The Debate About Home Schooling Effectiveness

For as long as the concept of a formalized education system has been in place, there have been two sides to the debate about whether or not children should attend a public school or be home schooled. Those who argue against homeschooling are often even ignorant of the real practices and guidelines followed by parents who choose to home school their children. There are many reasons and benefits in choosing to home school a child, although everyone may not support the issue.

Not all parents homeschool their children because of their personal beliefs and values. Some parents home school because of the individualized quality and dynamic of home school programs. Students who are gifted or have special needs benefit from a home school opportunity because they can learn at their own pace, whether they need to spend more time on a lesson or delve deeper into the content as a way of satisfying their intellectual curiosity. To that end, home schooling offers parents the opportunity to ensure mastery of a concept before moving onto the next, while public schools merely require a demonstration of understanding before moving onto the next concept, largely due to time constraints.

Other students that benefit from a home school setting are those who live in rural areas and riding a bus for an hour each direction is more a waste of time than anything else.

While some may argue that the biggest downfall of a home school situation is the lack of socialization that a child receives, this is just not true. In fact, home schooled children for powerful lifelong bonds with their peers who are in a similar setting. Local home school support groups provide clubs, science fairs, field trips, celebrations, and other opportunities for interaction.

Home school learning has long been viewed as boring reading, writing, and arithmetic. But, home schooling is actually more dynamic than any other form of public education. Parents can schedule tours, field trips, guest speakers, and other authentic learning experiences to enhance the curriculum. In addition to this, the Internet has changed the face of home school programs forever. Virtual tours, online distance learning programs, educational games and activities, not to mention the wealth of knowledge available for research projects all add to the home school dynamic. Students who are home schooled often have better computer skills than their public school peers, because limited state and federal funding also limits access to technology for students. It is difficult for a teacher to rotate 25 to 30 students through the use of one classroom computer in any timely manner. In most cases, the computer sits in the back of the room and collects dust.

So, whether or not you are a parent who home schools your child, the next time you hear someone make a negative remark about parents educating their children at home, keep some of these points in mind. Consider all the benefits that a home school program offers parents, and their children.

To learn more about a quality, distance learning homeschool 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.