50 Reasons Why I Love Homeschooling (From a Homeschooler)

People choose to homeschool for a variety of reasons. Here are 50+ reasons why, a homeschooled student, chose and love homeschooling.

Firstly, no, my parents did not write this or help me write this in any way.

Secondly, I’m not “anti public school.” Two of my sisters went to a public high school after many years of homeschool. (one did for theater and the other for sports)

Homeschooling isn’t for everyone, but, it worked for me. Many public schoolers feel like homeschoolers are “judging them” when we say we homeschool and/or didn’t like public school. We realize homeschooling isn’t for everyone, and (most of us) honestly don’t care if you homeschool or not. Homeschooling is a personal choice we made, and we have been blessed to have the resources and opportunities to make it happen and work for us.

Obviously, not all homeschoolers are geniuses and not all public school kids are “dumb” or “robotic.” Both consist of humans; and you cannot slap a cohesive label on either.  I wrote this because I, along with many homeschoolers, are tired of being judged and mocked for our choice in education – mainly by people who don’t know anything about homeschooling.
And that’s ok – homeschoolers love genuine questions. This may not change your opinion, but I hope you can at least respect it. This article is solely my opinion and is written from my own personal experience and research.

EDUCATIONAL

The sole reason I began homeschooling is due to the lack of education I was getting in the public school setting. Since then, it has turned into so much more than that.

1. I am excelling academically.

2. I learn at my own pace.

3. Public school days – 8 hours a day, 180 days a year – are notably spent on quantity not quality.

4. I have no pointless homework.

5. I have no pointless busy-work.

6. I learn beyond textbooks and study my passions and areas of interest. My passion is World War II.

7. Textbooks are not my only, nor my primary, learning tool.

8. I have no restrictive “box” (grades) that public schools hold fast so strongly to. (Who says you have to learn multiplication in third grade? Who says you can’t write cursive in first grade?)

9. As a visual analytical learner, curriculum is customized to fit my needs.

10. I learn things not taught in public schools – like coding, WWII in depth, Hebrew, etc.

11. I have more time to focus on the areas I need help with, and I can breeze through the “easy” stuff.

12. We can take vacations any time we want; including during “normal” public school days.

13. Homeschooling is more affordable than the other public school alternative, private school.

14. Any history with just a textbook (public school or Christian homeschool) is biased. I prefer a non-textbook approach to learning.

15. Students are primarily scored on English and Math, therefore History and Science are looked on as low priority. As a history nerd, I cringe at this thought.

16. The average student loses around half of what he was taught in school over summer break. Therefore, the first few months of public school are spent doing review.

17. We have a lower student-to-teacher ratio.
 

POLITICAL

18. We don’t have to deal with bullying, ridiculous policies, policing girl’s clothing while ignoring boy’s clothing, etc.

19. Not to mention having to deal with sex ed in elementary school

20. We have no Common Core or No Child Left Behind – we can learn at our own pace!

21. There is a wider opportunity for political debate. 

22. I am not subject to political correctness, indoctrination, and political propaganda. I’m able to learn from a variety of sources. 

23. I am a critical thinker, and I am allowed to think beyond the box in my homeschool.

24. I’m not tied down to the political/religious beliefs of one textbook. (let’s be honest, all textbooks are a little biased)

25. I’m not expected to learn at the exact same pace as everyone else.

26. I personally had a horrible public school experience. I understand not all public schools are like ours, but we did not have a good experience.

27. I’m challenged beyond what some senator thinks the school standards should be.

28. The standardized testing is absolutely absurd. I don’t see how public school kids take it.

29. We have no “fuzzy math” (Is 5 + 5 REALLY 10? Or is it 11?)

30. We have no mandatory, absurd math and can solve problems in ways that works best for us. (The non-sensical alternatives to the traditional addition, subtraction, etc.)

LIFE (AND SOCIALIZATION)

31. Socialization is not the primary reason a person goes to school.

32. I’m an entrepreneur – I don’t socialize, I network.

33. I socialize with a plethora of people – younger, older, in between – not just my peers.

34. My peers and I have virtually nothing in common.

35. That being said, I don’t have to worry about bullying.

36. I get along with my sisters decently well.

37. I don’t spend 8 hours a day in a classroom. (What kind of socialization is that?)

38. The “socialization” that public school is known for revolves around profanity, rudeness, laziness, drugs, sex, and teen pregnancy.

