The home educator has an advantage over the classroom teacher in that he knows, or should know, his child well. The importance of the teacher's knowing the pupil is displayed in the vast differences in the way children learn. A teacher must understand the child and how the child learns so that the teacher can adapt his teaching to the pupil. For instance, some children can pick up a new concept quickly after a simple explanation from the teacher. Others, however, need to see the concept demonstrated in several ways.
Some children are more visually oriented than others.
They must see how everything works, not just read about it. Differences in attention spans demand different teaching approaches. For example, a teacher has to adapt his methods for the child with a short attention span because he needs several breaks during the lesson. Motivation also plays an important role in the learning process. The teacher must know his student in order to motivate his student.