Conquering Home Schooling Myths
By Dana Chaffin
“The fear of the LORD
is the beginning of
knowledge, but fools
despise wisdom and
discipline."
Proverbs 1:7
n estimated 2 million American children are home schooled and that number grows each year. There are many reasons why so many parents choose to home school their children and just as many myths about why others do not. It is time to shatter a few of those myths and to introduce one of the many options available to home schooling families so that you can make the best decision for your child's education.
Socialization
One of the most common reasons people give for not home schooling is that students who are home schooled are not properly socialized. This does not have to be the case. There are many organizations designed for home schooling families.
These organizations offer a variety of extracurricular activities and outings such as field trips and prom. Students may even participate in organized sports such as baseball, basketball, soccer, volleyball, tennis, and cheerleading.
People socialize by learning the values, attitudes and the characteristics of the group with which they associate. One of the key purposes of home schooling is to allow parents to dictate the groups and activities in which their child is involved.
In this way, parents can avoid much of the negative socialization that children can be exposed to, including drug and alcohol abuse, sexual immorality, and violent behavior. If this is an important issue for you, home schooling may be an option to consider.
Educational Quality
In the past, a home school education has been unfairly viewed as inferior to a public school education. Not anymore. When compared on an equal basis, home school and private school students, on average, consistently perform at a higher academic level than public school students.
As the number of public school students per classroom grows each year, the teachers' ability to give students much needed one-on-one attention diminishes. And even if students fall behind in certain concepts, teachers must often move on to the next concept rather than making sure every student fully understands the subject material.
Home school parents are able to spend more time on the concepts in which their child needs special attention and make sure their child actually learns the concepts. Home school parents understand that their child is the most important student in the "class."
Another bonus to schooling at home is the absence of many of the distractions that students may experience in a traditional classroom setting. Children with a desire to learn do not have to wait while a teacher deals with other students or discipline issues before moving on with academics.
Because of this, many families find that their child is able to complete their school work at home in a shorter time period than in a regular full school day. This frees up time for extracurricular activities or even part-time jobs for high school students.
Home schooling may not be for every family, but there are lots of options and resources out there that can help you make an informed decision regarding your child's education.
Whether you decide to use the public school system, a home school resource center, or even to educate your child at home with your own curriculum, the decision is an important one. Do your research and find the best match for your family's needs.