...and other reasons to homeschool
I attended a small Christian school for kindergarten.
But I started late.
I was "held back" a year because of my September birthday. And from what I've been reading over the past week, I'm really glad my parents kept me back.
Since I had some downtime while out in California, I picked up Outliers. I've wanted to read it for a while now. Malcolm Gladwell has some pretty brilliant insights into the world. In this book, Gladwell points to--among other things--the inherent flaw in cut-off dates for school. Students who are on the young side of the early grades tend not to fare as well as those who have almost a year advantage. That's why some parents hold their children back for a year, so as to not handicap them from life. And, yes, Gladwell insists, the disadvantage does not go away with time.
I had an advantage, I guess, because when I finally started school, I was older than many of my classmates.
But then I had an even greater advantage: I got to start homeschooling.
Gladwell has his own solution to the problem. It involves starting school in three month shifts so that no student is too far behind developmentally than the others. And while I think his suggestion should be adopted in the school system, I have an even better idea: Start homeschooling.
Homeschooling overcomes just about every single potential barrier to success that Gladwell has covered thus far in his book.
In fact, while reading I jumped up from the couch and said, "Everything I read points to the benefits of homeschooling! This is crazy!"
So, for those of you already homeschooling: You're helping your children start off on the right foot toward success.
For those of you not yet homschooling, you should really consider it. Sonlight has prepared all the materials for you. Just check out our customizable complete programs. And if you need help figuring out which program will be best for you and your family, be sure to chat with a Sonlight Advisor on our website.
Homeschooling doesn't guarantee success. But from what I've been reading in Outliers, teaching your children at home provides many opportunities that make success possible.
~Luke Holzmann
Filmmaker, Writer, Surrogate Father
