WHY FAMILIES CHOOSE HOME
SCHOOLING
Although there are numerous reasons families choose to
home school their children, Van Galen (1988) appropriately
places home schoolers into two distinct categories:
ideologues and pedagogues. The ideologues argue that they
home school their children for two reasons: “they object to
what they believe is being taught in public and private
schools and they seek to strengthen their relationships with
their children” (Van Galen 1988, 55). These parents have
specific beliefs, values, and skills that they want their children
to learn and embrace. Because they are convinced that
these things are not being adequately taught in public
school, they opt for home schooling.