A one-size-fits-all approach to learning does not work well for any student, and it does not work at all for special needs children. Children with special needs rarely do well at school. The public school is just not made to cater to the needs of differently abled children. As a result of this, children with learning disabilities get below-average grades consistently, their self-esteem suffers when they see other kids their age making quicker progress, and they might also face difficulty socializing.
The solution to the educational needs of differently abled children is encapsulated by one word: homeschooling. You cannot change the system, but you can change your child’s environment, and decide what education s/he receives. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the rate of homeschooling has increased over time. In 2012, it was estimated that around 2 million students are homeschooled across the US. Thus, it comes down to weighing the pros and cons of homeschooling to make a decision that suits your child.
Pros of Homeschooling
- Relaxed Learning Environment
Often, the biggest hurdle to education is the physical space where learning takes place. If your child is bullied at school, made fun of, or otherwise made to feel inadequate in any way, it can significantly impact their learning ability. At home, in a relaxed and stress-free environment, surrounded by parental love, attention, and care, children often comprehend and retain information better. A calm, non-judgmental learning environment can do wonders for your child.
- Appropriate Learning Strategies & Techniques
At public school, teachers follow a given curriculum in a specific amount of time. Rather than focusing on the needs of individual children, they employ techniques that work for most students. When homeschooling, you can give exclusive attention to your child and pick and choose learning methodologies that work for him/her. For instance, children with ADHD perform better when their tests are untimed, and their lessons are short. Children with dyslexia respond well to oral lessons, audiobooks, and visual aids.
- Flexible Schedule & Timeline
With homeschooling comes the freedom to choose your child’s study hours yourself. You can set up a routine for your child to follow that works well for you. Moreover, learning becomes fun and exciting when your goal isn’t to meet a specific deadline or course timeline, but rather, to ensure your child is learning in the real sense of the word and is continuously making progress.
Cons of Homeschooling
As with everything, homeschooling has its cons, too. If you are not a professional educator, familiarizing yourself with various teaching methodologies can take a while. You will have to learn the appropriate strategies for your child’s special needs and the techniques that deliver the best results. Once you have mastered that, it is somewhat easy to homeschool your child when s/he is young.
However, as your child grows older, you might find it challenging to keep up with their academic instruction and feel the need for outside help to ensure your child gets a quality education. NCES reports that one-third of middle-school and high-school level students being homeschooled across the USA take online classes. Lastly, if you are a working parent or even a stay-at-home parent with many responsibilities, it can be stressful to give a significant portion of your day to your child’s homeschooling.
What should be your course of action?
If you have decided that your child needs special care, attention, and personalized instruction, homeschooling is the best option for you. If you feel that you need some help with carrying out the transition from school to homeschooling, or that your child needs instruction and guidance from experts, in-home or online tutoring is the answer. This is where we come in.
At Uplift Future Academics, we connect students and tutors for online or in-person learning. We provide tutoring services in Atlanta, Georgia, and our in-home tutors are certified in teaching children with learning disabilities. We believe in every child’s potential and aim to help them achieve it. Our tutors are dedicated, patient, supportive, and adaptive to children’s individual needs. You can read more about us here or get in touch with us here.
