Pros And Cons Of Homeschooling

Education in our society is a very important factor in shaping our future. One’s future is depended on the education they receive and everyone is somehow affected by this. Children from the ages of kindergarteners to seniors in high school, college graduates, and stay at home mothers, are all shaped by the education the government provides us. There are many different ways to acquire an education some through private schools, public, charter, and being homeschooled. However, homeschooling is growing more in popularity than it has ever been.

A summary of demographic characteristics and achievement results for 20,760 homeschooled students was released in the spring of 1999 with a great deal of press coverage. It happens to be the largest study of homeschooling conducted to date, and was completed by Lawrence Rudner. Some of Rudner’s findings include the fact that many homeschooling parents were formally trained as teachers. Almost one-fourth of

Thesis: Homeschooling environment is an effective approach in education due to evidence of higher achievement on placement tests, success through college, engaged socially with activities outside homes, and students becoming active members of society.

An article from 2015 about homeschooling and public school stated that “it’s estimated that as many as 2 million American students are being educated at home.” There are several families that would prefer homeschooling over public school for several reasons, which will be discussed in this essay. The two topics that will be discussed are homeschooling and public school. There will be multiple topics discussed in this essay, such as pros and cons of homeschooling and public schooling, and which option would be the best option for certain types of families and students. These two topics will be contrasted by explaining which topic would be the better option for specific groups of people, and certain families. The purpose of this essay is to describe the advantages and disadvantages of home and public schooling. Also, the purpose of this essay to show statistics about which system of education would be best for certain families, specifically those who are low-income families, and want the best option for their children. Whereas public schooling is inexpensive and gives children a chance to make friends, homeschooling is the best option because it gives children a safe, and more compatible learning environment.

Homeschooling is probably one of the least known and least understood issues in education. Many people tend to think that most homeschoolers are religious conservatives or extremists. However, the truth is that people from all walks of life are joining the homeschooling bandwagon (Ray, 2004). The main misconception is that homeschooled children don’t get the same academic and social education as traditionally schooled children. Contrary to popular perception, homeschooled children have the same, if not better academic opportunities, social opportunities and college admissions prospects than traditionally schooled students have.

B. Preview – Traditional homeschooling can be problematic to a student’s life skills and overall development. The social learning aspect of school, which is lacking in homeschool, directly transfers into college and the workplace. Most teenagers and kids need to be supervised at every moment or else they will not do their work and, while at home, it is hard to find the motivation to do schoolwork.

Throughout history, homeschooling has been practiced by parents, extended family, and tutors. However, a small number of children were being subjected to homeschooling as compared to the 21st century (Gaither, p.226). Homeschooling is regarded as the provision of education to young people in a private setting as opposed to public setting. Instead of being educated by the teachers, the children are educated by their own parents, relatives, or tutors hired and paid by the parents. Parents who opt to subject their children to homeschooling, do so for a variety of reasons ranging from religious demand, structure of public schools to personal preferences.

These two counterpart choices in education have been an ongoing controversy for such an extended amount time due to the concernment of what effects a child gaining his or her education in the comfort of their own home rather than a more engaged learning environment. Some argue that homeschooling is so controversial due to the issues of socialization or lack there of, time and financial constraints on the family and/or parents, and it simply being less effective and enforced than that of the alternative, public school, in terms of academic achievement and overall stature, (Martin-Chang, Gould, & Meuse, 2011). Additionally, traditional schooling is shown to provide more educational opportunities and important personal interactions between peers and teachers. (Korkmaz and Duman, 2014). On the contrary however, others argue that homeschooling raises greater academic achievement, creates strong familial and parent-child bonds, has the potential to build greater self-motivation and a sense of responsibility, while potentially keeping children out of harms way whether that be bad peer influences, bullying, drugs and alcohol.

