Kids are some of the most direct individuals you will ever meet so the initial way to know your child wants to be taught at home is when they ask you point blank to homeschool them. While the initial reaction may be to laugh it off, take a minute to determine if they are serious or just kidding around. There may be issues at school motivating the question that needs to be looked a little closer. This is especially true if they are asking the question on a consistent basis and giving your several reasons why they should be taught at home.
If they feel the above approach isn’t working or they are not as direct, then they may decide to not work as hard on their school work in the hope that the parent will decide that a change is needed. Students who typically do well in school and then suddenly start doing poorly always have an underlying issue that needs to be investigated. It could be motivated by peer pressure, bullying, problems with the teachers or some other situation but parents should immediately start talking with their child which could open the conversation up to what they are looking for.
Self-motivated students may feel that they will have more success and do better with online home school programs because they can work at their own pace and are not hampered by an entire classroom. If your child is frustrated about the pace of their classwork and expresses a desire to do more, then a homeschooling program may be the perfect solution. Students who are challenged but not overwhelmed are found to be more satisfied and do better with their classes than those who are bored and working at the wrong level. One of the benefits of homeschooling is the student’s ability to work at their own pace so this also works in the reverse if the child feels constantly overwhelmed and expresses a desire to quit because they feel ‘dumb’ or can’t keep up with the class. Kids who move frequently due to parents’ employment requirements may want to be homeschooled because they don’t enjoy the constant ‘restart’ at a new school and prefer the stability of a secure program that moves with them. This can be expressed verbally or, in the worst-case scenario, through acting out at the new school because they are struggling and don’t want to say anything.
No matter how your child communicates, as parents it is always important to be listening and watching at all times to understand what is going on and what they are trying to say. While homeschooling may not always be the answer, in many cases it is a great solution that works for families in a variety of situations. The online portal keeps the student on task and organized with the lessons and access to professional instructors ensures that they have a resource for getting their questions answered about concepts and problems. Parents can find accredited online home school programs by searching the Internet and speaking with admission personnel to find out how to get started.