Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Comparing and contrasting public and private schools
Advantages and Disadvantages of Homeschooling
Advantages and Disadvantages of Homeschooling
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Comparing and contrasting public and private schools
Jana Simon
English III: 4
Research Paper
March 19, 2014
Home Bound
Homeschooling is any short or long-term situation in which students are taught various subject matters by parents, relatives, friends, or perceived experts (Everhart and Harper 1). It has become increasingly popular throughout the years. It has been the fastest-growing option for alternative education since the 1970’S (Immell 1, Cohen and Drenovsky 1). An increasing number of parents are pulling their children out of local schools due to other unruly children that they come in contact with on a daily basis. There are about 1.1 million homeschooled students in the U.S. today (Immell 1). Homeschooling is beneficial to children because they receive individual attention, they score higher on standardized tests, and they learn in a secure environment.
There are many differences between public and homeschooled children, and one difference is the class size. Some homeschoolers are taught in smaller group classes. These group classes include parents and students who gather together to form “co-op” groups for particular subject areas in which greater expertise is available from one of the parents (Everhart and Harper 2). This class formation forms classes that are similar to public school classes. Many homeschooled families also form communities of support groups to assuage isolation and ignorance on curriculum standards (Wichers 4). Because of their smaller classes, they get more one-on-one attention. In order for public-education students to receive the same attention, they are likely to have to pay for a tutor. For example, one site, www.tutor.com, at the least, offers unlimited tutoring for $39.99 per month for one hour (Tutor.com 1). Tutoring can ra...
... middle of paper ...
... or moral instruction and dissatisfaction with academic instruction (Pollack 1). Parents favor teaching their children what they want them to know. Some homeschooled students follow a set curriculum, but the parents of other students select matter as educational needs begin to appear more appropriate (Everhart and Harper 1). Parents teach more of what is important in academics.
In any event, homeschooling is beneficial to students in the long run. Most homeschoolers attend top notch colleges after graduating from high school. They also attain more knowledge on subjects that they have personal interest in. While focusing on personal interests, homeschoolers are being taught in a sound environment. Homeschooling is beneficial to children because they receive individual attention, they score higher on standardized tests, and they learn in a secure environment.
Homeschooling offers flexibility and can be a stress reliever for many. Home school gives children the opportunity to learn when they learn best, whether that be in the morning or in the afternoon. Some children prefer to work alone others with their peers. The parents will determine what their child’s learning style is. If the child need more or less time on a subject then they will have the chance to go over the subject as many time it is necessary for the student to learn it, or in the other hand if they completely comprehend the subject they can make a decision to skip it. A flexible schedule gives these options and many more to students compared to public or private schooling.
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
Moreover, some families choose to Homeschool in order to screen their child’s curriculum to remove secularist views found in modern day public school curriculum (2002). Others have children with special needs or learning disabilities, so they choose to homeschool (Maaja, 1997). Ultimately, families are looking for what they believe is best for their children. And these families want to be actively involved in the education of their children. Homeschooling parents do not want strangers raising their children. They want to raise their children with freedom from government systems and institutions (Ray, 2000a).
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
Homeschooling offers students a more time efficient education that allows the student to focus on education in which is the sole purpose for school. Homeschooling also gives the teacher a thorough evaluation of a student’s strengths and weaknesses by visually seeing what subjects they excel in and what subjects they are weak in. At this point students can increase their individual progression in each subject. Homeschooling permits control of the environment a student learns in to retain the focus of the student. This will reduce the chances of drug usage, bullying, and violence. Samuel Blumenfeld said this on the importance of homeschooling “The home is a safe haven for the children in a world awash with drugs, sexually transmitted diseases, violence, and moral corruption” (Cindy Mur et al.76). When parents come to realize that the home is the safest place for their children, then will they act as Blumenfeld concludes “I look forward to the day when the public schools will be virtually empty not because we have abolished public education but because the parents will have abandoned it” (Cindy Mur et al.
An estimated 4 million children are currently home schooled with a 15-20% yearly growth rate. According to a California study by researcher Dr. Brian [D.] Ray, 92 percent of school superintendents believe that home learners are emotionally unstable, deprived of proper social development and too judgmental of the world around them. The latest claim against home schooling suggests that home schoolers are potential child abusers. Mr. Ron Barnard, a Holly High School teacher says that he would prefer public schooling for his children because of the peer socialization, extra curricular, and mandated curriculum. Public schooling is more efficient in educating our youth than traditional home schooling.
Education is an amazing opportunity, no matter how one receives it. Since the beginning of the public-school system, homeschooling had become a dwindling sight, until the last 20 years or so. The stigma surrounding homeschooling is one that paints parents as intolerant and children as awkward and anti-social. Many are skeptic about homeschooling and want their children to experience life outside of the home through public or private school. While this is completely understandable, could homeschooling offer a better education and more future success than public schooling? Homeschooling produces better test scores and is more academically effective than public schooling.
“According to the U.S. Dept of Education more than two million students are homeschooled in the United States, up from 850,000 in 1999” (Stone 33). Why is there such an increase of homeschooled students? Although there is increased expense and students are not exposed to “expert” teachers, homeschooling is the better option (Mhoon).
In the recent times, home schooling has been the most sought mode of learning by the American parents. In fact, it estimated that over 1 million children in America are now undergoing home schooling (Cooper, 2005). Although this form of learning is legally acceptable, parents are entrusted with teaching and coaching their children in all subjects. In addition, parents can also hire private tutors for their children as part of home schooling. This form of learning is aimed at ensuring that parents commit themselves in ensuring their children are able to learn like other kids in public schools.
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.
nor ,kids with attention problems have benefited from homeschooling because education becomes personalized . Take the option of homeschooling benefits families in different ways, and also the reasons may be because of where they live. Crime is a reality in many Latin American countries. Home schooling in this case can give parents peace of mind of knowing that their children are safe .
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.
Perhaps the most significant impact of home schooling is the actual learning. There are many academic advantages. In a home schooling situation, there is no doubt a more individualized program of study than any traditional school can offer. Whatever a child's pace or level of ability is, it can be met directly. A parent or tutor can focus exactly on what the child needs extra help or improvement in, as well as what the child excels at.(Ray, 2014) In a public school, teachers must teach to "the middle" and have little time to cater to an individual student's needs on a regular basis.