Homeschooling Sociology

In the article “Why I Homeschool: The Answers Change Almost as Fast as My Kids Do. But My Commitment to At-Home Learning Remains Strong.” Amy Thornton-Kelly initially home schooled her three children in order to spend more time with them. This was her only reason, or so she thought. Amy Thornton–Kelly explains the many reasons why homeschooling is the best decision she has made. First, she explains that once her husband and her considered homeschooling “the floodgates opened” to the many benefits of homeschooling. It alleviates stress, allows her kids to learn in a healthier environment and allows her to teach her kids in a more profound way. Second, Thornton-Kelly states that homeschooling allows her kids to better master subjects,

This view is furthered by educational psychologists, who feel that homeschooled children may have issues interacting with peers, and thus be characterized by a more difficult experience when entering the so-called real world (Murray 1996, as cited in Medlin 2000:108). Critics of homeschooling such as Pfleger (1998) assert that these children fail to learn skills necessary in the job market, and thus they will be at a disadvantage when compared with their conventionally schooled counterparts (as cited in Arai 1999:2). Finally, schools teach students a great deal in terms of social expectations: etiquette, behaviour, dress, and so forth, and it also makes students aware of the penalties that are associated with disregard for these norms (Pfleger 1998, as cited in Arai 1999:2). Taylor (1986) asserts that homeschoolers will not receive these lessons, but rather simply emulate the social understandings of their parents, and will again be “disadvantaged because they will not realize what constitutes conforming and unconforming behaviour once they leave the family and enter the wider society” (as cited in Arai 1999:2).

I began my homeschooled educated at the age of five and have continued to be home educated up to my graduation from secondary school level. Being home educated aided me to take initiative and become a self-motivated individual. Conducting my education from home helped me to concentrate on my studies without the added pressure that comes with attending a public school. It also helped me attain good problem solving skills, as occasionally I would be challenged with solving complex questions. I am very grateful to my parents for the opportunity to be home educated, as I believe I have been given a great academic start in life.

Acording to the reading the main disadvantages are the lacks of: knowledge, social interaction and curriculum. Children learn less in homeschool because there is less requierements to procede to a further level. Also they have a more limited group of people to interact with. And the curriculum that parents can offer is too narrow.

According to http://a2zhomeschooling.com/ thirty four percent of teenagers in the United States are home schooled. Some people believe that homeschooling is better for their children, in that they have more family time, better protected from bad examples, etc. As a retort parents have the ability to argue that being homeschooled is unfair to the children. Seeing that they are not exposed to real life situations that they could experience in public school, they will not be able to deal with difficult situations. Homeschooling is not the route to take if a child is expected to perform in real life situations.

On the other side, there are people who believe that homeschooling is good for children because it allows parents to spend more time with their kids. In the article “Homeschooling is Good for families,” the author talks about how they took their kids and traveled all over to teach their kids about geography (Brown). They talked about how they had spent 3 months in Australia to learn not only about geography but geology, flora, fauna and literature (Brown). They are spending more time with family traveling and learning new things from experience. If they were in school they wouldn’t be able to travel, but instead they would be sitting in the class room seeing pictures, verses experiencing it first hand. If both parents work, it is hard for them

The two things that stuck out to me was that there is no financial support for individuals who chose to homeschool their children, and there are more benefits than I thought about homeschooling. Firstly, when you opt to homeschool you child you are not given money to help with the cost. This makes it very difficult for families who are in poverty to homeschool a child. It costs more money for a child to be homeschooled versus going to a public school, but it does cost less than attending a private school. A child who is homeschooled can do online schooling, but most of the time it is a parent or other older individual teaching a child during the day. If a family is financially challenged it is hard for a parent to stay home to teach their children. It was said that children might not be receiving homeschooling education from someone who is not fully capable of teaching a student. In addition, there are also many positives that come from homeschooling. Homeschooled children do well on standardized tests, and are known to be self-directed learners. They also have the educational freedom to choose or for their instructor to choose what they want to learn. They can learn at their own pace so they can spend more time on things that are difficult and move quickly on things that are easy. The children doesn’t need to be held back by others if they want to move on. It is a much more

Some people say that being home schooled is not as beneficial as public school. However, I feel that being home schooled is more beneficial. Even though some may argue that the child loses social contact and socialization skills not everyone can learn in a large social setting. I think learning in a setting where you get more one on one contact is more beneficial. Second, there are less distractions when your learning at home. Also, everyone learns differently and your learning coach can teach you in a way you can understand. Lastly, some people have learning disabilities and some have disabilities that don't only affect their learning but their concentration as well, so eliminating the distractions and putting you in a setting where your

