LEARNING AT HOME

LEARNING AT HOME Sara Jane

Today, teaching children at home is popular and legal in all 50 states. What is it that causes parents and students to forgo the traditional education system and face the challenges of educating children in the comfort of their own home?

What is it about this trend that is causing it to gain popularity?

What is Homeschooling?

Homeschooling is a progressive movement in which parents chose to educate their children long-term at home instead of sending them to a public or private school. Basically, homeschooling is the education of children at home by their parents. Homeschooling is legal in all 50 states and there are many resources and many opportunities available to homeschooling families today. However, most states require guardians to let the state or local education board know of their choice to homeschool and some states have a form of required assessment as well as days of routine instruction and subject requirements. Only some states have parent qualifications and bookkeeping requirements.

Today, more and more states are allowing homeschooled children to enroll in public school part time to take individual classes to help them with subjects their parents are not confident teaching, athletics, and some extracurricular activities. Most states offer charter correspondence programs that allow children to be taught at home while receiving benefits from enrollment in public schools. If parents choose to homeschool, they are becoming responsible for their child's education, social contacts, and athletic opportunities. They are also organizing subjects, teaching lessons, and arranging for tutors or personal teachers. Some parents arrange their lessons so their child is at the same pace as public and private schools in their counties. A tutor or parent could be teaching one student or multiple students. There is currently over 1 million children being homeschooled in the United States.

“I believe it would be much better for everyone if children were given their start in education at home. No one understands a child as well as his mother, and children are so different that they need individual training and study. A teacher with a room full of pupils cannot do this. At home, too, they are in their mother’s care. She can keep them from learning immoral things from other children.� ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

Why do parents choose homeschool over a public or private school?

Parents have many reasons to homeschool

they are not confident in their child's aca-

their children and some are more common than

demic ability. Therefore, they decide to or-

others. Lots of parents share the same reason. For

ganize their own lessons at home. In home

example, lots of parents choose to homeschool

school, there are no tardy slips or absences

their children because the child needs to be pro-

that can count against a student and there

vided with stronger academics. If a child is intellec-

are no restrictions against when to travel.

tually gifted, and a school does not have a gifted program, parents will take them out of school so they can learn at a quicker pace. Another reason is to give children a religious education. For those parents who can't afford to put their children into a religious private school, they will sometimes take them out of school to give them an efficient, as well as a religious, education.

Other reasons are to have more quality family-time, to provide educational stability in the middle of frequent moves, to take a child out of a dissatisfying school district, and to provide moral instruction. One of the most common reasons is to protect children from bullying. Lots of schools have bullying problems, but when a student is being individually taught, they cannot be bullied or distracted while learning. Being homeschooled can sometimes provide a safer environment for a child. Another common reason is because a child has special needs or is mentally or physically disabled. A parent will be able to ensure excellent education, protection, and attention for a disabled child if they are taught at home Most adults who learned common math and English do not understand Common Core math and English, which teaches multiple steps to doing an equation or comprehending a text rather than teaching tricks to make it easier or learning one quick step. If a parent doesn't understand what their child is being taught,

What effects does homeschooling have on children?

Homeschooled children tend to perform better on standardized tests than children who attend a regular school. This is because students have more one-on-one attention and are not as easily distracted. Kids that are homeschooled also tend to have less behavioral problems. They don't have as many opportunities to have bad behavior if they are taught individually and at home. Adults that were homeschooled are more involved in their communities and do more volunteer work than those who attended a public or private school. Some previously homeschooled children have trouble in social situations, however, that is very uncommon because homeschooled children are able to go explore their communities. Children that are homeschooled have a bigger selfesteem and more self-confidence. They are not able to compare themselves to others if they are schooled individually. Now that homeschooling has become popular and legal in all 50 states, colleges are aware of homeschooled children and are interested in their diversity.

What are the advantages of homeschooling?

The advantages of homeschooling relate directly to the reasons parents choose to homeschool.

Studies

have

shown that children benefit from one-on-one attention and being taught individually by a parent gives a student the opportunity to learn more at their own pace. Homeschooled children may explore their communities more than public or private schooled kids because there are no scheduled field trips or payments for field trips.

For example, homeschooled children may have hands-on education at museums, libraries, businesses, and other community resources more often than regular schooled students.

They also might be able to participate in volunteer work. A parent can show a child that learning is fun, not boring, a parent can nurture their artistic abilities, a parent can build meaningful relationships with their children, and a parent can create a weekly schedule for their child that fits with their individual needs.

What are the disadvantages of homeschooling?

There are great advantages to homeschooling, but there are also many disadvantages to being homeschooled. Parents who teach their children spend up to 24 hours a day with that child which can cause tensions within the household. There are limited team sports for children that are homeschooled. However, there are recreational teams, select clubs, and there are gyms, like the YMCA , that offer sports. Parents and tutors are constantly having to justify homeschooling to their friends, family, or colleagues that don't support it.

Parents often have to spend more money on a child's homeschool education than a public school education. Parents sometimes have to arrange and pay for tutors for their child and some also have to spend money on parent qualification tests. Parents have to have lots of patience to homeschool a child. If that child is behind, or doesn't understand a certain concept, a parent has to have patience to be able to deal with the problem themselves. Parents also have to be able to give constructive criticism as well as positive encouragement to their child. Most middle-class families who homeschool have trouble with finance because one of them is at home teaching the child rather than out working. Some homeschooled children also have trouble in social situations, however, that is extremely rare.

Adams, Joe. "Why Do People Sources: Home school?" Adv antages of Homschoolng.

Web. 19 Feb. 2016.

Crayons, Bo. More Parents Choose Home schooling Due to Common Core - Breit bart."Breitbart News.

2014. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.

LIVESTRONG.COM, 2015. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.

“Top 10 Reasons Parents Decide to Hochool." Crosswalk.com.

Web. 15 Feb. 2016.