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Homeschooling Pros And Cons Essay

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Homeschooling Pros and Cons

Homeschooling is a rising alternative in children’s education. As with any other major movement there have been doubts and debates as well as support and promotion for this educational approach. Homeschooling was once the norm in society before there was a public school system. But the parents involved in homeschooling feel very strongly about the positive outcomes that it has brought about in the lives and success of their children. It has once again surfaced and become popular but there are several people who question the possible negative effects this option creates.

Criticism of homeschooling is vast and there are several different aspects as to why it could be detrimental to the development of a …show more content…

As aspiring teachers we have come to see the professional training that is required for certified teachers. Parents who homeschool are not necessarily certified and lack the teaching experience for which classroom teachers are trained. There is also a criticism with the idea of homeschooling as becoming another commercial industry. Rob Reich, a noted professor at Stanford, sees homeschooling as another part of an ever growing commercial society (Reich, 2002, p. 58) In homeschooling it is possible to create a specialized curriculum by choosing subject material specific to a child’s strengths. This allows for education to become more of a business than a growing process to build up a child’s weaknesses as well as his or her strengths. Also it is interesting to note that most of those who homeschool are white middleclass families who can afford to be single-income households (Lubienski, 2000, p. 209) Therefore homeschooling is not an available option to any who might be interested in this possibility.

Supporters, however, find many positive aspects of the effects of homeschooling. One such example would be that homeschooled children generally score 15-30 points above public high school scores on standardized tests (Ray, 2002, p.51). Also studies show that that homeschooled students are doing well with socialization. Homeschooling organizations have been created so that these children can interact with each other, thus dealing with the fear

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