Homeschooling vs. Public Schools

Imagine what it would be like to not get to have your first day of school as a child. For a child that is home schooled, they never get to walk through the doors on their first day with a new backpack, new school supplies, and new clothes. As little as this issue may seem, is it important for people to understand the effects that homeschooling can have on the cognitive development of elementary age children because by not being exposed to the resources and relationships children can get out of public school, they lack the benefits that come along with the system. Children cannot develop their emotions and problem solving skills, which could result in them being less successful in the future. The next generation is meaningful to society because they are the ones that will help American progress, so people need to ensure that they are getting the best education for their children. Although many parents believe homeschooling can be beneficial to their children because of the convenience and closeness to home, thoroughly examining the negative effects it has including a lack in the cognitive development, limited exposure to problems associated with the public as well as not having the benefits of a relationship with teachers and other students can prove that homeschooling are harmful to the cognitive development of elementary aged children.

If you had a choice which would you choose if the choices were public schools or homeschooling? What’s the difference between the two and how are they the same thing but in a way they do have their differences that make them their own way of teaching students. Well if you don’t know which one you would choose I’m going to be giving you some reasons why public schools and homeschooling are different and a little like each other in a small way.

Home schooling is becoming an increasingly popular choice of education for parents in the United States of America. “Homeschooling refers to the practice of parents educating a child at home, rather than in a conventional public or private school setting” (Hess and Okun). This can take the form of individual instruction by a single teacher at home or in a small group setting with combined resources of teachers and materials. It was estimated in a 1999 report by the U.S. Department of Education that more than 850,000 students were being educated at home. This number was increasing at rate of 7 to 15 percent annually (Hess and Okun). The numbers are increasing because of the advantages for home school students. In order to promote individualized learning, creativity, and self-confidence, home schooling should be considered for more students.

Homeschooling is a type of education which typically occurs in the home with the child’s parent or guardian serving as the primary educator. Currently, homeschooling is legal in all 50 states and is considered to be one of the fastest growing segments of K-12 education in the United States. In 2007, homeschooled students represent approximately 3 percent of children attending K-12 in the United States (Cogan 19). Since homeschooling is outside the control of the traditional education system, questions have been raised as to whether or not homeschooling can adequately prepare students for a college environment and the rigors of college academics. One side of this argument claims that homeschooling does not adequately prepare students for a college environment. Supporters of this side believe that homeschooling isolates students from the outside world, rendering them socially and educationally handicapped (Romanowski 125). Since their schooling experiences are limited to their homeschool setting, they are at a disadvantage with their postsecondary studies (Romanowski 127). The other side argues that homeschooling is an adequate form of schooling for college preparation. I BELIEVE THAT HOMESCHOOLING CAN ADEQUATELY PREPARE STUDENTS FOR A COLLEGE ENVIRONMENT.

Not long ago, my parents received an endless amount of criticism, similar to the Walls’ family, for their decision to homeschool my siblings and me. Many “feared” for us, because according to them, there was no way we were going to learn effectively at home, what we could in a formal school. My mom tells me stories of how people she’d known expressed genuine concern over the idea of educating children in a different way than what is deemed “normal.” I do not blame these people for their concern, as they were raised in a society that emphasizes a single approach to learning. Although there were definitely times growing up when I wished to attend a brick and mortar school like “normal” people, after a certain age I genuinely appreciated my parent’s decision. Being home-schooled has taught me so much more than just the basic principles of education. I grew up being highly self-reliant due to my online school requiring students to be almost entirely responsible for keeping up with their work. Similar to college, I had a syllabus provided to me, and had no one other than myself to make sure I was on top of everything. This helped me to become a responsible and well-organized individual. I also gained a quality education, despite all of the fear and concern of those around me. I still have to answer the questions, “Why were you homeschooled?” and, “Didn’t you want to go to regular school?” more

