3 Dangerous Homeschool Narratives and Brain-Based Alternatives to Set Your Kids Up for Success

Homeschooling is a great option for many families to individualize education, foster connection with your kids, and experience learning in a more organic, fun environment. But there have been several homeschool narratives that have become prominent over the last several years that are actually problematic. These are ideas or principles that are parrotted by influencers or organizations and often accepted as fact by homeschool families—when really, believing them may be holding your child back.

For each, we’ll unpack the element of truth, the reason it’s dangerous for your child’s continued growth and development, and how a brain-based approach may help your family see more improvement and confidence in your homeschool years!

All kids learn at their own pace.

The element of truth:

It is true that every brain is different and different kids learn at different speeds. In fact, this is one of the prime reasons to homeschool—you can pace your instruction to specifically meet your child’s cognitive and academic needs.

Why it’s a dangerous narrative:

Where this falls short is in the arena that many families apply it. Instead of using it as a motivation to keep pushing and moving kids forward, many homeschool families apply this logic to say that it’s ok when kids haven’t grasped certain concepts or milestones in a certain timeframe. 

While some subjects are less time-sensitive, in areas like literacy and math, there does come a point when if your child is not proficient, “it becomes an emergency” (in the words of Christy-Faith, homeschooling advocate and researcher). 

Kids who are falling behind in these foundational areas struggle to catch up because the curriculum moves on without them. Suddenly you’re left scrambling trying to decide if you should repeat the year, try a different curriculum, or just settle for the fact that your child may not achieve certain levels of proficiency.

The brain-based alternative:

At LearningRx, we believe that homeschooling is a beautiful opportunity to individualize education in a way that aligns with your family’s goals. We also believe in filling the brain with the tools it needs for successful learning, no matter what environment you’re in. Rather than just saying your child is a “slow learner,” or that they are just “bad at math,” you can be proactive about building the skills they’re lacking to help them become more confident, successful learners.

Read more: Signs of Weak Cognitive Skills in Struggling Students >>

It’s ok if your child isn’t reading yet.

The element of truth:

If your child is in kindergarten or 1st grade, this may be true. Reading proficiency takes immense amounts of time (and skills) to build. It does click at different times for different kids, but the danger lies in continuing this belief for too long…

Why it’s a dangerous narrative:

Literacy rates across the US are low (and not improving). While homeschool students may not be accounted for in these numbers, there are plenty of circulating stories and opinions that say it’s ok to push reading proficiency until much later in elementary school – or even beyond. 

What happens is that parents accommodate reading struggles rather than target them. They allow students to rely on audiobooks, verbal test-taking, or evaluation-based assessments rather than focusing on the content. And while there is beauty in this flexibility, there is also a danger that a student who COULD become a confident, successful reader with the right intervention is allowed to continue in their struggle. 

The brain-based alternative:

It’s not too late to help your child become a confident reader. And it’s not too early to intervene if you’re just beginning to see signs of a struggle. Whichever camp you’re in, it’s critical to dig deeper into WHY the struggle exists in the first place.

Reading struggles originate in weak cognitive skills. If processing speed, memory, auditory or visual processing, or logic (among others) are weak, kids are going to struggle to grasp reading—even if you’re the best teacher or use the best curriculum. 

Read more: The Dangers of Putting Off Reading Help for Struggling Students >>

If your child hates doing school, the problem is your teaching method or curriculum.

The element of truth:

It’s true that students have innate preferences in how they want to learn (and what they want to learn). Motivation and a love for learning are not something that can be taught or structured into your day, but they do often happen when you find that “groove” that works for your family. 

Why it’s a dangerous narrative:

The problems arise when things don’t go as planned. Your child doesn’t like this subject. They throw a fit every time they have to sit down for math. They drag their feet through the day, leaving you to question your ability to teach them, the quality of the curriculum you chose, or maybe even if homeschooling is really the best thing for your family.

So what do you do?

Often, there are one of these responses:

• You spend thousands of dollars on curriculum over the years, trying to find the right fit
• The problem subject gets put on the backburner, thinking you’ll come back to it when your child is in a more willing state
• You resort to bribery and dig in your heels, creating conflict within your parent-child relationship as well as your teacher-student relationship

We firmly believe that homeschooling is a fantastic educational option for many families. It’s heartbreaking to see families give up and send their kids back to conventional schooling because of something like this, when really there could be something else going on.

The brain-based alternative:

Rather than seeing your child’s struggles as a curriculum problem or a teacher (you) problem, what if you considered their brain?

Kids innately have a curious nature and a desire to learn. When this is absent and they struggle with motivation, most often it’s because of a struggle in the way their brain is processing information. 

By targeting cognitive skill weaknesses, students feel more confident and excited about learning again. But don’t just take our word for it – check out these stories from past LearningRx homeschool clients about the differences they saw in their kids after brain training:

*These are real past client stories, and any outcomes mentioned are from surveys and studies of past clients. Individual outcomes may vary.