Obviously, here at Let’s Homeschool we are big fans of homeschooling and can see all the positive points of why many people choose to home school. On the todayshow.com site, they have spent the whole week looking at homeschooling pros and cons and the stigma associated with home school, like social interaction, college preparedness, and real-world preparedness. What they found may surprise you.
As the number of homeschoolers has increased, so have the opportunities, resources, and quality of homeschool education. It is estimated that between 1.5 million and 2.5 million students are homeschooled in the United States. There are a number of reasons people choose to homeschool, everything from religion to dislike of the public school system play into the reasons people state for choosing to homeschool. As with any school program, not all homeschools are created equal and the amount of time, interest and dedication on the part of the student and parent/teacher will determine how successful each individual is.
While there are still some kids that are “home schooled” that really are just being kept home to babysit siblings, keep the family out of public attention, or for some other negative reason, and these students are not getting the education they should. The number of home school students in this type of situation is minimal and probably not any higher percentage wise than kids in public school that simply don’t show up regularly, get support from home, or progress at normal levels for the same reasons.
Those who are serious about home school have found that their opportunities and learning experiences are so much better in a home school environment. There is a lot of time wasted and a lot of fluff in public schools. Teachers struggle to teach all kids, at different levels, the same material in the same amount of time. In a homeschool setting students can hurry through the stuff they get and take all the extra time they need for the stuff that is harder. Homeschool parents create homeschool groups that provide social interaction, additional help from other parents, if needed in a specific area, and much more. Field trip and hands on learning activities are a daily occurrence, rather than a rare privilege.
Every situation is different, every student is different, you have to choose what is best for your situation, your life, and your children. Whether you choose to homeschool, send your kids to a military school, private school, public school, charter school, or any other variety of school, make sure you are involved daily in your child’s education. Discuss, and then expand on, what they learn whenever possible. The more involved you are, the better off they will be.
