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Are you an Accidental Homeschooler?

If so, you are not alone. The "accidental homeschoolers" are numerous. Some feel that they might be the "silent majority" of homeschoolers.

Accidental homeschoolers is a term coined by Time4Learning to describe how a large groups of homeschoolers seem to have started homeschooling.

These are typically families who had not planned to homeschool or who are not homeschooling for deep-rooted religious or philosophical reasons (although many of these people are people of strong faith). These families put their children in school but found that it was not working out and as they ran out of traditional school options, started homeschooling.

"My son was so miserable in school. We tried to find a better school but the choices were unacceptable. After one particularly bad day, we agreed to try homeschooling for the rest of third grade. That was two years ago and it has really worked out for us".

I never thought that I would homeschool

It seems there are a lot of homeschoolers who intended to have their children in school. In fact, they enrolled their children in school. But... it didn't work.

There are many reasons that it didn't work relating to schools, children, family, health, community etc. As they considered their options (many people first tried changing schools), they found that homeschooling was the best option. Often, it was thought about as a "last resort".

Having heard this type of comment hundreds of time, we (the staff at Time4Learning) started thinking about and researching these families. We now think of them as "accidental homeschoolers."

We coined the "Accidental Homeschooler" term to describe those starting to homeschool motivated by a process of elimination, not because homeschooling is their primary choice. There was one particular conversation that got us thinking about these families and the process of suddenly jumping into homeschooling.

One mother who had called to find out about our curriculum, felt it important to explain to us that: “I don’t really believe in homeschooling and I don’t want to do it, but I have to because of my children and the way schools worked.”

We noticed that she was not the only one who followed a bumpy conflicted path into homeschooling. It’s striking that we rarely hear from people planning to start homeschooling in a few months or weeks. But, we hear daily from families that have decided to homeschool and want to start immediately.

While we can’t seem to find any data, Time4Learning believes that about half of today’s homeschoolers started in traditional schools. So, with some fear of over-generalizing, here are some characteristics of accidental homeschoolers that we have observed:

• Accidental homeschoolers often have the impression that they are unusual in that they are only homeschooling because it's the best option. Many seem to feel that this sets them apart from other homeschoolers.
• Accidental homeschoolers’ decision to homeschool often resolves a crisis , or series of crises, with the children, the school, and sometimes within the family
• Many accidental homeschoolers have been preoccupied trying to make traditional education work for their children so that when they finally “give-up” on schools and decide to homeschool, they find themselves with no preparation and no real idea what homeschooling means.
• Accidental homeschoolers start with real trepidation and often with little to no enthusiasm for their endeavor.
• The number of people starting as “accidental homeschoolers” is increasing now that the public has broad awareness and acceptance of homeschooling.

The Homeschool Melting Pot

We’ve noticed that the accidental homeschooler label only applies for a limited period to these homeschoolers. After a deschooling transition period, parents become immersed in their new approach to education and lifestyle. Their initial anger with the education system which they feel failed them melts away as they adapt to their new life. They seem to forget that their decision to homeschool was one of necessity, not a deliberate choice.

“I had starting homeschooling when I found that the schools just did not work for my children. My initial attitude was bitterness with the schools and the blunders and accidents that had forced us to take on the education ourselves.

Over the years, a funny thing happened.  I began to notice that there was nothing regrettable about the fork in the road that I took and the homeschooling path that I was on. I shifted from being a critic of the schools to being a homeschool advocate. I noticed that many of the friends I made that first year experienced a similar metamorphosis: 

The Accidental Homeschoolers became the Enthusiastic Homeschoolers .” 

Are you new to homeschooling? Ask Time4Learning for their free Introduction to Homeschooling ebook.

Reasons to Homeschool - Is there any Data?

The 2003 Federal NCES Study of Homeschooling is one of the primary sources of data on homeschooling in the US. As background, this study is the source of the often quoted statistic that 2.2% of the K-12 student population is being homeschooled, up by 0.5% from four years earlier. Projecting forward a constant rate of growth, this projects that in 2008, there will be a 2.7% of the K-12 population being homeschooled. But, since the rate of growth appears to be increasing, the increase might be on a percentage basis, and most people agree that these statistics understated the homeschoolers, it is likely that 3% are now being homeschooled.

This same study asked for the main reason for homeschooling and 47% were apparently homeschooling without having truly planned to do so (based on summing those who homeschooled since they were unhappy with the school environment and those who were dissatisfied with the school's education).

Accidental homeschoolers are "problem solvers"

Accidental homeschoolers have the impression that all other homeschoolers are dedicated to homeschooling and that they are unusual in that they are only doing it only because it's the best option for their situation.

Time4Learning is a convenient, online home schooling curriculum that combines education with interactive fun.

Time4Learning's online homeschooling program (an adaptation of Compass Learning Odyssey®) teaches language arts, math, science, and social studies, preschool to eighth grade.

Homeschooling parents adopt widely different approaches to homeschooling their children. Traditionally, choices were limited as most educational publishers focused on schools.

One of the challenges of homeschooling is selecting curriculum that meets the needs of each child. Many families find that what fits one child, may not fit another, or that what worked well one semester, may feel stale and stop working the next. Or in some cases, what works for one child in one subject, does not work for the same child in another subject.

The Best Homeschooling Resource

Have you noticed how much your children like learning on the computer? The computer and internet have become valuable tools for homeschooling parents.

Online learning can form the core of the homeschooling curriculum or can supplement other programs. Many parents consider Time4Learning's online system to be the Best Homeschooling Program.

As one ten year old boy put it: "Time4Learning is the best. It's official. We use several curricula but Time4Learning is the best."

A Great Homeschooling Program and Partner

Time4Learning is a great homeschooling partner. Time4Learning is a small family-owned business that strives to treat each member personally. We answer every email daily (always on weekdays, usually on weekends). We provide ongoing technical assistance on using our program and an active forum where parents can discuss their homeschooling ideas.

Our homeschooling program provides children with their own login where their progress thru the homeschooling curriculum will be tracked. Each unit is made up of animated lessons, interactive activities, unit assessments, and integrated printable worksheets for reinforcement.

Time4Learning is a great homeschool curriculum choice. Some parents use Time4Learning as supplementary, others use Time4Learning as the primary homeschooling curriculum. Time4Learning has curriculum for homeschooling children in Preschool, Grade School, and Middle School.

Time4Learning's home schooling website provides a comprehensive language arts and math curriculum and includes science and social studies.

Homeschooling - How to Blend Fun with Education

Time4Learning helps homeschooling parents build interesting diverse days. By shifting from computer-based lessons to discussion, or from paper and pencil exercises to art projects, children stay engaged and benefit from different teaching methods. Variety keeps children motivated and attentive throughout the day.

Today's families have many choices for homeschooling: different curriculum, websites, programs, lessons, assessments, and worksheets. Time4Learning's online learning system combines in one homeschool curriculum interactive lessons, multimedia reinforcement activities, printable worksheets, learning games, and assessments with reports. Homeschooling families across the country (and world!) are using it enthusiastically.

Online Homeschooling Curriculum that is Proven Effective

Time4Learning provides home school curriculum with multimedia instruction, animated interactive lessons and printable worksheets for reinforcement, has a low monthly price, does not require a contract, and provides a money-back guarantee so you can make sure that it works for your kids, risk free!

Click for Elise's Story of how an Accidental Homeschooler became a Deliberate Homeschooler.

Click for more accidental homeschooling stories.

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