Home-schooling, in the opinion of home-education proponents, was the original form of education. It was in existence long before one-room schoolhouses and before the current public school system became the predominant form of education. Critics of home-schooling believe home-schooled kids often don't receive the socialization skills needed to thrive in our culture.
History
The current era of home-schooling dates to the late 1970s and early 1980s. The home-school population at that time, based on a 2000 article by Brian Anderson, numbered 50,000 and consisted mostly of "Christian fundamentalists." The home-school movement has grown exponentially since that time. According to the National Home Education Research Institute, more than 2 million students in the United States participated in home-schooling as of spring 2008.
Significance
The Home School Legal Defense Association shared a 2009 study that home-schooled students are in demand, based on their higher-than-average test scores and through active recruitment by colleges. The Cato Institute emphasized another significant event: for the first time in the history of the National Spelling Bee, the champion in 1997 was a home-schooled student, 13-year-old Rebecca Sealfon from New York. Out of 245 competitors, Sealfon was one of 17 home-schooled students who participated.
Benefits
Home-schooling offers many benefits not available for children who attend public schools. The most obvious benefit is the parent doing the teaching can often spend more time with her children because they won't be away at school for several hours each day. As a home-schooling parent, you can determine your family's own schedule, which might mean you can start later in the morning and still finish the school day earlier than children do in public schools. Enjoy a good breakfast together and then concentrate on teaching and completing schoolwork. You won't lose the hours that are usually required to travel to and from school, recess, changing classes and the many other interruptions that occur in the average public school.
While you should cover all the foundational studies required by your state's home school laws, you can also choose to teach additional subjects. Allow your children to explore and develop areas of interest. You also have the choice of approaching studies from a religious perspective, if that fits in with your family's beliefs. You may also want to participate in your local and state home-school support groups for additional learning opportunities, field trips and workshops.
Misconceptions
The most common misconception regarding home-schooling is that children do not enjoy adequate socialization with their peers in public school and that it makes home-educated children less prepared for entrance into college or the work force. In a 2000 report from the Discovery Institute, Patricia Lines shared research demonstrating that home-schooled children were overall more well-adjusted and possessed fewer behavioral problems than their public school peers.
Another misconception is that home-schooled children receive an inferior education and cannot compete with the test scores received by their peers in public school. Statistics demonstrate otherwise. Lawrence M. Rudner, a statistician from the University of Maryland, released data gathered from all 50 states that included about 20,000 home-schooled students. His research revealed higher standardized test scores for home-schooled students in every subject and grade level compared to their peers educated in public or private schools.
Considerations
If you have considered home-schooling your children, keep several points in mind. The whole family needs to agree with the idea. If you face opposition before you start, chances are home-schooling will not be a wise choice for your family. Next, review your state's home education laws to ensure you can fully comply. Following that, determine what type of home-schooling you want to do: design your own curriculum, purchase a curriculum, enroll in a satellite or online home school system or use some combination of alternatives.
You might also want to talk to other home-schooling families to learn about their experiences first-hand. If you plan to move forward with home-schooling, join a local home-school support group for additional guidance, access to resources, and socialization opportunities for you and your children. You might also want to join Home School Legal Defense Association, for further peace of mind toward successful home-schooling.
Warnings
Home-schooling is not appropriate for everyone. It requires a major commitment of time and effort on the part of the parent doing the teaching. Efficient organization and time management skills are crucial. Often, home-schooling also necessitates cooperation and willingness from the other parent or partner in the household to pick up the slack in household chores, errands and other tasks that the teaching parent may not have time to accomplish.
If your children are not receptive to the idea of home-schooling--especially teenagers--you face an uphill battle that will not be conducive to successful home-schooling. If you face difficult behavioral issues with your child or if he has extensive special needs, home-schooling might not be appropriate for your family.
Single parents might discover they can homeschool effectively, but they face more difficulties than two-parent families. Other circumstances such as demanding careers and lower economic status may also prove to be detrimental to successful home-schooling. Parental levels of education, while not always a factor, might prove to be a barrier especially for teaching advanced studies to high school students. You should also discuss your teenager's college plans. While many colleges actively pursue home-schoolers, other colleges do not accept home-school credentials.
References
- The City Journal: An A for Home Schooling
- NHERI: Welcome to the National Home Education Research Institute
- Home School Legal Defense Association: New Study Shows Homeschoolers Succeeding in College
- The Cato Institute: Homeschooling: Back to the Future?
- Discovery Institute: Homeschooled Children - Social Butterflies or Social Misfits?
