Home Schooling Education is a very important concern in the hearts of Americans. . But what exactly is the best form of education. Homeschooling has gradually made its way into the education field as an acceptable and controversial form of education. Homeschooling can simply be defined as educating children at home or the community rather than at school (Withrow, 1999; Cromwell, 1998; Lines, 1995). An alternative definition would be, parents choosing the schooling for their children (What is Homeschooling, 2000). Home schooling started thirty years ago because of two men, Raymond Moore and John Holt. Both men felt that the public education system was wrong and emerged as founders of …show more content…
Reasons for Homeschooling
Although there are various reasons why families may decide to homeschool their children, most decisions are based on one or both of these issues: personal beliefs and problems with the public school.
Personal Beliefs
Parents feel that homeschooling is a way to meet the child's specific needs and interests while challenging them. They also believe that a home education allows children to participate in many activities that school-bound children are not able to participate in. Homeschoolers are able to pursue interests without time and restraints placed on them by the school. Some of the activities where homeschoolers may interact with are organizations such as, church, clubs, and scouting. Most parents of homeschoolers contend that they are the only ones responsible for their children's education, and that they should be making the decisions about what values their children are learning and not the public schools. Most homeschooling families can agree that schools separate education and the home which makes homeschooling the only logical alternative because as Fritz Hinrich says, "Homeschooling is bringing education back into children's daily culture because it makes education a familial pursuit."
Problems with Schools
There are several issues that
Homeschooling is on the rise in America. According to a 2007 NHES study conducted by the U.S. Department of Education there are an estimated 1.5 million students actively being homeschooled up from the 850,000 estimated in previous study conducted in 1999 (NCES, 1). Once seen as a fringe activity usually associated with the religious right, homeschooling now encompasses many mainstream families looking for educational alternatives in the face of such issues as violence, peer pressure, and poor academic quality in many public schools. Detractors on the other hand claim that homeschooling is a less effective method of educating America’s youth citing academic and social issues. Despite critics’ claims to the contrary, homeschooling is an effective and viable method of education as its participants not only do well academically; they are well socialized and are successful in college and later life.
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.
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.
Mahatma Gandhi once said, "There is no school equal to a decent home and no teacher to a virtuous parent." While Gandhi lived many years ago, his quote hits on an idea that has become popular in modern times. In the past few years, homeschooling has started to become more mainstream. It is becoming more and more common to meet parents and children who are either homeschooling or considering homeschooling. But why is it becoming so popular? The truth is that homeschooling solves many of the problems associated with public schools and offers a broad range of benefits to students including a healthier learning environment, a more personalized education, a more flexible schedule and stronger family connections.
Homeschooling is not a new concept to the United States, and for many centuries it was the only way for children to get an education. Many of our founding fathers were homeschooled, proving there is nothing wrong with homeschooling, and to this day it continues to provide children with an adequate education. Many parents believe that public school is satisfactory. However, they feel that homeschooling is a better option because it provides a safer environment for their children and more conducive to learning. Homeschooling is an effective method of education as homeschooled students continue to score high marks on national tests, interact socially with other students in all kinds of activities, achieve success in college, and become
Being home-schooled provides a completely different experience than attending a regular school. A person who has attended a regular school would grow to be an entirely different person if he or she were home-schooled. Most parents have blindly chosen regular education because it might be less of a hassle, but not all children are the same, of course, therefore not all of them can handle attending a regular public school. Before the type of education is chosen for a child, his or her parents should consider which option will provide their child with the best education environment, mental state, and, ultimately, future. This Paper will outline several important aspects of regular school education in contrast to home-school education
Parents are typically held accountable for making decisions on how their child is raised, what rules will be implemented, curfews, punishments, and nevertheless, their education. When it comes to education, parents are responsible in deciding where their children will be educated and this decision includes some enticing options. The topic of homeschooling has indisputably been up for debate in many eras, cultures, and locations. Ari Neuman and Oz Guterman (2016) state that the question relics, which educational strategy is more effective, which is better? Since every child benefits from being educated, the way in which their education is delivered is under substantial examination since every individual has their own opinion as to what is
The topic of education, especially the right way to educate, has been debated by many. Out of the many ways to educate students, homeschooling is highly debated. The repercussions homeschooling has on students is the main source of these debates. Some believe that homeschooling hinders a child 's ability to participate within their peer group and to distinguish from wrong and right. Along with their mental and social growth, the parents have to be willing to put in the effort to make sure the student is getting the information they need from them. Although the homeschooling lifestyle is not always attainable, it is still considered a viable option for many parents and students. While many believe that homeschooling children coddles them
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 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
An ever growing and popular way of educating young minds is home education or home schooling. An estimated 2.3 million students are home schooled in the United States, which is an increased amount from 2010 when the home school estimate number was 2 million(Ray) It’s an interesting and effective choice that’s been popularized for a reason. Home schooling positively affects a child’s development by allowing them the chance to discover themselves instead of falling into the conformity that is instilled in schools. In the process, statistically, they receive a better education with higher test scores than students in the public school system.
“Homeschooling is an approach to the education of children and youth in which parents commit to personally taking decisive and significant role in raising , educating , socializing and training their children”( “THE MODERN” 405 ). Parent who choose to home educated their children have always been confronted with controversy. However, historically homeschooling was common placed in colonial time until 1918 when compulsory school law was enacted in all states (Cohen and Drenovsky 19). As a result, home based education almost became extinct by 1975 in the United States. However, the practice of homeschooling made a comeback in America and other countries during the 1980s. For instance, in 1978 there was an estimated 12,500 children that were schooled at home in the United States, subsequently by 1983 there an estimated 93, 00; in 1995 1.1million and by 2000 1.5 to 1.9 million ( “THE MODERN” 406).
“Education, after all, is a process intended to produce a product. So we have to ask ourselves: What sort of product is being produced by the current system?” (Prose 99). Education is something every parent wants for their child, but many parents are starting to question modern days public and private school systems. Nowadays, there are many educational options for students. Homeschooling is an increasingly popular alternative to public and private schools. Homeschooling has many advantages and disadvantages, but homeschooling is an option for students to benefit themselves individually.
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.
The educational thesaurus defines home schooling as provision of compulsory education in the home as an alternative to traditional public/private schooling- often motivated by parental desire to exclude their children from the traditional school environment (ERIC [EBSCO]). Home schooling is also defined by The Well Trained Mind website as Home schooling occurs when parents take charge of their children's education -- organizing subjects, teaching lessons or arranging for tutors, evaluating progress, and supervising social contacts. Home school parents believe that one-on-one attention and individualized study produce the best education possible; most also think that peer groups are NOT the best