Making Your Decision
The reasons people decide to educate their children at home are varied and can be unique to each family. Some look towards a better educational experience, others are concerned with moral and social issues, some are concerned with safety, and still others have special needs that they wish to address. Explore these reasons and others that have led families to homeschooling.
Resources
Taking Charge of Your Child's Education: A Guide to Becoming the Primary Influence in Your Child's Life

Every parent wants to give their child the best start in life. The best way to do that is to get fully involved in their educational process as their primary influence. This book is full of helpful information, resources, and tools that will lead you to home education success. Erica Arndt recognizes that the most important factor is the family unit relationships. This book will help you as you make your decision to homeschool. 

Why Do People Homeschool Their Children?

Who in their right mind would choose to homeschool their kids? Well, lots of people! The reasons to choose homeschool can vary, but many homeschoolers share in a common decision pathway. 

Why Do People Homeschool?

Excellent education, dedicated teachers with a great teacher-to-student ratio, education tailored to the specific child, integrated education, and better teaching materials are some the reasons that make home education the best choice for your child and your family. 

10 Honest Reasons Parents Choose to Homeschool and the Politically Correct Defense We Hide Behind

There are so many reasons to homeschool. Is everyone's reason different or are there common reasons we homeschool? While there are lots of answers to smooth over any uncomfortable probing questions from strangers and sometimes family, these reasons are honest reflections of the choices of homeschooling family. 

Top 5 Reasons Why Parents Homeschool Their Kids

Homeschooling has been on the rise in the United States over the last ten years. According to the U.S. government and education researchers, the number of students being homeschooled has doubled in the last decade. So, why do parents choose to homeschool their children? Through and anecdotal evidence, Calvert Education has put together the top five reasons why parents decide to homeschool their kids: avoiding a negative school environment, getting a higher quality education, improving social interactions, supporting a learning disabled child, and educating during family times of change. 

How to Start Homeschooling
When you've made the decision to homeschool, where do you start? This guide from Sonlight Curriculum explains the pros and cons of a home education lifestyle, offers free resources, and has a How to Start Homeschooling checklist to help you connect with other homeschooling families, create your homeschool vision, and choose curriculum. 
10 Advantages Of Homeschooling That You Really Can't Argue With

While most parents just expect and plan to send their kids to a public school, a growing number of American families are re-envisioning their education philosophy, deciding to teach their children at home. And indeed, there are several advantages to homeschooling, including more family time, using your preferred curriculum, safety, learning at their own pace, and more quality time. 

Homeschool Bravely: How to Squash Doubt, Trust God, and Teach Your Child with Confidence

It's time to change your perspective to transform the way you plan, teach, and homeschool. This book helps you to see homeschooling as a calling. With this mindset, you'll be able to dismiss the stress of impossible expectations. Find strategies to help you juggle the logistics of homeschooling with different ages, be a good support for a struggling learner, set realistic goals, dismiss the guilt, and weather any criticism. You can be a hopeful homeschooler! God uses all for good and can transform all of your stress, fears, shortcomings, and successes to create the best plans for your family. 

Homeschooling 101: A Guide to Getting Started

Homeschooling 101 gives you the steps to help you get started on your homeschool journey. This guide lays out how to get started, choose and gather curriculum, scheduling, organizing your home, and finding the joy in homeschooling. This book is perfect for new homeschoolers who are looking for real help in taking the first step. 

Why do some people choose to homeschool their kids?

More and more American parents are choosing to educate their children at home. What accounts for this trend? Reasons include faith preferences, the individual approach to education, and a desire for a stronger family unit. 

Making Your Decision to Homeschool
Why I Homeschool
A look at the many reasons to choose homeschooling over traditional schooling. The author looks at some the myths of the traditional school system and examines its structure and the reasons for that structure. 
Our Family's Decision to Homeschool
One mom shares her decision to homeschool her daughter after eight years in a Montessori school.
How to Decide If You Should Homeschool
Homeschooling is a big decision. But it may be exactly what your family needs. Think through your educational options with these free homeschool resources.
55 Serious Reasons Why You Should Homeschool
Here are dozens of reasons why you should homeschool. Families and teachers worldwide have been convinced that government controlled schools are “better” for children, but this is often not the case. Homeschooling is the best approach to improving quality of life in all aspects of the home and family. 
Making the Homeschool Decision
Homeschooling is a very rewarding experience, but can also be very trying and stressful. The rewards far outweigh the negatives, but you’ll need to take a look at your own life when making the decision to homeschool or not. Things to take into consideration include your schedule, finances, household, and commitment.
3 Reasons NOT to Homeschool
Each family comes with its own dynamic – a beautifully complicated medley of philosophies and needs involving a family’s heritage or culture, parenting style, financial stability, spiritual or religious preference, communication, and of course, educational goals and background. It may not be the right choice for a family to homeschool. These reasons not to homeschool can give you some food for thought.
The Why of Homeschool
Focusing on homeschooling and the media, Isabel Lyman's doctoral dissertation analysis of over 300 newspaper and magazine articles revealed that the top four reasons to bypass conventional schooling were dissatisfaction with the public schools, the desire to freely impart religious values, academic excellence, and the building of stronger family bonds.
Why Do People Homeschool?
A look at the academic advantages of choosing to homeschool your child. These benefits come from the opportunity for an excellent education, the inevitability of a dedicated teacher, and education tailored to a child's capabilities and personality, integrated and consistent education, and better teaching materials.
Why I Homeschool My Children
A mom shares her happy reasons for choosing homeschooling for her family.
Why Unschool?

