Benefits of Homeschooling

2300 Words5 Pages

Last year, my husband and I were trying to decide what was best for each our children when it came to his or her education. Although Freeport, Illinois, does not have a significant amount of schools from which to choose, we certainly looked at them all. After we had spent numerous hours talking to teachers and touring classrooms, we were not impressed by any of the local schools. Basically, every school offered the same general subjects served in a cookie cutter fashion. We, however, wanted our children to have a more diverse and individualized education. Therefore, we decided to look into other options of schooling, particularly homeschooling. “[P]arent-led home-based education . . . is an age-old traditional educational practice that a decade ago appeared to be cutting-edge and ‘alternative’ but is now bordering on ‘mainstream’ in the United States” (Ray). Even though homeschooling has become more popular, some educators and homeschool opponents disagree with the effectiveness of home-based education; believing that children should not be taught by uneducated or undereducated parents who may lack the resources provided by the mainstream school system. However, the public and private schools are not providing children with the proper techniques for learning and understanding the fundamentals of the materials being taught due to the time restraints imposed by teaching multiple children with different educational needs at the same time. In contrast, homeschooling can help children not only learn the concept but understand why they are learning the concept. Structured homeschooling is the best option for most children when it comes to his or her educational needs.
Most parents have heard about homeschooling but know little about ...

... middle of paper ...

...llion Homeschool Students in the United States in 2010.” NHERI. 3 Jan. 2011. Web. 16 Nov. 2013.
Martin-Chang, Sandra, Gould Odette, and Meuse Reanne. "The Impact of Schooling on Academic Achievement: Evidence from Homeschooled and Traditionally Schooled Students." Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science 43.3 (2011): 195–202. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.
Terry, Bobby. "Homeschooling in America: A Viable Option." ERIC. 1 Mar. 2011. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.
United States. Dept. of Education. National Center for Education Statistics. “Fast Facts.” IES N.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2013.
United States. Dept. of Education. National Center for Education Statistics. “Expectations and Reports of Homework for Public School Students in the First, Third, and Fifth Grades.” IES. Dec. 2008. Web. 20 Nov. 2013.
Vosniadou, Stella. "How Children Learn." International Academy of Education. N.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2013.

Open Document