There are plenty of ways for parents to choose how to educate their children, but homeschooling is one of the more unconventional ones. It’s by far a more hands-on, engaged, intimate method of education, and parents who choose to homeschool their children are making a bold leap into some exciting territory. Homeschooling means a specially tailored curriculum, an education in the basics (reading, math, science) with the option to add on courses you may not find in a regular school environment (music, foreign languages and beyond).
Surprisingly, homeschooling is rare in the world of celebrities. You’d think that with their hectic schedules, tons of celebs would be opting to educate their kids at home to ensure that they don’t miss out on the schooling they need. But celebs who homeschool their kids seem to be in the minority, and the ones who do choose it make for an interesting lineup.
Curious to see which celebs homeschool their kids? Keep clicking to find out.
Gwyneth Paltrow
Never one to play by the rules, Gwyneth Paltrow and ex-husband Chris Martin made headlines in 2011, when word got out that they were advertising for a private tutor for their children, Apple and Moses. Among other subjects, the tutor would be teaching the children how to speak Ancient Greek, Latin and French. Knowledge of Japanese was reportedly a prerequisite for the position as well.
Jada Pinkett Smith & Will Smith
Jada Pinkett Smith and husband Will Smith began homeschooling their children, Jaden and Willow, around 2003. During a 2009 interview on Live with Regis and Kelly, Will elaborated on their decision: "We found about eight or nine other parents that homeschool, so we put the children together. There are just very powerful educational concepts that we believe in, and we feel like we want to design the system that revolutionizes public education."
Angelina Jolie
In 2017, The Daily Mail reported that Angelina Jolie was still overseeing the homeschooling of her six children, which includes courses in reading and math as well as foreign languages and music.
Tom Cruise
Ostensibly falling in line with the widespread attitude in the Scientology community to not send kids to a public or private school, Tom Cruise (and Nicole Kidman, during their marriage) instead chose to homeschool his children, Isabella and Connor.
Mayim Bialik
In a 2012 interview with a Judaism-focused homeschooling blog, Bialik revealed why she and her husband chose to go the homeschooling route: "My husband and I enjoy the flexibility: traveling, scheduling outings and such on our time. We like our children not being held to some standard of what other kids are doing as their defining label. Both of our boys are very sensitive and gentle and developed 'late' in terms of walking, talking and interacting."
Bialik also explained that "a public setting would not have allowed them to progress under our care and we like to keep our finger on the pulse of their development as organic and natural and normal" and that the expenses and commitments of private school felt prohibitive.
Jim Bob & Michelle Duggar
In a 2013 interview with TLC, Michelle Duggar recalled hearing about homeschooling from a friend as a preferred way to educate and raise children. After lots of research and planning, the Duggars eventually settled on that and began homeschooling right away with their first child, Josh.
Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson reportedly set up a private world for his children (Paris, Michael Jr. and Prince) during the first decade or so of their lives. Part of this privacy involved homeschooling the three kids, with Paris and Michael Jr. reportedly getting homeschooled until they were 13 and 12, respectively, and Prince getting homeschooled until he was middle-school-age.
Erykah Badu
Neo-soul singer Erykah Badu took steps to ensure that her first son, Seven Sirius, got the right academic foundation. In 2009, she spoke to Babble (in an interview that was later picked up by People) about her choice to homeschool Seven for the early years of his education: "I wanted to give [him] special attention academically, to give him an advantage."
Kris Jenner
Kris Jenner was instrumental in helping her youngest daughters, Kendall and Kylie, make the transition from high school to a homeschooling setup around 2013 so that the girls could balance school with their burgeoning careers.
Katie Holmes
While she was married to Tom Cruise, Holmes chose to homeschool their daughter, Suri. In regards to her decision, Holmes explained to HuffPost in 2010, "We have quite a schedule, you know? […] And we homeschool Suri — she has a teacher who is with her every day. We like the one-on-one education. I’m happy that my daughter is strong-willed and determined. You really have to go with what the child is wanting."
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