This website is presented by two unschooled siblings who have since grown up and are happy to share their experiences with this educational model. Unschooling provides so many opportunities for children to learn about the world without the constraints of a classroom by celebrating a natural love of learning. Families and children can benefit from this wonderful way of learning. 

Homeschool is a How-To-Live Decision, Not a How-To-Learn Decision
Homeschooling is a huge family decision. It's not a schooling decision. It's a decision about what the values of a family are. Deciding to homeschool or not is a fundamental decision about family life. There is a point when kids can decide for themselves, but it's when kids are independent enough that schooling is not so much a family decision.
Why Unschool?
The choice to unschool can sometimes be hard for parents to explain to others. This is because it seems so natural, that simple explanations don't always cut it. The basis of this choice is freedom -- freedom to play, take risks, explore interest, and learn on their own terms. Because unschooling most often influences the entire family's lifestyle, it is not a simple explanation of how education works. It is more of a way of life. 
5 Reasons I Homeschool My Kids (By A Surprisingly Sane Mom)
Why would a family with no religious affiliation opt out of the standard school model? The short answer is that the stakes were too high not to. The long answer is in the rest of this article. From freedom, to a miserable experience for those working in the school system, to excessive homework, to unnatural socialization ideals in school settings, to the ability to follow your own path, this mom lists the reasons that compelled her to strike a different plan for her child.
Dear New Homeschooler
A look at the process new homeschoolers go through to find resources and information on the internet.
Why the Future of Education is Unschooling

According to John Holt, unschooling allows children the freedom to learn in the world on their own terms. He saw no distinction between learning and living a meaningful life. Learning is a natural process and works best when integrated into the spaces and activities of everyday life. This article takes a look at some of John Holt's philosophy of education and explains why unschooling is often the very best choice of educational model. 

How to Respond to Haters When You've Decided to Homeschool
If you’ve made the decision to homeschool your children, more than likely, you’ve met resistance from almost everyone who knows and loves you and your children. These lighthearted examples can help you respond. 
Getting Started in Homeschooling: Deciding to Go For It
How do you decide to homeschool? There are obviously a number of ways to go about this. This series of articles can help you explore whether the idea of homeschooling is right for you and your family.
Why Unschool?

Unschooling can seem impossible to understand for many people, but in fact, it is well-reasoned, tested, and has been successfully implemented by families around the world. The evidence shows that unschooling leads to life-long learning, happy successful individuals, better family connections, and a true and joyful love of learning. 

Why Unschooling?

Does unschooling mean that your children just hate school? Not at all! Some children learn best in a classroom, but not all do. For those who don't, unschooling might just be the best approach. Children who are unschooled grow to be independent learners and thinkers and enjoy the perspective of being their own best teacher. Rather than asking, "Why unschool?" perhaps the better question is, "Why school?"

Your School Sucks
There is a cognitive dissonance about public schools. Everyone knows public schools in the US are terrible, but everyone thinks their school is the exception. The reality is that your school would be the exception only if it teaches using project-based learning. Which it doesn’t. The public schools that are exceptional are exceptional at teaching to the test – a process that’s widely discredited. Give your kids more credit than that. Reformers say child-driven learning and project-based learning are best. Parents are the only educators in a position to do that. So all kids will get a better education at home. 
Featured Resources

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National Geographic Guide to the National Parks of the United States, Fourth Edition
Now in its fourth edition, the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America is the ultimate birder’s field guide. Sturdy, portable, and easy-to-use, it features the most complete information available on every bird species known to North America. This revised edition features 250 completely updated range maps, new plumage and species classification information, specially commissioned full-color illustrations, and a superb new index that allows birders in the field to quickl...
And What About College?: How Homeschooling Can Lead to Admissions to the Best Colleges & Universities
Get all your questions about helping your homeschooled student apply and get accepted to college answered with this resource. It discusses transcripts, diplomas, education choices, online colleges, and more. If you are worried about whether your homeschooled student can have a successful college search, then this book will help allay those fears and offers good support and information. 
Upside-Down Brilliance: The Visual Spatial Learner
Dr. Linda Silverman coined the term "visual-spatial learner" to describe the special and unique gifts of people who learn best through seeing and with images. This guide is a great resource as you support your homeschooling visual learner in discovering the best ways to learn and succeed. 
A Catholic Homeschool Treasury: Nurturing Children's Love for Learning
This book reviews different approaches to learning and different homeschooling methods. Read parents' perspectives and learn more about homeschooling issues. 
Pocketful of Pinecones: Nature Study With the Gentle Art of Learning : A Story for Mother Culture
Karen Andreola, renowned interpreter of the Charlotte Mason method of education, has written a unique sort of book in the homeschool world. Pocketful of Pinecones is a teacher s guide the nature study cleverly disguised as a heartwarming story written in the form of a mother s diary. Woven into the story are: More than 100 examples of what to look for on a nature walk, Latin names for the living things to observed by the characters, study questions, nature poems and verses. Other features includ...