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The Advantages and Disadvantages of HomeschoolingFeb 02 '06 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line Homeschooling could be the right route of learning for your family, but make sure you are ready for the responsibility. At one point in my life, my brother was being homeschooled, while I was attending public school, and I was able to see a lot of things that worked, and others that didn't work. I have also made friends who have gone both routes, and I have come to the conclusion that both formats of learning can turn someone into a very successful student. Deciding if homeschooling is the best option for your family is something that has to be given a lot of thought, and though it may be tough, could be exactly what you are looking for. On the other hand, if there are too many complicating factors involved, then it would be safer for your childs education to enroll them in school, and allow the system to educate them. Both ways have their positives, as well as negatives, and I plan to shed some like on what the advantages and disadvantages of homeschooling are. The Advantages: Attending public school, there are a lot of things that end up being space-fillers, and wastes of time that can be eliminated with a homeschool environment. The travel time to the school (and back), the breaks between classes, the time alloted to taking attendance in each class, and disruptions from other students are all things that waste time in which students could be learning. When learning at home, a lot of those are eliminated, and that time can be saved for more valuable options such as reading breaks, or even ending the sessions of the day a little bit earlier. Having complete control over the schedule, and not having to rely on other factors for how long is spent on a topic, you can set a flat amount of time for a subject to be taught/studied and you can stick to that. Working in your own breaks at home can also lead to a reward system where if a certain amount of time is spent on a subject, they can go out and play for a while. What I think is the most valuable thing about homeschooling, is that there aren't 25 to 30 students that need the attention of a single teacher. By being taught at home, the student has immediate access to the "teacher", and can ask questions at just about any time without having to worry about other students and their learning habits. This can be a huge advantage, because if the student doesn't understand something, you can stop and go over it with them, instead of having to worry about a class full of students falling behind. On top of that, the added bonus is that if at home the child is having a lot of fun in a subject, that particular session can be extended to let them learn a little bit more. I think that one-on-one learning is very important in order to develop a clear understanding of all the material, and when it is done at home, it is a lot easier to accomplish that. There are a lot of tools out there that can be used by a parent in order to teach their kids at home. By using those and by taking advantage of the world around us, you can teach things by putting them into practice. If you are teaching about History, a museum tour, or a jaunt to the library can be a nice little break that is fun and educational at the same time. Just about all subjects have a real-life practice that will correlate to what you are teaching, and by moving lessons around, you will be able to show a different and potentially more interesting side of all subjects. Along those lines, you are also able to control what your child is learning. This means that you decide what they are going to read, and if you are against censorship like I am, you can provide them with a lot of literature that can't even be found in schools anymore. One of the debated topics with advantages to homeschooling is being able to keep your children closer, and thus more protected. By not forcing them to go through the bad side of public education, they won't be exposed to real world issues such as smoking, drugs, and sex quite as often as a public school child would. This can help them in the long run if they are kept away from it, and taught well about the problems that could be associated with these vices. The opposite side of that thought though, is that if you aren't faced with things like that, you may not know how to react when put into a real life situation where they are put in play. That could be a risk if you are doing homeschooling, but making sure that your kids have all of the information at hand, they will be able to better make the smart decisions. The disadvantages of Homeschooling: The main disadvantage of homeschooling (in my opinion) will be the lack of socialization by your children. Not being able to learn with friends, and not being able to associate and congregate with other kids of the same age could lead to some developmental problems. An inability to socialize well, a shyness that comes with not being around other kids, and a tendency to work better as an individual, rather than in a team stem from this lack of association. These are of course things that could be overcome if the attempt is made to rectify them. By being involved in other activities such as dance or sports, by living in a neighborhood with many other children that can be socialized with in free time, or by having siblings or cousins that are in the public system, the social skills can rub off on kids that are homeschooled. I think that it is important for all kids to have an open environment to hang-out with kids their own age, and if not in school, then there should be another source. Another disadvantage to being homeschooled, is that resources aren't as fluid as they are in a public/private school setting. The theory is that schools will have better books, and the teachers will have a better education than a parent does, and it could serve as a disadvantage if the parent is not ready and willing to be the go-to person for everything under the sun. The parent must be willing to do the research if a question can't be answered on the spot, which could actually turn into an advantage if the parent is willing to go that extra mile. The cost of homeschooling can start to come into play when you purchase textbooks and teaching materials, and thus it makes it harder for the family that is doing the home teaching. Further costs come into play when you consider the opportunity cost of a parent staying home, and not bringing in a second income for the family. This could be the big thing that keeps some families from homeschooling, simply because it costs the family a second source of money. The final disadvantage that I think exists, is the patience that has to come from any parent deciding to homeschool a child. You have to know ahead of time that there will be a lot of frustration coming from the student when you are covering hard subjects, and that when they get flustered, you can't allow yourself to do the same. It is important that you are able to separate at times the role of parent and teacher, because you will have to be there for your child in a different manner in times like these. You also can't take it out on yourself if a subject is slightly more difficult to teach than the next one. Textbooks are out there which have been designed to teach straight from them, and acquiring them can remove some of the stigma from difficult subjects like Science or Math. The key is that you have to know that you will be teaching year-round, and that it really is going to be a full-time job. That means that you need to treat it like one, and not like a free pass from getting a public paid job. Homeschooling There are good and bad things about Homeschooling, and for each family it varies on what will work for them. Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages, you must make sure that you weigh everything before you jump into a decision about pushing your kids into public school, or pulling them out. One myth out there is that homeschooled children are less likely to get into college, and that simply is not the case. They just need to be as well rounded as a public school student, and do well on the placement exams, and college will become a shoe-in. Of course public school students are noticed more often, and that is where a decision has to be made about visibility of your student. I have seen both good and bad things comes from public and homeschooled children, so it all comes down to the ability of the parents to dedicate a lot of time. Whatever the decision ends up being, I think that most important thing is to make sure that the child is in the best learning environment possible. Do that, and everything else can work itself out.  |
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