Whether it be online schooling or traditional home school, there is a quite a stigma behind being educated from home. A lot of people talk about the negatives they imagine coming out of homeschooling, some of which may be true, but many are purely pre-formed judgments and assumptions. As a student who does her schooling online, I’d like to share the biggest advantages I have experienced from being educated at home.
- Work with a more flexible schedule. One of the biggest upsides of home-school is being allowed to work on your own time. Because of this, students can more easily manage a job or extra activities they would like to do. This also allows students to do their work at whatever time they feel most comfortable doing it. For example, some students may choose to do their work in the evening to allow for more sleep or just time for hobbies or a job.
- Learn at your own pace. Working at your own pace can work wonders for some students. Sometimes a student needs more time than they are given at school, or alternatively, they sit with boredom through lessons on things they already know or can complete with confidence. This is easily avoided with homeschooling. Students can put more time and work into the subjects they struggle with, and waste less time with things they already know about. For some people, this can have a very positive effect on their grades.
- Educate yourself from anywhere. The great thing about homeschooling is that it doesn’t need to just take place at home! You can take your schooling with you, wherever you choose to go. This means you can do your school work from home, a park, a vacation spot or almost anywhere else! You don’t need to stay where your school is, just take it to wherever you go!
- Individualized learning that fits the student. Instead of trying to fit yourself into your schooling, try fitting your academic program to you! This is a huge part of online school. You get to choose the courses and ways of teaching that are most fitting for you. Everyone has learning styles that work best for them, and with this form of schooling, you can really use that to your advantage. This also allows for some students to better explore how they learn best.
Though online schooling can have some downsides, I think it is important for people to see the good things that can come out of it too! Maybe online schooling isn’t the best choice for everyone, but it is for some, and it can be amazing! When considering schooling options, remember that online school is a valid option.
