Homeschool vs Public School: A Former Teacher's Honest Take

So, you may be wondering: what’s the best fit for our family, homeschool or public school?

I’ve stood at the front of a second-grade classroom as a teacher, and I’ve sat down beside my own kids at the kitchen table for homeschool. So a lot of people ask me, “Homeschool or public school?”

Let’s take this one step at a time.

First: this isn’t anti-school

Let me start by saying this very clearly: this is not about teachers. I have many friends who are classroom teachers, and they work so hard. I’ve experienced how much work it takes to be a classroom teacher, and honestly, just applause. You are all amazing.

This is about the classroom environment and how students are affected by it. It’s about what the classroom can and can’t do, and what the kitchen table can and can’t do.

Every family is different, and your family’s needs are going to be different. Public school is the right choice for a lot of kids. My goal is just to help you see both sides with clear eyes.

1. Time

The first difference that really surprises people is time.

In a classroom, so much time goes to classroom management: lining up, getting kids quiet in their seats or at the carpet, lunch, extracurriculars, recess. All of those things take up a lot of the school day.

At home, school can take a lot less time, because you aren’t managing 20 or 30 kids. You have your own children, who you know really well, around the kitchen table.

(Curious what that looks like? Here’s a real homeschool day, start to finish.)

There are two sides to this, though. For some families, it’s more practical to have their child at school all day while they’re at work. Other families love the freedom homeschooling gives them.

2. Attention

Another big difference I saw as a classroom teacher was students’ attention.

There are simply some students for whom the classroom environment isn’t the best fit. I had many students who were easily distracted by a neighbor, or who wanted to focus on anything but the work in front of them. When you’re surrounded by so many of your peers, it can be hard to concentrate.

The flip side, and the beautiful thing about a classroom, is the collaboration you get with other students.

For my kids at home, I’ve found their attention spans are a lot better in our home environment. That’s something you get around the kitchen table. It’s usually quieter than a classroom, and usually less distracting.

That’s not to say there aren’t sibling squabbles about someone tapping their pencil too much on the table, or moving around too much in their seat. Siblings have their own problems! But the home environment is usually less distracting than the classroom.

Immediate feedback

I also love the attention I can give my kids while homeschooling, in the form of immediate feedback. That’s a beautiful thing about homeschooling: you can give feedback right away, so you can make sure they understand whatever you’re teaching.

3. Socialization

One of the biggest differences that always comes up is socialization.

In public school, you’re surrounded by your peers all day, five days a week. At home, you’re surrounded by your siblings and family members. So there is a big difference in the quantity of social interaction.

But I’ve found that the quality of homeschool interactions beats the quantity in the school setting. That’s not true for everyone. But in my children’s experience, the interactions they have with their teammates on their soccer teams, or with friends in gymnastics class, have been more quality interactions than they’d get every day at school.

There were many times my daughter, especially, would come home very upset over the dynamics at recess. At home, you don’t have those same dynamics.

(I answer this one in a lot more detail in But what about socialization?)

4. Flexibility

Another difference between public school and homeschool is flexibility.

You might be a family that needs the schedule of school. Or you might be a family that wants to be a bit more fluid in your schedule and how your time is spent. You just need to evaluate which one is better for you.

Now, no big surprise: homeschooling’s flexibility has been better for our family. I love being able to take the kids to the library midday. (Here I go talking about the library again!) I love taking them there midday when no one else is there, or going on a field trip to our state capital when it’s quiet.

You don’t have the friction of the busy weekend outings you’d have in a traditional school setting, because you can go midweek. And that’s fine.

The honest tradeoffs

Homeschooling isn’t easy. It doesn’t fit every family. But when it does fit your family, you can feel that. You can feel the rightness in it.

Here’s what it asks of you:

• Your full presence. Homeschooling requires you to be there, fully.
• Often, one parent’s income. It frequently comes at that cost.
• Community, on purpose. You have to be intentional and build your community.

So, which is right for you?

Those are my real observations about homeschool and public school. There are real tradeoffs in both camps. Some will fit one family, and some will fit another.

If you’re curious whether homeschooling might be right for your family, start with how to start homeschooling.

Want to see what it would actually feel like? Download my free Starter Week: a real homeschool week, already planned, so you can see what a homeschool day might look like in your house.