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Homeschool advantages and disadvantages
Homeschool advantages and disadvantages
Argument essay on homeschooling
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Intro
As one of the fastest growing trends in modern education and with more members than ever before, it is no wonder that homeschooling has received recent media coverage (Swartout-Corbeil; Saba and Gattis 1, National Household Education Surveys Program 1). However, many people are unsure about the reality of homeschooling (Saba and Gattis XI). Some of its critics show concerns over its claimed negative effects on a child’s ability to socialize with other children, while some were doubtful of its academic effectiveness (Saba and Gattis 5; Pitman). On the other hand, homeschoolers and their supporters say that it offers greater academic benefits than conventional schooling, and does not deprive a child socially either (Saba and Gattis 2; Dorian and Tyler 46). But amidst all this talk, what really are the effects of homeschooling on a child, on both the academic and social levels?
Background
Simply put, homeschooling is the practice of educating children of school-age at their home instead of at a public school with other children (Swartout-Corbeil). The history of homeschooling goes all the way back to the early colonial times (Pitman). In fact, countless renowned men were homeschooled as kids, such as the ones pointed out by Linda Dobson:
Some of the greatest minds of all time were homeschooled. Thomas Edison, Ben Franklin...Charles Dickens, John Quincy Adams…Ab[raham] Lincoln, James Madison, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, George Washington, and Woodrow Wilson were all homeschooled, just to name a few! (196)
In early history, homeschooling appealed widely to many families as the bulk of public schools were very exclusive in their selective process except to either the wealthy, or those of a specific ethnicity or gender. As a r...
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National Household Education Surveys Program. 1.5 Million Homeschooled Students in the United States in 2007. Issue brief no. NCES 2009?030. 1.5 Million Homeschooled Students in the United States in 2007. National Household Education Surveys Program, Dec. 2008. Web. 14 Nov. 2009. .
Pitman, Mary Anne. "Homeschooling." Encyclopedia of Children and Childhood in History and Society. Encyclopedia.com, 2004. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. .
Saba, Laura, and Julie Gattis. McGraw-Hill homeschooling companion. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002. Print.
Swartout-Corbeil, Deanna M. "Home Schooling." Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health: Infancy through Adolescence. Encyclopedia.com, 2006. Web. 15 Nov. 2009. .
One main doubt that many people believe is that home schooling makes a negative approach to one’s child social skills. This is based on the supposition that children who are home schooled are trapped at home all the time. People who still suppose that children are home 365 days a year are mistaken, because home school children have several opportunities to interact with other kids their own age. According to Dr. Brian D. Ray, his studies substantiate that, homeschooled students are engaged in outside activities. They are frequently caught up in activities such as field trips, sports, etc. Homeschooled children do not only hang out with people their own age, but they learn how to socialize with people of all ages. This is a great benefit because they learn to communicate and become amiable (Ray 1).
According to Gretchen M. Wilhelm and Michael W. Firmin, in their article Historical and Contemporary Developments, the Department of Education found that over 1,700,000 students are homeschooled. That’s 3.4 percent of all school age children (304). Homeschooling is defined as an education that contains less than twenty five hours of public school teaching each week and is based out of a household. The earliest forms of education were originally taught from home, then later developed into public schools (Wilhelm and Firmin). Homeschooling not only affects the students taught, but also fellow Americans in the race to advance a nation. Homeschooling needs to be understood in order to revise education into a better and
Homeschooling is often portrayed as an overprotective mom - unwilling to let her kids leave her for a day at school, and a large number of children, all unable to hold a conversation, let alone function normally in society. As someone who was homeschooled from kindergarten through eighth grade, I can attest that my homeschool experience was the exact opposite of this confining stereotype.
The debate over home schooling has been a hot topic for many over the past few years. Home schooling can be defined as, “to teach school subjects to one’s children at home” (Merriam-Webster Online, 2003). However, the main debate is not over whether or not children should be taught at home; rather, the question debated is if home-schooled children are as prepared socially as those children who are traditionally schooled.
