5 Ways Homeschooling Can Solve Your Common Core Problems

If your children are having problems in public school because of the Common Core, you may be concerned about how its emphasis on assessment is hurting your kids' love of learning.

You may have tried opting out of standardized tests as a way to cut back on the effect of so much test prep and test-taking.

But if that step is not enough to relieve the stress and anxiety your children are experiencing, then homeschooling may be a good option to consider.

If you are wondering what it entails and whether it will really help, here are some facts to help you decide:

1. Homeschooling lets you choose your own learning materials and teaching style

Although billed as a set of broad guidelines, in states where it has been adopted the Common Core is turning out to involve a slew of inter-related and problematic components. These include scripted lessons and prescribed teaching techniques that are forced on teachers in the classroom, and confusing homework worksheets that keep kids and parents up late into the night.

Homeschooling, by contrast, means choosing your own learning materials. Instead of textbooks (many of which are now aligned with Common Core techniques), you can look for alternative resources that include nonfiction, videos, movies, hands-on activities, fields trips and more. And despite alarmist claims to the contrary, so far there's no reason to fear that homeschoolers will have to adhere to Common Core curriculum anytime soon.

2. Homeschooling lets you minimize the impact of standardized testing

Depending on the homeschooling regulations in your state, you may not have to give your child any standardized tests at all.

But even in states where testing is required, like New York, you may have the option to choose and administer the test yourself, or use alternative means of assessment in some years.

Where tests are required, you as the teacher can put standardized testing in its proper context by letting your children know that it is just one way to demonstrate what they have learned. Much of the pressure associated with Common Core tests comes from teachers and administrators afraid of losing their jobs or their funding if test scores are low. That's not an issue when you are teaching at home.

3. You can homeschool now and go back to public school later

Many families homeschool for a limited amount of time, or go back and forth in different years depending on circumstances. If public school issues are disrupting your life right now, but work or other responsibilities make it hard to take on for the long haul, short-term homeschooling can be a good compromise.

In a crisis, you can begin homeschooling immediately, even if you haven't had time to prepare. There are steps you can take to get started quickly, and strategies to help ease the transition from a stressful public school experience to learning at home.

If you find that homeschooling is the best solution for your child's situation, there are ways to keep working while you homeschool, and deal with the change in how your household runs.

4. Homeschooling can make your student more attractive to selective high schools and colleges

Because homeschooling allows students to delve deeply into topics that interest them, it is excellent preparation for going on to selective high schools and colleges. If this is a goal your student is working towards, be sure to find out the qualification for admission, and especially if there are any special requirements for homeschooled applicants.

You can usually find that information on the school website, or call the admissions office directly and ask.

5. Homeschooling can give you a new perspective on public school

Before the uproar over the Common Core, many public school parents assumed that what went on the classroom was in their children's best interest. Even those who choose to have their children opt-out of testing often say that on the whole, they agree with the goals and methods of public school.

Because homeschoolers have so much freedom in designing their children's education, they tend to look at every aspect of traditional school with a more critical eye. They look for better ways to teach math, find more engaging ways to present history and science, and give their children more say in what and how they learn. And they encourage their children to develop their critical thinking skills too.

Once that genie's out of the bottle, it's hard to put it back in. Pulling your children out of the classroom altogether and educating then yourself, even for a short while, can broaden your ideas of the best ways to help children learn and how to create an enriching and empowering space for them to live and grow.

About Me: Noah Hanson is a professional digital marketer and social media manager at OneHourEssay.com. He writes mainly about homeschooling for teachers and parents and digital education marketing.