Haven’t parents for the most part acted in the best interest of their children? Collectively, the best interest of all parents is to have their children become successful in life, and parents would take whatever steps necessary to ensure they are capable of developing socialization and interpersonal skills, in order to relate with members of their community. The opinion that homeschoolers are uncivilized and incapable to socialize is a prevalent idea even in the 21st Century. According to Moore, S. and Moore, M. (1990) the mention of reviewing literature about homeschoolers, generates strong opposition from college students citing “shyness” and “unsociable ” traits as reasons why not to study the material (p. 62, para. 3). Subsequently, with the advent of the internet and cellphones, many gaps are being bridged, and the socialization argument is becoming a non-issue for homeschoolers. Yet many still believe homeschoolers are incapable of living in the “real world”.

Many people are questioning if home schooling is a better option for students than regular students who receive their education by a regular teacher with credentials. This issue has raised controversy throughout the United States for some time now, as more and more students are being home schooled, “increasing by seven percent yearly,” stated by Christopher J. Klicka in the internet article by (Klicka Homeschooled Students Excel in College). Students can a have a second choice of what kind of schooling they want; home-schooled students can have the opportunity to fulfill their passion and dreams without out the day-to-day schedule of traditional schooling. Is an A really equal to an A from teachers from public schools?

Summary: Michael Romanowski wrote an article called "Common Arguments about the Strengths and Limitations of Home schooling." Home schooling is continuing to grow rapidly in many places. He explains that home schooling serves children equally well as public schools. Romanowski supports the main idea by giving claims that home schooling helps a child improve their social skills, children who are homeschooled are more likely to become academically successful, a student is not put on time limit and they are not told to put everything up and focus on a new topic. Home schooling allows children to learn to socialize with older people and stills allows them to socialize outside of their home with community activities. When the parents are closely involved in the student's academic work

While the American public school system educates the majority of students today, a fast growing population is beginning to accept homeschooling as an adequate alternative. Anyone with kids desires only the best education and experiences for them. Those who face this decision have to take in the plentiful list of differences and decide which will suit their family best. For years, most people saw homeschooling as an ineffiecent replacement to the government-provided schools already in existence. However, in the last ten years, studies have proved that homeschooling well equipps a student for college and beyond, changing the minds of many(http://www.usnews.com/education/high-schools/articles/2012/06/01/home-schooled-teens-ripe-for-college?page=2). In order to make this crutial decision between public or home school, one must account for the social and extracurricular opportunites, the educational aspect, and what role the family plays in education.

Through my personal experience and research I have accumulated that homeschooling has become more appealing to the average American family. Through my research I found more families should consider the task of taking on homeschooling to focus on the student’s personal needs and education style. Charlotte Postlewaite writer of "The Home School Debate” opens her article with “ Homeschooling is perhaps the fastest growing option that parents consider for alternative education and school choice. According to The National Center for Education Statistics, in 1999 about 850,000 students’ ages five through 17 with a grade equivalent of kindergarten through grade 12 were home-schooled.” Thus, preparing their student for college.

Write a 1,050-to 1,250- word final draft of your compare-and-contrast essay. (Home school vs. public education).

Despite home-schooling’s controversy because of the lack of teaching credentials for parents and socialization, homeschooling has big benefits for children. The first benefit is that while homeschooled, students receive individualized education. Parents spend all their time and attention to their children. Parents can devote all their time and attention to their children. Martin points out that parents understand their children best (Martin). Therefore, they can choose the best method to motivate their children to learn. “Parents are also able to evaluate their children on a daily basis and provide further instruction if needed” (Martin). Individualized education also provide necessary help as needed. As a result, homeschooled students achieve

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.

In the ten-year period from 2003 to 2012, the number of American children 5 through 17 years old who were being home schooled by their parents climbed by 61.8 percent. There has been drastic increases in home education over the last several years. It is estimated that a total of 2 million students (2.3%) are home schooled in the U.S today. This begs the question, why home school?

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