We have homeschooled our children the past five years, and it has been a great decision for our family. Of course, we are far from alone in our decision to homeschool. Recently, the Department of Education released a report on homeschooling in the United States and it shows that homeschooling has grown considerably in the past decade.

What I also found interesting were the top reasons people homeschool:

1. Provide Religious or Moral Instruction
2. Concern about the Environment of other Schools
3. Dissatisfaction with the Academic Instruction Available Elsewhere
4. Child has a Physical or Mental Health Problem
5. Child has other Special Needs
6. Interest in nontraditional approach to education
7. More family time
8. Family finances
9. Ability to travel
10. Distance to school

Looking over this list, I note that six of the top ten apply in our situation. But what I find interesting is that our initial reasons for homeschooling are not necessarily the same reasons we continue to homeschool. For example, reason number 6: “Interest in nontraditional approach to education” did not initially interest us – when we first started homeschooling we simply made our homeschool like an institutional school, except at home. But over the years we have become more “nontraditional” in our approach, realizing that having children sit in chairs for hours on end while a teacher drones on is not necessarily an ideal educational environment, especially for boys. Homeschooling has given us the ability to tailor our educational program to the strengths of our own particular children, as well as to the strengths of their teachers – my wife and myself.

For whatever the reasons, the rise of homeschooling as a viable, mainstream option has been a great development in education in this country. It will never be the choice for all families in this country, or even the majority of families, but for those who choose it, it can be quite beneficial.