With twenty years of experience as a public-school teacher and principal, Dave Hoffman has seen the power of the classroom firsthand. Because Dave is an employee at a large university, anyone would pin him as a staunch advocate of the education system. As the Academic Outreach & Sales manager at BYU Continuing Education, Dave knows just how important schooling is.
His takeaway when he put his kids in school for the first time was: “We could do this at home!”
Dave isn’t alone. The Washington Post estimates that up to 2.7 million children are homeschooled in the US; homeschooling is the fastest-growing form of education nationwide. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, this alternative form of education has edged its way into the spotlight for its versatility and efficiency.
Homeschooling does away with the often-clunky nature of an 8 – 3 schedule, favoring an individualized, family-centered approach that gives kids time to explore other enticing avenues of personal development. Students have flexibility to do what they love.
Dave’s love for homeschooling was sparked in part by his experience with a pair of young home teachers. The brothers, 18 and 16 years old, had been assigned to visit Dave’s family and share gospel lessons. Despite their youth, they were laudably devoted and strikingly mature. Dave learned that they’d been homeschooled, which endowed them with poise and wisdom far beyond their years.
So, Dave decided to homeschool his kids. Contrary to popular belief, homeschooled children are engaged in the community in many ways; His children played football on local teams, sang in choirs, and attended seminary, among other activities. Homeschooling didn’t extract them from the community but gave them more agility to be meaningfully involved.
In Dave’s experience, the do-it-yourself philosophy that underpins homeschooling continued to influence his children beyond adolescence. They’ve all successfully pursued distinctly entrepreneurial paths in life, breaking the mold every step of the way.
Dave’s advocacy for home-based education has evolved beyond his own family. His team, Academic Outreach & Sales, is well aware of the myriad benefits of homeschooling. The team goes to great lengths to make these rewards known, trekking to homeschooling conferences nationwide and establishing connections with curriculum distributors. New relationships with homeschool service companies and local school districts are bringing the blessings of a home-based BYU education to more families than ever before.
BYU Independent Study’s support of homeschool families goes beyond providing the classes. In 2024, the program teamed up with Homeschool Hub Utah and the Wasatch Home Educators Network, organizing a homeschool resource fair. Family-minded support like this will continue to make home education a viable, appealing option for all kinds of students.
Through BYU Online High School, BYU Independent Study courses coalesce into a degree-bearing experience that can meet the needs of many students. For the intrepid, college-minded scholars, Flex Enrollment offers a unique level of freedom and responsibility. Semester Enrollment offers a more traditional home-based high school experience, with a blend of Zoom and self-guided study.
Homeschooling offers a flexible, personalized education that traditional schools often can't match, and BYU Independent Study is revolutionizing homeschooling with top-tier support and resources. Learn more at ce.byu.edu!