Home Schooling Provides Parents More Control
For most students, school begins with the first bell of the day and ends with the last, but for 228 pupils in the Smallville school district and roughly 1.5 million nationwide, the structure of a typical school day is anything but typical.
These are home-schooled students, and their reasons for dropping out of standard educational systems are almost as varied as the hours which they keep.
While some families want more time together, others focus on the special needs of children, and still others hope to instill values that they feel are not addressed in public or even private schools. Nearly all seek more control over the education of their children.
"With home schooling, you can take your child's learning style and develop curriculum that fits how your child learns best. You're not trying to put a square peg in a round hole," said Sheri Cramer, whose ninth-grade son Jordan recently left public schooling to enroll under a new part-time policy adopted by the Lakota Board of Education last August.
Under the policy, home-schooled students can enroll in up to two classes in the district each year and take part in extracurricular activities while maintaining their home-schooled status.
"Through the policy, Jordan gets the best of both worlds ‹ he can still take part in school activities, but can work at his own pace and get individual attention also," says Cramer.
It is this individualization that draws families to home schooling.
"Because of the direct one-on-one interaction, you can tell if material is too boring or too difficult for your child and can make adjustments to that," says West Chester CHEC(Christian Home Education of Cincinnati) support group leader Susan Schechter, who has home schooled her two children for eight years.
"I've always felt that I was able to do with home schooling what most teachers would like to do if they had the time and money."
While expenses are not always a problem for home schoolers, they receive no financial aid from the government, and come from mostly single-paycheck families so that one parent can teach at home.
"The idea is for parents to participate and share the skills they have with others so that we (home schooling families) don't have to hire as many teachers," says Schechter.
For the majority of home schoolers, the primary teacher is the parent, though many are involved in home-schooling co-ops for special classes or hire private tutors for difficult subjects.
... Thomas R. Martin, Barbara H. Rosenwein and Bonnie G. Smith. “The Rise of Rome and Its Republic, 753–44 b.c.e.,” in the making of the west volume 1 to 1750 2012, edited by Denise B. Wydra, 139-170. Boston: Beford/St. Martin’s, 2012.
3)Gwynn, David M. The Roman Republic: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2012. Print.
Scarre, Christopher. Chronicle of the Roman Emperors: The Reign-by-reign Record of the Rulers of Imperial Rome. London: Thames and Hudson, 1995. Print.
In Titus Livius’, The Early History of Rome, Livy takes on the task of documenting Rome’s early history and some of the famous individuals who help contribute to the ‘greatness’ of Rome. Livy dedicates an entire portion of his writing to describe the reigns of the first seven kings of Rome; all who influence the formation and governance of Rome in some way. However, of the seven kings in early Roman history, King Romulus and King Numa Pompilius achieved godlike worship and high esteem from their fellow Romans. While both highly important and respected figures in Rome’s history, the personalities and achievements of King Romulus and King Numa Pompilius are complete opposites of one another. Despite the differences found in each king and of their rule over Rome, both Romulus and Numa Pompilius have a tremendous influence in the prosperity and expansion of Rome in its early days.
Sylvia Plath, a great American author, focuses mostly on actual experiences. Plath’s poetry displays feelings and emotions. Plath had the ability to transform everyday happenings into poems or diary entries. Plath had a passion for poetry and her work was valued. She was inspired by novelists and her own skills. Her poetry was also very important to readers and critics. Sylvia Plath’s work shows change throughout her lifetime, relates to feelings and emotions, and focuses on day to day experiences.
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.
Lyman(2006) writes about the definition, history, and current social importance of homeschooling in the United States. The author defines the education which is provided at home instead of school as homeschooling. She sates thatearlier homeschooling was confined mostly to the handicapped children who were not fit along with the regular students, who need extra care and the wealthier classes who wanted their children to be prepared for university studies. She continues to give an information that the number of families considering their children to have their schooling at home is increasing every year with the awareness of the positive traits of homeschooling followed bythe research work by the educational specialists, even while other education
In looking at emotional intelligence, this is not a new concept. It can be traced back to Edward Thorndike study of social intelligence (Cartwright & Pappas, 2008). This type of intelligence is defined in “the ability to understand and manage people” along with taking this ability and applying it to oneself (Cartwright & Pappas, 2008, p. 152). The concept of emotions of how one deals with these internally and externally with others was discovered but it was difficult to measure (Bradberry & Su, 2006).
The scope of emotional intelligence includes the verbal and nonverbal appraisal and expression of emotion, the regulation of emotion in the self and others, and the utilization of emotional content in problem solving. (pp. 433)
Kehoe, John. "Young, Talented, And Doomed: The Life Of Sylvia Plath." Biography 3.5 (1999): 88. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Apr. 2014.
Mayer, J.D., Salovey, P., Caruso, D.R. (2000). Emotional intelligence as Zeitgeist, as personality, and as a mental ability. The Handbook of Emotional Intelligence, ed/. J.D.A. Parker 9San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, pp92-117.
The definition of emotional intelligence given by Salovey and Mayer (1990) focuses on the ability to understand one’s own and others’ emotions and also to manage one’s own emotions positively. On the other hand, Goleman’s definition (1995) covers more aspects, including 25 abilities and skills such as trustworthiness, communication and empathy. The former definition is more scientific and appropriate while the latter one is called the ‘corporate definition’ because its contents accommodate the interests of large corporations. However, the academic findings of the two professors are not widely known while Goleman’s edition is commonly accepted due to his best-seller book ‘Emotional Intelligence’ (Goleman 1995). The following essay will be mainly based on Goleman’s definition.
Homeschooling is a good alternative to public schools because of certain religious issues, standardized test success, and variety of options for homeschool students, but in some states homeschoolers are having trouble with the school system.
There is also room for a better quality of learning in a home schooling setting. Parents or tutors in a home school setting do not have to waste time with administrative tasks or repeating directions. They can get down to learning and reviewing. If a child is ok with a subject, they can move on. A child who is home schooled also has the opportunity to take part in a greater number of alternative learning experiences. For example, if a parent feels that a trip to a museum will better get a point across, on the spur of the moment they can take their child. Such spontaneity would not be possible in a regular school classroom. A certain structure is expected in a public school. In home schooling, parents or tutors are free to teach using methods they deem appropriate to the situation and the student.
Some parents want their children to experience the class atmosphere. While growing up, Grace Burton was very involved in two different co-op groups, Christian Family Educators (CFE) and Cornerstone. According to Burton, the CFE co-op group offered her many experiences and friends she would not have had if she attended public school. CFE offered many class opportunities such as Drama, Art, Choir, etc. Therefore, homeschooled children are not losing any opportunities when it comes to the “fun school”