Why are so many parents choosing a non-traditional education for their child? I’d love to tell you the answer is simple, but it really is as varied and personal as the options available to fulfill your child’s education. Parents select different non-traditional methods for different reasons, such as their unique parenting style, their individual child’s development, and their families needs and resources. Listed below are just a few non-traditional methods of learning and why you may consider them for your child’s education.

Homeschooling

Homeschooling provides a completely tailored approach. With one-on-one instruction, parents can structure curriculum that follows their children’s development rather than expecting their child to develop at the pace of the curriculum. This is especially helpful for students who learn at a faster or slower rate than their peers. Homeschooling also follows the organic rhythm of the family. So, instruction can work around the necessities of life such as work, doctor appointments, or simply needing more family time. This makes for an excellent use of time as instruction can take place anytime, anywhere.

Students who are homeschooled are often led by their own curiosities and encouraged to research and explore things independently.  This develops a lifelong love of learning, an innate curiosity if you will. Finally, homeschooling allows the family unit to develop the culture and environment in which the children participates. This can be an important factor to the family unit for religious reasons, political reasons, cultural reasons, or even safety reasons.

Private Schools

One of the biggest reasons parents may choose a private school is to pursue a very specific curriculum, value system, or pedagogy. Some examples include parochial schools for their religious curriculum, military schools for their discipline, or specialized schools such as Waldorf Education or Montessori for their pedagogy. Of course, parents may simply choose a private school for the better resources or opportunities it affords their child’s development as well. Private schools tend to have a lower student-teacher ratio and provide students with more individualized attention than what they would receive in a public school. Private schools are also shown to have higher parental involvement, which is very well suited to some parenting styles. Children attending private schools tend to be part of a very close knit, often similar community as well, building lifelong connections.

 

Charter Schools

Parents often find charter schools to be a suitable compromise when private school is too expensive, homeschooling is not feasible, and public schools are just not an acceptable option. Charter schools can also be chosen due to their specific pedagogy, such as Waldorf Education, STEM oriented, Project Based Learning, or Montessori. Charter schools are often very close knit just like private schools, but tend to have a more diverse population than private schools because factors such as tuition, religion, etc. are not a factor in a public funded schools. Unlike a public school, charter schools have more autonomy in their policies and curriculum which allows parents to have a stronger voice – a point that is very attractive for parenting styles that tend to be more involved.

 

With so many options beyond traditional public school, it’s important to examine your family’s personal values, your individual child’s development, your parenting style, and your family’s commitments and resources when making a decision as to the best path for your child’s education. What may be a great decision for one child may even be different for their sibling. Non-traditional education offers a plethora of options in contrast to public school. Which option is right for you and your child will depend on what you personally wish to derive from the experience and what you’re prepared to commit to it.