39. I have had SO many great opportunities during normal school hours – speaking opportunities, networking luncheons, and so much more.

40. I have extra time to pursue passions, like blogging and entrepreneurship! 🙂

41. I learn life skills, such as cooking, cleaning, and money management.

42. I have a flexible schedule.

43. I can have a bad hair day/pajama day.

44. We have better school lunches!

45. We don’t have to worry about school shootings, stabbings, etc.

46. I can garage sale on weekdays!

47. We save money on school supplies.

48. We have no snow days, therefore we get done with school earlier in the year.

49. I am graduating high school early.

50. I love it.

Ultimately, this is the only argument I think I should have to make when deciding my personal decision to homeschool. Over the past few years, I have developed and matured so much, without anyone judging me. I’m me – nerdy, intellectual – and I’m proud of that. Unlike many peers, during the most sensitive period of my life, my adolescent years, I was not pressured to fit the latest styles, and never felt the need to be anorexic.

During that period, I studied WWII and the Holocaust. Now that I’m out of that stage and have become a teen, I have learned to courageously stand out and be yourself. With everything I’ve learned, I do not feel the need to be like everyone else. In fact, I’ve learned being like everyone else isn’t always a positive.

So, why do you homeschool?

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Samantha
Samantha Shank has been an entrepreneur all her life. She started an educational blog and store, Learn in Color, at 14 years old. Within 3 years, she was making a full time income as a freelance graphic designer and marketer as Learn in Color grew. Samantha holds a MSEd in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Gifted Education.

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51 COMMENTS

  1. Love it! You’ve encompassed every reason why I am choosing to homeschool my son, he’s only 2. My sister doesn’t understand so I shared this on my FB for her to *hopefully* take a look at. Education shouldn’t be about the test scores but the joy of learning and sharing knowledge, unfortunately politicians and school officials have forgotten this..
    You’re awesome!
    -Tracy

  3. I love this and its so true. I’m 14 and have been homeschooled my entire life but I have heard story after story about public school. So happy to be homeschooled! 🙂

  5. I so appreciated this blog post! Our kids get asked constantly as do I when are they going to “REAL” school. Now I am just going to hand them your post. Thank you for your honesty and for not being PC 🙂

  9. I LOVE this! it is great to see the thoughts of a homeschooler where it concerns the benefits of homeschooling. I think that it opens people’s eyes more than the opinion or thoughts of homeschooling parents. I especially love how he debunks the whole myth about the “lack” of socialization.

  10. Love this. Thank you from a mom who wonders if her teenager is getting anything out of this whole experience or not.
    Would love to learn more about your “Delight Directed Learning”. Would you be willing to write a post about that? It seems to be so hard to break out of the expected “box” of curriculum. Every time I try, I get told I “have” to do it a certain way (which is the books the public schools use). But that was the whole reason I decided to homeschool, so I could decide what to do.
    If you are graduating hs early, are you going into college? That would be another great thing to post about. So many of us are worried unless we follow regular curriculum (and I don’t even want to go near CC), then the work we do won’t get recognized for universities.
    Thanks again and I’d love to hear more from you! 🙂

  11. What curriculum do you use? Aslo thank you for your insight on homeschooling from a teens perspective gives me hope im doing something right for my kids 🙂

  12. Samantha
    I love 49 of your reasons for home school. Very articulate. I have a question about no vaccines. Why is that a good thing? And have you researched the decision for yourself? Vaccines start when children do not have the ability to voice an option. You clearly have that ability now and could have a voice in the decision to “no vaccines”. I am curious what your decision is and why?
    Thank you
    Melanie

    • Hey Melanie,
      Thanks! Yes, I have researched the subject. I think vaccinations are pretty questionable, and my family has personally experienced vaccination problems. Schools force you to have your vaccines up to date.
      Hope this gives you some idea of my POV!

