Homeschooling is growing rapidly across the country, including New York City. This format of education has grown so much among city dwellers that many magazines and blogs are offering suggestions to help homeschooling parents enhance their children’s curriculums. In October 2012, New York Guides posted an article on their website that directed visitors to a number of resources for homeschooling parents. The information in this collection of homeschooling-focused articles included interviews with homeschooling families, suggestions for curriculums and ideas for educational field trips all within, or nearby, the New York City limits.
According to New York Guides, there are nearly 3,000 children being homeschooled in NYC and that estimate is probably too low considering that the numbers are growing more each year. Homeschooling families are no longer rarities in the Big Apple and these families are increasingly coming together within their communities to have their children attend classes—like gymnastics—with other homeschooled children. Many organizations now offer classes for homeschooling groups which is yet another indicator of how much more common and accepted homeschooling is becoming. Presently, it is far more well-known and positively regarded than it was even ten years ago.
New York City is one of the best places to homeschool since there is so much to do and see in New York. Those who are lucky enough to live in or near NYC have the option to visit everywhere from Ellis Island to the Metropolitan Museum of Art as often as they would like. The historical, cultural, artistic, and academic offerings that are found in New York rival no place else, thus children who are homeschooled in New York City have many advantages due to their location. Exposing children to all sorts of educational stimulus from museums to parks, helps them get interested in particular subjects and, from there, map out their niche in life. Homeschooling offers the flexibility of curriculum and lesson plans to allow tailor made educational opportunities for each child, something that the traditional school system lacks.
Homeschooling families have a lot of freedom to educate children based on the particular interests of each individual child. That being said, homeschoolers must still comply with certain state standards, as are outlined on the Department of Education (DOE) website. Additionally, New York Guides offers an article about “Mastering the Basics” of homeschooling to help parents sort out the legal side of the process. For anyone who is thinking about homeschooling their children, this kind of background research is pivotal.
Overall, the city is a wonderful classroom and the world in general is a great place to learn and plan for the future. As more families turn to homeschooling (and more classes go online—another great source of outside-the-classroom education) there will undoubtedly be more programs available to homeschoolers, more research done on the benefits of this learning style and more articles and media coverage pertaining to it.
To read the New York Guides articles about homeschooling in NYC click here: http://nymag.com/guides/everything/homeschooling-2012-10/
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