A Brief History of Home Schooling

The concept of formal school education for children is only about 3 centuries old. Prior to its introduction in Germany in the latter part of the 17th Century, education was imparted at home or to groups of children by the village elders. The only children who went to school were those of the wealthy and the nobility who were taught classical languages and history – things that would accord with their status and not things that would make them creative members of society.

Homeschool actually began with the advent of primitive man. When the first cave dwellers taught their children how to hunt, they were being home schooled. Even today, homeschool is a part of every child's upbringing. Everything a child knows that allows him to function in society is a result of knowledge imparted in the home by the parents.

In America, the early colonists had little time to worry about formal education. What the children learned was what they needed to know to keep the homestead going. The few parents who were themselves literate would, at the most, pass on the ability to read the bible. It was only when the country began to move from an agrarian economy to a manufacturing and trading one that education as a means of earning a living came into being. Since America was still primarily a rural society, once again it was the parents who set up the informal home school – teaching their children what they knew, asking for help from the local Priest and, when money was available, paying for a teacher to come for a few weeks or months to teach the children. One person who benefited from this form of home school was a certain Abraham Lincoln who received a total of 18 months of home school education.

In more populous urban centers where the economics of setting up formal schools made sense, formal school education soon became the norm. However, since many families, even in the urban centers could not afford to send their children to school, the need for a proper system of home school became more pressing. This culminated in 1906 when the Calvert Day School of Baltimore developed a stand alone all in one curriculum that, along with the ancillary teaching materials, could be purchased from local book shops. Within a few years hundreds of children were using this and the number kept growing.

At the beginning of the 20th century the government made schooling mandatory for all children and by the end of World War I, schooling was on its way to becoming universal. However, by the middle of the century a backlash began to develop towards the regimented and often mindless way formal schooling tried to impart education. The low standards of the schools were also a cause for concern. By the 1970s a strong homeschool movement began to make its presence felt and within a decade half the country had legalized homeschooling.

One major factor that has contributed to the acceptance and growing popularity of homeschools and their modern developments like distance learning, was the involvement and support of leading education professionals like Dr. Raymond Moore, the "father of homeschool." He and other experts proved that the regimented formal school education was not always the best options and that in many situations the personal care and attention of parents, along with supporting educational materials, could produce better results than formal school education.

To learn more about a quality, distance learning home school please visit Laurel Springs School. Laurel Springs School is an accredited, college prep private school offering distance learning programs and teacher services for students in grades K-12. Laurel Springs uses web-based communication tools, a standards-based curriculum, and personalized instruction to offer students the highest quality home education experience based on your child's learning style.