize your education flexibility, call us today at (484) 863-1474.
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