Homeschool Education vs Public School Education for Young Actors?

Since my daughter has always loved going to school, we never really considered the pros and cons of homeschool education vs public school education until a couple of years ago.

I have always been in awe of the moms who homeschooled their kids, but never really considered it a viable option for our family.

Right before we made the move to Burbank for acting, I discussed schooling with my daughter’s manager. He was emphatic about keeping her life as normal as possible. And in his mind, that meant keeping her in public school.

He recommended Burbank for its good schools and proximity to many studios.

While trying to find a place to live, I checked the ratings for elementary schools to try to find a good one. We rented an apartment that put her in a top-rated elementary school in Burbank Unified School District.

My daughter loved going to school there. And her second grade teacher was absolutely amazing. She thrived while in this class, and leaving early was never a problem.

While in the early grades in elementary school, the teachers did not seem to mind if I took her out early for an audition, or out of school for a job.  She was a good student and well-behaved, and it was easy enough for her to make up the work.

But as my daughter advanced in school, it became increasingly difficult to take her out of school for auditions, coaching, events, and jobs.  Some teachers complained when I picked her up even 5-15 minutes early!

And making up the missed work and projects became more difficult as she advanced from one grade to the next.

Some teachers are not flexible about homework in public school, and there is often a lot of it. This makes the whole job of acting extremely difficult for a young person.

But my daughter chooses to stay in public school. She does not want to leave her friends there. She is very involved in her school and loves the school activities. She looks forward to her 6th grade graduation  this year.

Staying in public school has resulted in some missed auditions, missed acting classes, and missed jobs, and in the last couple of years,we have had to de-emphasize her acting a little so she could focus on her studies.

But being involved in school activities and doing well in school are important to my daughter. And she wants to get into a good university.

As her parent, one of the most important things to me is my daughter’s happiness. As long as she continues to be happy and do well there, we will keep her in public school. We know she has the rest of her life to work on her acting.

So, what is the parent of a child actor to do?

Is homeschooling a good option?

More and more young actors and their parents are going the homeschooling route, and it has some real benefits.  Homeschooling has much more flexibility, but it also takes a lot of dedication and discipline on the part of the parents and the children.

So what are some pros and cons of homeschool education vs public school education for you and your young actor?

Some benefits of homeschooling over public school for children pursuing a career in show business are:

• Greater flexibility for auditions and jobs as well as activities and vacations.
• A shorter school day so there is more time for activities and auditions each day.
• More focus on school work instead of time wasted in classroom management.
• No “homework“ at the end of the school day.
• Teacher-child conflict is not an issue.
• Teaching time is applied effectively so your child can work longer on weak areas and move ahead in strong areas.
• You can choose activities, topics, and projects to blend into your child’s educational experience.
• Exposure to negative influences of other children can be minimized.

Some disadvantages of homeschool education compared to public school education:

• Less opportunity to meet and interact with other children.
• Less chance for involvement in school-related activities such as sports, dances, etc.
• Children miss typical public school experiences, good or bad.
• It is more time-consuming for parents.
• Parents and children must have a great deal of self-discipline to get the work done.
• Parents often need a greater knowledge of the subjects being taught.
• Parents are responsible for making sure their child masters the required curriculum.
• Parents need a more flexible schedule to supervise the child’s work or to take them to special classes for homeschoolers.
• There is less exposure to various races, cultures, and religions which is part of a child’s education.
• Parents often have more paperwork and bookkeeping related to the child’s education.

Other things to keep in mind:

When auditions take several hours out of a child’s afternoon/evening, and there are also acting classes, coaching, audition preparation, or other activities, there may be little time left for completing homework.

If teachers are not flexible about homework, the result is that work is done hastily, or the child sacrifices sleep to complete it. In either case, it can result in added stress for the child. And neither of those are healthy for a  child.

If school days are missed for jobs, getting assignments to take for the child to do with the studio teacher on set and making up missed work can be difficult.

For homeschooling, there are now online programs, greatly simplifying the parent’s job in teaching the child. And there is still a teacher who can be contacted for help when needed.

There are also charter school programs where children can go in for a few hours several days a week to work with a teacher and also have the chance to be around other children. There is a teacher to help with problem areas.

If you have some special skills or teaching abilities that you can share with other homeschooling families, you can join co-ops where parents alternate teaching a small group of kids.

This allows your child to be around other kids and have more varied learning experiences. It also frees up time for you to do your own work.

There are also now large homeschooling communities all around the country, where homeschoolers and their parents meet together for activities and share valuable information, online and in person.

But still, there is something to be said for the whole experience of public school education. With all its flaws, it still provides a common experience that teaches valuable life lessons that may be missed in homeschooling. Many children do thrive in the public school environment.

Certainly, the decision for a homeschool education vs public school education is one that must be made based on your own personal beliefs and on what works best for you and your child.

You can find additional information on homeschooling in the state of California at the site for the HomeSchool Association of California.

Be sure to sign up for Your Young Actors Newsletter for more discussions on this and many other topics and for tips on helping your child pursue a show business career while still enjoying a “normal” life.

Debbie Sikkema