Bullying: Can homeschooling be the solution?
Homeschooling indeed is a solution to bullying.
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Removing your child from a toxic environment where he or she is undergoing the torment of bullying is not only necessary for your child’s mental wellbeing and health, it enables him or her to flourish and learn.
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Bullying in schools is an all too common problem that affects a high proportion of students. According to the US-based National Center for Educational Statistics, over 20% of pupils report being bullied. In the UK, a survey carried out in England found that one in six students reported bullying in the previous 12 months.
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Bullying can be difficult to spot. Children rarely want to admit to being bullied but there can be warning signs. These may include, bruises, possessions, missing or broken, reluctance to go to school, changes in behaviour at home such as becoming withdrawn or aggressive. In many cases, school work deteriorates too.
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An added dimension to bullying is that today there is no escape. Cyberbullying via social media is extremely commonplace and threatening for your child. Whereas once the home provided a safe haven, now the bullies can follow your child home virtually.
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There is not always any real reason why a child becomes the target of bullying. In general, it is usually to do with being slightly different from the herd so it can affect kids with any type of disability or a different ethnicity to the bulk of the other students. According to statistics, it is more likely to occur in areas of deprivation but again, bullying really does cross social and cultural boundaries so it is impossible to really determine why.
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Many parents turn to homeschooling and online schools as an alternative. For the sociable child, this does not mean that they need to become isolated or cut off from their peers. There are plenty of homeschooling communities where children can meet up and make friends. Online schools often encourage children in the same geographic area to get together.
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Bullying can lead to problems that can last a lifetime. It ruins confidence and self-esteem and many people never fully get over it. Bullying does not have to be physical to be damaging; verbal abuse is also a major issue. The old adage “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me, “is misplaced and damaging. All types of bullying hurt and if it crosses a line into continuous abuse, you owe it to your child to act.
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Homeschooling helps a child regain his or her confidence and interest in education and with the rise of online schooling; you do not have to be a qualified teacher in order to make it work.
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Click below for a helpful guide:
The Ultimate Parent Guide for Protecting Your Child on the Internet
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