Many concerns are expressed for homeschoolers. When it comes to homeschooling, the first point of emphasis that critics point towards homeschoolers is the lack of socialization. “Critics charge that home-schooled children will be socially handicapped and unable to adapt to real-life interaction when older” (Jeub 1994). Ultimately, critiques get their conclusions with many observations and interviews that show how they do not choose to, or are not incorporated in social events or activities. Critiques imagine that the children are stuck with their parents all day and only go out when their parents allow them or when they personally go out. With this environment, critiques envision that homeschoolers get little to no cultural experience from their world surroundings (Anderman and Anderman, p. 468) In essence, the assessment is a never-ending speech from the critics that the number one flaw in homeschool is socialization and the

Education is amongst the essential things to pursue in life. It is the most powerful tool to particularly have in this day of age. For hundreds of years, parents have been accustomed to specifically send their children to schools substantially controlled by the government or privately. However, some parents mainly choose to homeschool their children for various of reasons, which raises the question is homeschooling reliable? Homeschooling is an educational alternative that enables guardians to educate their kids at home as opposed to sending them to school. However, homeschooling wasn’t always legal. In fact, it was not until 1993 that homeschooling was legal in all 50 states. Since then the number of parents truly choosing to homeschool their children have significantly increased fairly contrary to popular belief. Homeschooling laws differ from state to state which has brought numerous of controversies in the past two decades. Some view it as a reliable way of learning, others view as a waste of time. The topic of homeschooling as an alternative route to education is a social issue that impacts America because of the advantages and the disadvantages that evolves around it.

Socialization is an important development tool. Every interaction your child has helped him learn language skills, ways to cope with emotions and how to work within social norms. Once your child is in school, teachers and peers start to be a major part of socialization, which impacts development by helping your child feel competent. During early school years, a teacher provides structure and discipline in a child’s day. Homeschool children may not have a structured schedule due to what may be going on at home. Maybe due to a sibling or

Education, the most powerful weapon which can be used to change the world. Miriam-Webster dictionary defines education as the knowledge, skill, and understanding that you get from attending a school, college, or university (1). In today’s society, education is dispensed and received through different forms: campus-based, internet-based, distance, and home education. Home education or homeschool means a nonpublic school conducted primarily by the parent, guardian or other person having custody of a child (2). Though all states in the United States permit parents to homeschool, some states (such as California) require homeschoolers to register as private schools (3), while others (such as Pennsylvania) require children that are homeschooled to take standardized tests when they reach third, fifth, and eighth grades (4). It is the responsibility of the homeschooler to know and comply with all the requirements of the state in which he or she resides. The purpose of this article is to educate the reader on homeschooling of children in childhood developmental stage (Age three to twelve): its background, benefits, and position in today’s society, the reasons why parents opt for it, its impact on children socialization, and the difference in performance and behaviors among children in traditional school and those who are homeschooled.

For many educators, the main argument is between freedom of education and the right to a proper education. Many parents want to control the environment that their children learn in. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 91 percent of parents who homeschool their children are concerned about the public school environment (Homeschooling, 2017, para 9). Although there is no doubt that there are problems found in public schools, issues arise with alternative forms of education as well. Critics of homeschooling often reason that

Because homeschooling provides a more flexible schedule, parent-taught kids have social opportunities that public schoolers do not. Homeschooled children have the option to hang out at the mall or a café due to finishing school early. They can also work on school with fellow homeschoolers at each other’s houses or at a park which provides a change of scenery and the enjoyment of company. Not only can homeschoolers socialize with their peers, but due to their flexible schedules they can also interact with people in diverse age groups. Whether helping a neighbor with yard work, visiting an elderly couple across the street, or babysitting during week days, home taught kids interact with people of all ages unlike building school children who spend all day surrounded by their same age classmates. Clearly homeschoolers not only have plenty of socializing opportunities, but they also get to interact with people outside their peer

Adults in homeschooling atmosphere are acquainted with and committed to the success of each child as an individual. Although most state funded teachers are additionally dedicated to seeing apprentices succeed, they have more difficulties and hardships getting to know each child personally. Educators must sometimes prioritize the needs of class before individual needs. Learners who are homeschooled learn in a multi-age, real world environment, whereas in public school classrooms disciples are separated by age and are often in classes with those who share their race, social and economic status. Instead of emulating with peers for grades and attention from instructors, children learn to work to their full potential. Homeschoolers learn in an atmosphere that is far from the teasing, insulting and harassing that can leave children with lifelong negative impacts. Children who are homeschooled have time to ripen emotionally, physically and academically without having to worry about confronting ridicule and negative peer pressure from