      • Hi Samantha!
        Great article, just a side note, schools do NOT make you vaccinate. You can get a religious exemption form from the state health department. Interesting POV hearing first hand from a homeschooler. (:

          • Hmm I thought it was mandatoy. Maybe I’m wrong but thats what my childs PED told me when I was not wanting to vacs, and your mom must be awesome (; lol

          • Ah, it may vary from school to school. As I said, our local school is a pain in the behind but a school 30 minutes away is pretty easy to work with lol.
            And yes my mom is pretty awesome!

          • In the state of CA, vaccines are mandatory. It can be done, (opting out of vaccines), but even doctors pressure you. This includes homeschoolers, like us. I think it confirms my suspicions about a govt. conspiracy and drug companies, although a lot of people don’t think so. Sad, but true.
            Keep up the good work. You are a true crusader and I love keeping up with you.

      • Except you not being vaccinated could literally kill my child. I found most if your comments right-wing Christian conspiracy theories but that one. ..that one on vaccines is just ignorance.

          • AMEN TO THIS!! Thank you… I know this is an old post and comment but I don’t understand why people think my unvaccinated children will kill or make their vaccinated children sick. So much for the faith they have in vaccines!

  13. Awesome! Thanks for writing this! I think one of my biggest reasons for choosing top homeschool is that I want my kids to feel like they can be themselves and that the “social norms”, which are not necessarily positive, don’t smother who they really are. It seems that you have achieved that. My son, who is a 6 year old second grade, told me two days ago that he loves being my student 🙂 so even though I sometimes feel like I am doing a bad job, We must be winning!

  14. Just wanted to let you know that I love the post. I am a former homeschooler and wish that I’d been homeschooled for high school! I also wish I had been as self-motivated as you seem to be!

  15. Hi Samantha, I just came across your blog and you have a very powerful voice here! I love it that you stand up for your Christian and homeschooling roots.
    I read with interest your “About Me” page, and noticed that you started homeschooling after Grade 3. Does that mean that you went to public school from K-3? Would you write a post on how your transition went, or how you even arrived at this decision as a 3rd grader? My son is currently in Grade 3, and he is just a typical regular public-school-going kid. He loves school. My heart cannot make up my mind as to whether I should start homeschooling him. I would love to hear your perspective and your experience if you have a chance. Thanks 🙂

    • Hello! Yes, I was in public school from K-3. I was terribly bored at school, and homeschooling seemed fun. We had a friend who recommended the A Beka curriculum, so we used that for years until high school, and we began trying out new curriculums. My sisters (2 at the time) became homeschooled after that. My parents have always offered us a chance to go back to public school, and I’ve declined – I love homeschooling WAY too much and for me, the good outweighs the bad. Of course, my other sister just went back for her Freshman year in High school. Homeschooling is really a matter of whether or not it works for your family. 🙂
      Thanks,
      Samantha

  16. I was in a half home school program, and took dual college classes. I loved every single minute of it. We learned things my public school friends never learned. Sadly it was about 10 years ago when home schooling was somewhat new and their was a lot of stigma behind it. Saying things like a home schooler would never go anywhere in life and never make friends etc. but most people who were in public schools are no longer friends or in contact with their old high school friends anyway. It happens, people grow up and move on, but an education and a more structured future is worth more than being the popular one with lots of friends. That’s why now I hear people my age constantly saying they wish they had been home schooled, or could home school their own kids. Haha

  17. We also homeschool. Nice post you.have written. I.do.wonder.though.about.foxnews. being.homeschooled.and.not.wanting.to.read biased history.foxnews is.pretty biased. What happened to Palestine. Sykes picoult agreement. 1400 civilians killed just last year.

