What is Homeschooling?
The term “homeschool” means children are educated primarily by their parents. Homeschooling gives parents the greatest amount of control over the curriculum their children study. Approximately 1.7 million children are homeschooled, accounting for about 3.3% of all students. This up from just 1% of just twenty years ago.
Homeschool parents will often choose from a variety of available curriculum. About two-thirds of all homeschoolers are Christian, while a quarter of homeschool students are considered secular or non-religious. In order to foster social interaction and because parents cannot necessarily be experts in every subject, homeschool families may choose to participate in homeschool groups, made up of multiple families.
What is Private Christian Education?
Christian education is centered on Christ, rooted in the Bible, and taught by teachers who openly profess Jesus as Lord and Savior. At Haywood Christian Academy, a private Christian school in Waynesville, our mission is to develop students into Christian leaders by providing an excellent educational experience on a foundation of Biblical truth.
Though every academic study is taught in addition to the Bible, private Christian schools help students establish a Christian worldview through which they can filter lessons from each subject. This helps students see their study of science, arithmetic, history, English, and the arts through the lens of the core truths of God’s Word.
Why Choose Homeschooling?
Parents choose to homeschool for a variety of reasons:
- Academic Freedom: Homeschooling gives parents almost total control over their children’s education, curriculum choice, and even when they receive instruction.
- Discipleship: Homeschooling makes parents the primary source of instruction, affording them more opportunities to spend discipling their children.
- Fewer Breaks: One critique of public education is frequent breaks for holidays, weather, summer, etc. In Haywood County, schools may close for winter weather impacting higher elevation communities, while the valleys receive only rain.
- Individual Attention: Homeschool class sizes may be as small as the number of family members homeschooled.
- Academic Performance: Homeschoolers generally perform better on the SAT and ACT and graduate college at a significantly higher rate than public school students.
- Flexibility: When families travel frequently for work or by choice, homeschool instruction is preferable on the road.
- Safety: Though mass violence is statistically uncommon even on public school campuses, it is a non-issue altogether for homeschoolers.
Why Choose Private Christian Education?
Christian parents may prefer private Christian education for several reasons:
- Discipleship: Discipleship is at the core of good Christian education. Christian teachers are disciple-makers, affording students another group of adults teaching them to follow Jesus in addition to their parents and church relationships.
- Small Class Sizes: Private school class sizes are 40% smaller than public schools. Though larger than homeschool classrooms (depending on the nature of optional homeschool groups), Christian school teachers have the opportunity to spend quality time with students.
- Athletics and Extracurricular Activities: Private Christian Schools like HCA often feature the same sports and extracurricular activities provided by public education. Coaches and club leaders serve as additional points of Christian discipleship for students.
- Social Interaction: Private schools offer students opportunities to interact with adults and walk out their faith with other students their age. As students age and mature in their faith, they are often given the opportunity to disciple and lead younger students.
- Academic Performance: Like homeschoolers, private school students are more likely to earn college degrees.
- Safety: Christian schools are statistically safer than public schools by a wide margin in every category.
Why We Choose Private Christian Education?
Homeschooling is a good alternative to public education; nevertheless, at Haywood Christian Academy, we enjoy the impact we can make for Christ in the lives of our students and throughout Waynesville, Haywood County, and the nations. Our students are encouraged to participate in a variety of gospel-centered service projects and missions opportunities. Furthermore, we are committed to preparing our students to share their faith with their college peers, coworkers, and everyone with whom they have relationships after their time here. If you would like to know more about Haywood Christian Academy in Waynesville, NC, contact us or schedule a tour.