They think that homeschool teaches only the “basic” materials. In contrast, I don’t believe that because I went to homeschool and I attained more than what I did in highschool. For example, in homeschool I had all sorts of workbooks, textbooks, notebooks filled with different methods and plans, also I was given more subjects each semester. Additionally, in homeschool I was able to take extra classes and still have good grades, unlike public school. In public school I couldn’t take any extra classes because it would have jeopardized my grades. Even though I had six classes each day, coming home at 4 o’clock after school with a mind that felt like it was going to explode was not satisfying. I mean wouldn’t it be great to do your homework and learn the materials at your own pace? Not having to be at school with teachers who are speedy or awfully slow on lessons. High school teachers tend to have their own pace and the class has to follow up, but some students would have a hard time with the work problem and end up being puzzled due to the teachers tempo. Homeschool gives you the benefit of making your own schedule and do your own routines. For example, when I had homeschool I planned out my studying times throughout the week. From Monday to Friday I would do my homework. I would sort out my studying plan and do everything step by step in order to finish all of my homework. By sticking to my own studying pace and knowing that I get something from it motivated me to keep on going. Homeschool is something you can take an advantage of in your education, like going further out and study what interests you. Whether you are being homeschooled by your parents or get a teacher from homeschool you can plan your own field trips. In public school you only go to field trips when the teacher schedules it. For instance, my brother’s four children are homeschooled and they would

Parents choose to homeschool their children for many years for many different reasons. To name a few reasons, the location (rural or suburbs), income, the belief that they can teach better, or the parent’s religious belief. Is homeschooling a better option than sending a child to a public or private school? Homeschooling is not all that bad or a traditional school is more superior, it comes down to the parent’s preference of what they think is best for themselves and their child. There is a misconception that homeschooling will not allow students to be successful due to students are not well enforced by the parents to do their work. Even in a traditional school, students may be

Homeschool is a way for some kids to stay focused on their subjects and not have any distractions. Some kids have trouble with classroom settings, so the best option is for them to get away from others and focus on what is in front of them. Some kids have been bullied to the point where there is no other option but to be homeschooled. The effects of being homeschooled can be both good and bad and it can take a toll on what the child is feeling and also how they react to people and situations they encounter.A child that is being homeschooled can only so many social skills from their parents and the internet to the point that it will not be able to handle other people in the real world but that is false because most kids that I have met are actually very sociable. One effect being homeschooled can have is that the child has to learn everything from their parents or their tutor. This effect is a good one because a child that is learning from the same teacher will not be afraid to ask questions and voice their concerns about anything. Another effect of being homeschooled is that the child is focusing so much on the work they are assigned that can learn at their own speed and they do not have to slow down or speed up their learning from the others around them. A final effect of being homeschooled is that a child might always be stuck in their house and not get enough exercise.

The first benefit that homeschooling holds out to students is a healthier learning environment both physically, mentally and socially. For example, is is a well known fact that most students get an insufficient amount of sleep each night. Between the long hours at night working on homework or after school activities and having to get up early to catch the bus most students are suffering from some level of sleep deprivation. As any good doctor will tell you loss of sleep can lead to numerous health problems as well as contributing to poor academic success. When a child is homeschooled this is not a problem. Since homeschoolers have much more control over their schedule parents can design a school plan that works for them and allows their child to get plenty of sleep.

What exactly does homeschooling do for the student? Homeschooling gives the student advancement opportunities to focus on their personal strengths and weaknesses, and focus on their academic interests. The education of a homeschooled student is molded to fit who they are and not who the whole class is for a better understanding. If the student is more of a hands-on learner, more projects that involve physical interaction can be incorporated into their learning experience. When the student is able to

Home schooling is a very controversial subject among many people. Some parents say that they would love to home school their children if they had the time, while other parents say that they would never home school because home schooled children lack socialization skills. There are many statistics that support that homeschooled children do just as well with their education and socialization as public schooled children do. Home schooling your children definitely requires a great deal of time and patience, but if you are willing to try it out it could be very beneficial to your child’s education and the relationship you have with your child. When public and home schooling are compared there are many benefits to each, but home schooling is more flexible with your time and your child can get a personalized education just for their needs.

Home schooling has its advantages and its disadvantages. For instance it has been proven that home schooled children are more socially and academically advanced as compared to private or public school children according to a study by the Fraser institute.(Basham,P.& Hepburn,C,October,2001). "In the past decade, home schooling has proven itself to parents and researchers to be a highly effective alternative to public and private schooling,"(Hepburn, 2001). It is good in the sense of that it allows you to be able to decide what your children are going to learn as compared to private or public schools where your child will learn everything put in the program even though he does not like it or it will not benefit him in the future. Furthermore in this type of schooling you are able to enjoy vacations at any time of the year unlike the scheduled school holidays. Positively you would also be able to shield your child from the negative influences outside your home. In addition it also is good as you are able to create your own schedule that will suit your needs. While on the same token it would be bad for your child as it might get lonely for them as they will not have as many friends as compared to a school where they can make new friends each and every day (Lamb,