  18. Samantha,
    Thank you for your post. As a homeschooling mom of 3, it was good to hear from a teenage perspective. The reason I homeschool has changed over the years. It started out as a necessity, my husband had been laid off and we couldn’t afford to continue sending our oldest to Christian School. We now do it out of choice, with 3 special needs children it is our best option.
    Aleena

  19. What a wonderful post!
    While my kids go to public school, I fully believe that no education is complete without travel and all the things that go with it!
    So happy to hear about your wonderful experience!
    Natalie, The Educational Tourist

  20. I really enjoyed your post!! I am also homeschooled and I’m going into my freshman year:) I really love how well you emphasized on the “social” aspect of homeschoolers. I play sports for the middle/high school and literally EVERYONE asks me “how do you have friends?” I usually say “I’m here playing sports with you right now aren’t I?” Then the students start telling me about how stupid I will be and I sit there looking at my future and comparing it to theirs, I have a lot more potential then they do, (no offense), because of experience. I also have a lot of issues with the girls my age so I lied to the school and said I was a grade younger, so I played 7th grade sports instead of 8th… When the students talk to me about my grade, I have trouble telling them what grade I’m in. Now that I’ve read your post, I now have a visual on how to explain the “box” of my grade to them! Thanks you so much for writing this, it really helped me understand how to exploit homeschooling to others!
    -Kaci:)

  21. Hey! My name is Heather, and I was wondering a bit about homeschooling. Do you still homeschool?
    I was homeschooled in grade school, but I don’t really remember it. I began going to a private Catholic school when I was in sixth grade, and then I went on to the high school after that. I think I would prefer homeschooling (which has always been an option for me) but I don’t think I would be able to meet very many friends. I live in a small town where there aren’t many homeschoolers.
    It’s important to me to have friends that are more than just business connections, and I wonder if you are in a similar situation. What do you do?

    • Hi! Yes, in the literal sense I still homeschool (I will be a Senior), however I am doing dual enrollment at a local Christian college, and may try a CLEP test or two. 🙂 For me, I’m very active in 4H, I am actively involved with our local Chamber of Commerce, and this year I’m in two Scholarship pageants. My sister is a gymnast and has practice 5 times a week, my other sister does piano, etc. Youth group/church, sports, music, and other after-school activities are the best way to meet new kids with similar interests. Also, try getting involved with your local career center. Hope his helps!

    • Another way to meet more people is to look into homeschool co-ops in you area. They vary state by state but basically they’re generally once a month or once every other week and they’re a day where a bunch of homeschoolers can get together, take some classes, and socialize a bit.

  22. It’s really great without even your parent’s help you have written a very good blog sharing your experiences and the reasons for homeschooling. Loved to read the article and felt awesome when i was rolling my eyes over your 50 points.

  23. Found your very nice blog just a few weeks ago. One of the main reasons I give when folks ask about homeschooling – especially why we chose to homeschool our older boys – is that it gave them the flexibility to pursue their passions at an early age. My oldest son got a one year internship at our local historical society when he was 15. He got to touch, research, describe, and catalog artifacts for their on-line data base. I guess that the local public school would have been less-than-pleased with him not attending classes every Wednesday to do this. 🙂 We have 1 son graduated and also a junior, a 6th grader, and a 2nd grader still being educated at home. Also, because I had noted your interest in WW II, I thought of you when our family visited the Route 66 museum last weekend in Pontiac, IL. They had a very nice display on the 1940’s, which encompassed the 2nd floor of the museum. Our first home was built in 1930 and our goal was to have all of our furnishings date from the 1940’s or before. Great time period – and very cool stuff to collect! Keep writing. You do it very well.

  27. My son and daughter have special needs but they are intelligent:)
    However when recently my son didn’t get the school we desperately wanted I was devastated as all the other school locally are diabolical.
    For several days I cried as I had no idea what to do. With fight on my hands already for a EHCP for my daughter, I was feeling low.
    Then I looked into homeschooling and I started to feel a bit brighter. I am so happy to see such brilliant ideas and thoughts about homeschooling. I was concerned that I wasn’t good enough to home school. But I do think that actually they have done me a favour. Thank you for such a brilliant inciteful blog.

    • Thanks so much for your sweet comment, Emma! No one knows your children better than you do. Best of luck in your homeschool journey. <3

  28. Thank you for this article. I own a private homeschool; I homeschool other peoples children. It is amazing and even though my school is a little more structured than most homeschools it is still so “free”. Your reasons are so spot on for loving homeschool and are some of the very reasons I left public school to open up a private homeschool.

  29. I don’t have kids but I am appalled at the state of public education and would definitely pursue homeschooling. I got a good education in public schools but that was 30 years ago. My mother was a public school teacher and high school principal and has similar feelings.

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