Fascinating Subgroups in Homeschooling

While there are many different types of homeschoolers, there are certain subgroups in the homeschooling community that seem to generate a little extra buzz. For example, if you’ve ever wondered what the difference is between roadschoolers and worldschoolers or contemplated how your favorite TV star got her education, we’ve got you covered. Check out these four fascinating subgroups in the homeschooling community:

Roadschoolers
As the name suggests, roadschoolers take their schooling on the road. These are the folks who choose to live either part-time or full-time on the road in RVs or renovated vans. Roadschoolers often still use a traditional, structured curriculum as they have a mobile home to keep their schoolbooks. Some roadschoolers choose homeschooling to fit their life on the road, but others take up the nomadic lifestyle thanks to the flexibility of homeschooling.

Worldschoolers
Worldschoolers take the idea of roadschooling to the next level. These are the homeschoolers you see in a different country every other month. Whether living on a sailboat or hopping from one Airbnb to the next, worldschooling families often let their international surroundings guide their children’s education. Online curriculum like Monarch is a beloved option for AOP’s worldschooling families.

Curious to learn more about how worldschoolers live and educate? Check out our interview with The Wingin’ It Family, a traveling family that uses Monarch as they travel the globe with their two kids.

Competitive Athletes and Aspiring Performers
Homeschooled athletes and aspiring performers are certainly in their own subgroup of homeschoolers because the schedules they keep often force them into homeschooling, even if it’s not their first choice. Many homeschoolers, including Olympic athletes, gold medalists, actors, and singers have chosen an option like Alpha Omega Academy for its accreditation and NCAA approved courses.

Unschoolers
Unschoolers take student-led learning to the extreme. Unschooling encourages parents to follow the student’s interests and curiosities rather than sticking to specific curriculum. This group comes in varying degrees of intensity: from the parents who simply allow students to pick projects that fit their interests to the parents who throw out structured learning completely.

While unschoolers are often caricaturized as being wild and undisciplined, this is rarely the case. After all, most states require some structured learning, and at the heart of unschooling lies a noble philosophy that can be applied to a more traditional homeschooling approach. In the end, it’s about intentionality in assessing and pursuing the child’s interests and curiosities.