Education Socialization for the Homeschooled Student

To present the case for Iowa to retain their current standards for home education and withdraw House File 214, I have created this document containing research centering around the most current research regarding homeschooling. Homeschooling is just as effective, if not more so, than public education and should therefore be an accessible choice for families. There

In 1980, homeschooling was illegal in 30 states. Later on, it was recognized as a parent's right across the country in the year 1993 (Martin, 2014). A survey was made to the respondents. They were asked if homeschooling was an acceptable means of education. As the results of Phi Delta Kappan Gallup survey, Americans have become more receptive to the idea of homeschooling. They think that homeschooling has become an alternative option to public schools because it is more socially acceptable (Moreau, 2012). In the previous related study, it was mentioned that the increase of homeschooled students had been consistent. It only shows that the acceptance of homeschooling has been broad as the years passed

Unlike many students, my first year of schooling was undertaken at home, rather than amongst my peers. My subsequent years of schooling were spent in a normal classroom environment; however, I often felt that this year at home, which was characterized by much less interaction with peers than I would have had if I was enrolled in traditional schooling, had left me at a social disadvantage, or slightly behind other children in terms of my level of socialization. I was much shyer than the other children who had already developed groups, friendships, who were much more adept at interacting amongst each other, and generally seemed more outgoing than myself. I often felt like an outsider, with feelings of self-consciousness and a lack of

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.

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “There is no school equal to a decent home and no teacher equal to a virtuous parent.” Parents have numerous reasons for homeschooling their children, may it be religious or a dislike of the local school system. The National Home Education Research Institute estimates over 2,000,000 children are homeschooled in today’s society (source). Some believe that the government should have stronger regulation over what the parents teach, to make sure the children are given a fair education and will be able to make their way in the world after school; while many believe it is the parent’s right to control what their child learns. Although some parents may not have an education degree, they have the right to homeschool their

The greatly discussed dilemma of having a child be taught in a public school setting versus a homeschool setting has been evaluated by parents since the idea was first introduced in the 1970’s. Public schooling had been the standard method of teaching since it is a requirement for states to provide public, free education for children in grades K-12. However, the backlash against the system began when two educational theorists and supporters of school reform, John Holt and Raymond Moore, started to question both the techniques and the products of public schools. Some parents went on to support the ideas of them and began to teach their children in the environment of their own homes for several different reasons. Some included moral or religious reasons, a desire for high educational achievement, dissatisfaction with public schools’ instructional program, or concerns about drugs and peer pressure in a public school environment. Child development specialists believe that homeschooled children are isolated from the outside world, therefore making them socially handicapped. If being exposed to this type of education on an elementary school level, the child can suffer from the lack of fundamental development of effective social skills needed for a lifetime ahead of them.

Homeschooling children has proved to create a great environment for home life. Families who homeschool their children have been shown to be very close with one another. When asked, many parents that choose to home-educate their children said it was because they wanted use it as an opportunity to broaden their child’s horizons by traveling and seeing what the world has to offer them. The parents feel that their child is receiving a better education by the hands of learning their receiving and the life experiences they are living first hand, not reading in a book. In fact, college admissions officers as Standford University said they are seeing an unusually high occurance of what they call “intellectual vitalitly” students who are home-educated due to their environment.

When one thinks of education, almost automatically public education comes to mind. Through the years, preferences for educating children have slowly been changing. Home schooling was primarily restricted to religious groups, but in the past several years, it has rapidly been moving into mainstream society (Ray). Parents today are deciding to home school their children, although there are those who still believe public education is better. Home schooling is legal in every state and involves as many as 1.5 million children (Wingert & Katrowitz). Critics of home schooling raise questions about academic and social issues. Parents of the home schooled maintain they are not valid. Home schooling is overall more beneficial than public schools in the education of children.

School traditions in the United States are changing rapidly and nowadays many parents consider home education to be a more suitable option for their children. Though homeschooling was not popular in previous decades, it is now winning supporters back. Society gives attention to the problem of necessity of home school education.

The popularity of home school began rising in the 1970s and growth continues to increase. (Murphy 336). The National Center for Education Statistics estimated in 2007 that 1.5 million students were homeschooled in the United States (Drenovsky and Cohen 20). This number is now reported at around two million, and Murphy states, “ . . . it [homeschooling] remains the fastest growing form of education in the United States” (342). This information proves that parents are searching for an alternative to traditional public-school education. Many wish to educate their children due to their own experiences, beliefs, and values. While other people argue that home school provides students with no social skills and complications when applying for college; however, these are misconceptions. Home school is an appropriate option to provide an education to children, and it does not leave them incompetent to survive in the “real world”.

“People should learn everything they can, anytime they can, from anyone they can-there will always come a time when they will be grateful they did”,-states Sarah Cold Well. Public schools, compared to homeschooling, have many systematic differences and educational aspects. The number of homeschooled students has been increasing over the past few years. The U.S. Department of Education has mentioned that approximately fifteen thousand students were home schooled in 1984.Most families have selected this alternative to public education. Parents, who have dissatisfied with public schools or have religious and individual reasons, prefer to choose homeschooling.

Some 20 years ago only a mere 50,000 children were home schooled, and that was mainly by hippie parents who wanted to protect their children from what they called “the system.” Now it is estimated that nearly 1.5 to 2 million children are now schooled at home each year, dissatisfaction with the American public school system being the number one reason (Crary). Since most home schooling families can’t afford it, they choose not to send their kids to a good private school. In the next few paragraphs, I will speak of the pros and cons of home schooling children and the fundamentals of home schooling.

Homeschooling, not very well known, presents a new and affordable way to educate children. “Home school is a term used to refer to the education of children by their parents or guardians in a setting other than a public or private school” (Anderman & Anderman, p. 467). It has never been a new thing; it just has not been as popular as it used to be (Lines, p. 76). With this topic meaning so much to groups for and against the right for homeschooling and what should be legalized or not, the debate still rages on from local to even national government entities. Both sides of the argument have valid points, but ultimately it is the choice of the parents. There are many types of ways to educate children and that decision is difficult for both

Homeschooling disproves all the arguments above. Jeub affirms that parents are not their child 's main educator, but their child learns independently because of his desire to learn. No matter how qualified parents are, homeschooled children have proven to excel academically. Also, homeschooling allows children to learn at their own pace. Every curriculum is designed for a specific child. Individualized learning allows all children 's needs to be met. Homeschooling gives freedom to learn at their own level unlike public schools, where every child must learn a set curriculum in order to keep up with the class. In response to the argument that homeschooled children spend too much time with their parents, they actually have positive relationships with their parents and other adults in the community. Instead of looking at adults as disciplinarians, many view adults as their mentors as their jobs, other home school parents, or family friends. Lisa Revero adds that homeschooling provides an environment for the family to learn and live together harmoniously and frequently unlike a traditionally schooled family where spending family time is often rare. Life revolves around jobs, endless carpools, sports games, and play practice, leaving little time for the family to

Homeschooling is becoming an increasingly popular choice for educating children in the United States. In fact almost 2 million children in grades k-12 will be homeschooled this year alone (Smith). Home education requires a high level of parental involvement and commitment to implement a curriculum that not only teaches the basics in education such as reading, writing, arithmetic and beyond; but one that also prepares the child for a life of interaction amongst peers and those with different backgrounds and beliefs. There are many reasons a family may choose to homeschool. Parents may choose to homeschool based on the desire to cultivate religious values in their children, or to provide a higher