Homeschooling: A Rising Trend? Essay Example

Homeschooling has been a strong alternative option to traditional education for years.  In the past, many parents have chosen to homeschool their children due to religious reasons, health problems, or frequent traveling.  However, the number of children who are being homeschooled has significantly risen in the past few years.  The rising trend may be due to a variety of factors ranging from the massive amounts of violence in schools to the increase accessibility of online instruction.  The purpose of this paper is to examine the rising trend towards homeschooling in the United States.

Many parents are concerned that schools can no longer keep their children safe.  Since the tragic events at Columbine in 1999, the amount of violence in schools appears to be escalating.  The 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary left 20 children and six adults dead. Many parents are afraid to send their children to school because they are not sure if their children will return safely.  Another safety concern is the high amount of bullying that often occurs in schools.  When left unchecked, bullying can be harmful both physically and emotionally for the target.  Bullies will often use the advance in technology to further humiliate their targets after school.  Cyberbullying can be particularly destructive because once a post “goes viral” on the Internet, it will be online forever.

Another reason that parents may consider homeschooling is they are simply dissatisfied with the teaching methods of a traditional school system.  While the lack of religion in schools has been a strong motivator for homeschooling in the past, more parents are becoming frustrated with the poor quality of the school’s curriculum and academic instructions.  Recently, there has been an increased movement of “unschooling” and “natural learning.”  The theory behind this rising trend is that children are better able to learn outside the restrictions of the classroom by experiencing “learning moments.”  Parents function as guides and children are encouraged to ask questions.

Traditional schooling does not always work for children, especially if they have special needs such as Autism Spectrum Disorder.  Because screening for Autism Spectrum Disorder has dramatically improved, more children are being diagnosed and are able to receive the help that they need.  However, it is not uncommon for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder to flounder in traditional school systems, as the social and sensory stimulation proves to be too much.

Perhaps the major cause in the rise in homeschooling is the availability of high quality charter schools and online learning.  Advances in technology have allowed children to learn for free from qualified teachers without parents having to spend excessive amounts of money on a tutor.  This is very advantageous because parents no longer have to worry if they are weak in an academic subject; their children will still receive a good instruction.  Cyber schools are paid for by U.S. tax dollars and can offer children a more structured curriculum.  While not all homeschoolers would want the structure of cyber schools, this option provides children a reprieve from the social pressures of the classroom.

The availability of online learning has been the main catalyst for many parents to make the decision to remove their children from traditional classrooms.  The Internet has become a valuable tool for parents who wanted the benefits of homeschooling, but may have felt unqualified to teach their children the required materials.  While many factors play a significant role in parents deciding to homeschool their children, the easy access of online learning options has played the primary role in implementing this rising trend.