Patricia Lines describes homeschooling in the abstract for her article Homeschooling Comes of Age, as “one of the most significant social trends of the past half century.” This trend has sparked debate over its effectiveness and the quality of the students it produces. Roy Lechtrek, in The Case for Homeschooling, and Lines argue in favour of homeschooling while Benjamin Gorman, in An Argument Against Homeschooling, argues against it. All three of them agree that isolation in education, whether social or academic, is not beneficial to students. They also believe that religion plays a major role in the decision to homeschool students. The differences they have are a result of their agreement on these fundamental principles of education. Disagreement is over the execution of these principles and so the common ground is often implied through their ideas of the ideal method.
Homeschool is a verb is defined as “to teach your children at home instead of sending them to a school” (Homeschool). This means that a child is not taught at a public or private school; But the child is not necessarily just taught at home. Many homeschooling students participate in learning with other homeschooling families. Homeschooling is legal in all fifty states, and in the United States alone, it is estimated that there are between 1.7 and 2.1 million homeschooling students. However, it is hard to know the exact number of these students since some states have different laws and do not require reporting (Frequently). Perhaps in the years to come, states will become more regulated across the board about reporting.
Homeschooling is probably one of the least known and least understood issues in education. Many people tend to think that most homeschoolers are religious conservatives or extremists. However, the truth is that people from all walks of life are joining the homeschooling bandwagon (Ray, 2004). The main misconception is that homeschooled children don’t get the same academic and social education as traditionally schooled children. Contrary to popular perception, homeschooled children have the same, if not better academic opportunities, social opportunities and college admissions prospects than traditionally schooled students have.
Mar. 2007). Rpt. in Homeschooling. Ed. Myra Immell. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009. Current Controversies. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 2 Oct. 2014.
West, Robin L. "The Harms of Homeschooling. " Philosophy and Public Policy Quarterly 29 (2009): 7-12. George Mason University Library, Inc. 18 Mar. 2014 http://journals.gmu.edu/PPPQ/article/viewFile/104/75>.
Home schooling offers a child with personalized attention (Hassel & Hassel. 2004). This is an alternative that ensures that a child is able to get proper attention and eventually is able to learn difficult subjects like science and ...
Studies have shown year after year that homeschooled students consistently perform just as well as (or in many cases better than) traditionally schooled students on standardized academic exams. But very rarely does anyone ask why this is, or what caused the student to do so well, because they are usually too concerned with questions about the student’s social life or if they would be able to handle the transition into college. Therefore, my thesis statement is: Homeschooled students often achieve higher academic success and are more active in their communities than traditionally schooled students, due to a personalized approach to learning that emphasizes individuality. My research paper will debunk some popular myths about homeschooling, and give the real reasons why homeschoolers are so successful.
Today, many parents are homeschooling their children. A U.S. Department of Education’s report shows that approximately 1.5 million children were being homeschooled in 2007 (Lips & Feinberg, 2008). This is almost 3 percent of all school age children (Lips & Feinberg, 2008). A private researcher, the National Home Education Research Institute, estimates 2.5 million children were being homeschooled in the 2007 – 2008 academic years (Lips & Feinberg, 2008). By either count, homeschooling is growing exponentially.
In today’s American society, quality education is important for one to succeed. Without proper education, a person will find it extremely difficult to apply for college, a job, or to pursue his or her dream. Typically when Americans think of education, public education is the first to come to mind. Public education has been around for centuries and is provided to most children throughout the United States. Due to this fact, public education has been the go to education source for years. Though, this trend is slowly changing with many parents deciding to home school their children instead. Many factors are the cause for this issue, but the common arguments arise from a certain few. For students, public school provides many opportunities ranging from social connections, school sports, and the exposure to teachers who are experts in their fields. But homeschooling is often superior because it offers additional time for students to participate in various extracurricular activities and community service, allows for more individual attention, personal character development, and it offers less exposure to discrimination that is received in the public school environment.
As the population in public schools increase, the problems in these schools are also on the rise. These changes are leasing to the way parents are schooling their children. Many parents are leaning towards homeschooling as a solution to this problem. This increase in homeschooling can be directly related to an increase in school violence, the offering of a lack luster curriculum, and lack of student teacher interaction.
All children in America have the right to a quality education. Most students receive that education through conventional means, going to a public or private school. There is another option for today's children, home schooling. Home schooling is a controversial issue. While it does have its benefits, some people believe it has too many downfalls to be an effective method of education. In this paper, topics such as academic impact, social impact, and parental opinions of home schooling will be discussed.