Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Homeschooling


A recent survey done in 2008 by the National Center for Education Statistics indicated that the number of homeschooled students between the ages of 5 and 17 has risen 88% since 1999. In 1999 there were approximately 800,000 students being homeschooled and in 2007 it was estimated that about 1,508,000 students were being homeschooled. That is just an 8 year time span! An even more astonishing fact is in the 1970s there were only about 13,000 children grades K-12 being homeschooled. Homeschooling has obviously come a long way since it first was approved and legal in the states, but how and why? Many people disprove of homeschooling suggesting the students are not getting the education they should be, but this recent survey shows that possibly more people are agreeing to the decision of homeschooling their children.

Families have different views on the way their child should be educated, therefore there are different views on whether a child should be homeschooled or not. One drawback to homeschooling is the time restraints that homeschooling puts on all parents. It is considered a full time job for parents because they need to prepare all lesson plans, projects, be organized and teach your child, thus not giving the parent enough time in the day to get done what they need to get done. This brings up another drawback in the sense that homeschooling your child could be a financial restraint because one parent is not able to take on a full-time employment. At the same rate, homeschooling can be an advantage in the aspect that they can personalize their schedules. Most parents realize that their children work better at different parts of the day so home schooling allows for parents to work out a schedule that is best for their child, unlike public or private schools can allow.

As noted before every family has their own views on education and how their child is educated. By homeschooling your child it can be a huge advantaged in that there is no set curriculum that each subject must abide by like a public or private school must do. Homeschooling allows the parent to control which areas of the different subjects they want to put more emphasis on. The parent can also add courses into the home school curriculum that a typical student would not receive in organized classes.

For the child who may be athletic and want to participate in their school’s team sports, homeschooling may inhibit this from happening. Some school districts only allow children from the school to participate in the team sports. Yet if your concern for your child is their education and their future then homeschooling might be the answer. In an article on homeschooling by Kate McReynolds, a child clinical psychologist, she reported that in 2001 Stanford University admitted 27% of its homeschooled applicants, nearly twice the acceptance rate of traditionally schooled applicants. Homeschoolers tend to score higher than public school children on standardized achievement tests, advanced placement exams, the SAT, and the ACT.

Yet if a parent is concerned with their child’s future then maybe homeschooling is not the answer. When a child is homeschooled they are not surrounded by peers that enable them to socialize. They are not learning the social skills needed for everyday occurrences. More importantly school curriculum encourages team/group work to help with the problem solving and working with others that take place in future careers. This is not possible for the child who is homeschooled. Social skills can be the most important aspect of school and if the child is being homeschooled he is not learning these essential skills. Yet due to the amount of violence and bullying that has increased over recent years some parents feel homeschooling is a blessing because it is keeping their child away from this scene. They may feel their child will not pick up on any negative behaviors if they are not surrounded by children with behavioral issues.

Finally, as children get older they may have the desire to attend school. They may want to know what they are missing out on. Therefore with the combination of ensuring your child learns social skills and also does not feel the desire to attend school when they get older it is extremely important to get them involved in as many extra-curricular activities in the community. This will allow them to make friends with the same interests, learn their social skills, and have the interaction with peers that they get from school. Most parents who homeschool their children want them to stick to it because homeschooling integrates faith and the family’s values that their child would not receive from public schools. Thus it is important to keep your child included in as many activities with their peers so they get the social aspect but explain to your child the reason for homeschooling so they understand why they are not in the public/private school system like their peers.

Overall homeschooling has grown a tremendous amount over the past years and continues to grow annually. Yet families do have their different views which are why there are so many drawbacks and benefits to homeschooling. The most important aspect when deciding to homeschool your child is if it going to benefit your child and prepare them for a successful future.

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