Celebrities who homeschool their kids

Homeschooling has become more and more popular in the United States and that's true in celebrity circles as well.  Homeschooling can work perfectly for families who travel a lot for work (such as doing concert tours or shooting movies on location), have odd hours or who want to have more control over the lessons and values their kids are learning.  This makes homeschooling a natural choice for many actors, singers and others in the public eye.

Here are a few celebrity parents who homeschool their kids, with what they had to say about their choices.

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith:

Jada told ESSENCE magazine that they homeschooled their kids for "flexibility" and "they can stay with us when we travel."  She said another reason for their choice to homeschool was because "...the school system in this country - public and private is designed for the industrial age.  We're in a technological age. We don't want our kids to memorise. We want them to learn."

Will told Reader's Digest, "The date of the Boston Tea Party does not matter. I know how to learn anything I want to learn. I absolutely know that I could learn how to fly the space shuttle because someone else knows how to fly it, and they put it in a book. Give me the book, and I do not need somebody to stand up in front of the class."

That said, the couple also employs tutors in their homeschooling.

Here's an exerpt of the Reader's Digest article, where Will talks about how he believes all first graders should read Plato's Republic and how kids only need to know how to learn to be able to master anything.

Lisa Welchel:

The "Facts of Life" actress and author has homeschooled her three kids in just about every way short of unschooling.  She talks on her web site about the years they did traditional school at home, motor-homeschooling, an online academy and even dropping the kids off at Grandma's during the days while she worked and sending folders of work with them.  She says, "As you can tell, there is really not one right way to homeschool. That’s one of the wonderful things about homeschooling!"

Anjelina Jolie and Brad Pitt:

There have been media reports that the stars' children have stopped attending schools and are now being tutored at home.  One article reported in 2008 that Maddox was not starting 2nd grade in the fall but would be learning at home.  "There has recently been a tutor visiting the house," reported one source to Us Magazine.  Other celebrity watching blogs report that Maddox continues to see tutors at home, while the little ones have been enrolled in preschools off and on (read the comments for more details). 

Eryka Badu:

The actress homeschools her children during their early years.  About homeschooling her oldest child, she told Babble Magazine:

"I wanted to give Seven Sirius special attention academically, to give him an advantage. So by being home-schooled he learned how to learn — he learned how to solve problems in a nontraditional way. In doing that he developed an edge in his schoolwork. He enjoys challenges. He pushes himself. He does his homework voluntarily. He does not want to miss school or be late or be untidy or not have his things in order because that was a big part of how he was brought up."

Tom Cruise:

As most people know, Tom Cruise homeschools his children from his first marriage to Nicole Kidman, Connor and Isabella.  The children are tutored by Cruise's two sisters, one of whom lives with them and one who lives nearby.  There have been various media reports that he and his current wife, Katie Holmes, disagree about whether their daughter Suri will be homeschooled or not.

Mayim Bialik

The "Blossom" actress embraces child-led learning, Attachment Parenting and similar traditions in teaching her two young sons. She told the Washington Times that she and her husband were bringing their boys up "the way people always raised children, except for the last 200 years."  Click here to read more about Bialik's parenting philosophies.

Robert Frost

A celebrity from an earlier time, this famous poet (and recipient of four Pulitzer Prizes) and his wife homeschooled their children back in a time when it was not the norm.  A page dedicated to his historic home recounts, "A horsehair-upholstered parlor set also graces the room in which Elinor and Robert home schooled their children and spent pleasant evenings reading together as a family before the children were tucked in for the night."

This site has fascinating quotes by Frost about education.  It says:

As they were both teachers, the Frosts convinced the authorities that they could educate their children at home on the farm. Learning, the father felt, must be firsthand, and education should both delight and instruct. He emphasized the local and the immediate, the surroundings and the season.

About education, Frost once said, “I still say the only education worth anything is self-education.”