Homeschooling

Homeschooling has long been a tradition in America. Men such as George Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, and Albert Einstein are products of a homeschooling. Two historical reasons for the prominence of homeschooling are the lack of public schools and geographic isolation. Homeschooling, then, was a choice that many parents had to make, otherwise there would be no education for their children.

With the rise of public education and the reformation of the school system, homeschooling became a small movement in America. Many people in America saw the public school system as a ticket to upward mobility. Also, there was concern about the ability of the parents to teach their children. Perhaps it was best left to the professionals.

In the 1960s and 70s, however, there was an increase in homeschooling. Two prominent figures during this time were John Holt and Raymond Moore. John Holt's main argument was that public schools were unreformable and that education was better left in the hands of the parents in the home. Holt argued that “schools were by nature bureaucratic, inhumane settings that sought to rank and sort children using discriminatory standards and make them into docile, obedient citizens.” In 1977, Holt began a newsletter entitle Growing Without Schools. This newsletter espoused the view that children learn best through unstructured, real life experiences.

Raymond Moore presented the religious argument to homeschooling. Moore represented the Christian fundamentalists who objected to a secular humanistic curriculum in the public schools. Lack of religion in the curriculum is a major reason parents choose to homeschool. As Deborah Grubb (1998) noted in her paper Homeschooling: Who and Why?, “[t]oday, the parents who choose to educate their children at home in order to incorporate a religious basis to the educational curriculum are the largest and fastest growing group”(6).

Homeschooling is increasingly popular not only because of the religious freedom it provides, but it also provides a respite from the perceived ills of public education. Grubb affirmed, “It now appears that public schools themselves are coming under increased scrutiny as uncredentialed parents appear to be educating their children quite successfully” (4). There is a growing number of children who are being homeschooled. Approximately 1.1 million students (1,096,000) were being homeschooled in the United States in the spring of 2003, an increase from the estimated 850,000 students who were being homeschooled in the spring of 1999.

Advantages of homeschooling include:

• Individualized teaching

• Variety of curriculum to choose from

• Strengthened family relationships

• Social experiences that are more positively influenced

• Safety from crime-ridden schools

• Integration of religion into curriculum

Disadvantages of homeschooling include:

• Time restraints/ Time management

• Financial restraints

• Lack of Socialization

• Time spent with child

• Limited team sports

• Going against the norm

• Adequately preparing child

• Being resourceful and creative