Homeschooling has long been an enticing alternative to traditional schooling.
Many families choose homeschooling as a way to keep their children safe, as a way to help control what information their children are exposed to, and as a way to help foster their children's competence as a learner.
Homeschooling creates a one on one relationship between a parent/teacher and a child/student.
In a homeschool environment, this relationship is a very intimate one.
In a traditional classroom, it's always possible for a student to fly under the radar.
If a student doesn't prepare for a class by doing the reading or the homework, it may be possible to get away with that undetected by the teacher.
In a homeschool environment, this is not possible.
The parent/teacher knows what the child is doing (or not doing).
Students in a homeschool environment quickly learn that they are responsible for their own learning and that they have an integral part in the learning equation.
Students understand that there is no benefit to showing up unprepared because there is no "faking it" or sliding through.
Homeschool students shoulder the full responsibility for their work.
Because homeschoolers learn from an early age that their work is their responsibility, they become more responsible learners.
Homeschoolers also learn that they are a valid part of the learning process.
In a homeschool environment, questions a child asks can all be answered.
If a child doesn't understand something and asks for clarification, the teacher in the homeschool setting will answer that question until the student is satisfied.
In a traditional classroom, often there is no time for answering questions, or students feel embarrassed to ask questions because they don't want to get laughed at or ridiculed by other students.
Homeschool students develop a better sense of their own competence because their questions are treated as valid by the teacher and each question can be answered.
Homeschool students tend to have more self confidence and more tenacity when it comes to learning, which leads to greater success.
Homeschool students tent to be more invested in their learning process.
Often, homeschool parents will create curriculum with their students, following their students' interests and goals.
In traditional schools, student schedules are often created for them or without student input so that students feel that they are just supposed to show up and do what they're told.
Having an investment in the creation of the learning curriculum enables the student to feel like a competent part of the process instead of someone who merely shows up and does what he's told.
That investment and feeling of competence will stay with the student as he moves on in life and will help him become a successful adult.
Homeschooling creates and fosters a sense of individual responsibility and a sense of personal competence that enables homeschool students to find success in their schooling and in their lives.
That sense of competence and self-confidence is fostered by the flexibility and freedom of the homeschooling environment and the amount of personal investment the homeschool students has in his own learning process.