More and more parents are considering schooling their children at home because they don't believe their children will get the "right" education in schools. Things might change though because some home schooled kids don't get the same education their peers get in a regular school. Some parents were in the news recently, having been arrested for failing to send their children to school because they thought they'd be taken to heaven. I've never favored homeschooling since it robs children of lots of experiences. Since parents can't shield their children from "the harsh and immoral world" forever why not send them to a "regular" school? What do you think of schooling children at home for religious reasons?
No government has the right to enforce what they think the parents should do for schooling. That's up to the parents. It's become such a totalitarian state when they think they can do what they want like that. Soon it's going to be illegal to homeschool. Homeschooled kids get just as good, if not better education than public schools. Public schools are brainwashing centers. And now that common core is involved, kids are struggling a lot more in public school. I hope that mom fought back at the system and got justice for being arrested. Freedom is a joke, when will people wake up?
When you hear people thinking that they would be taken to heaven, then you know that homeschooling is a bad idea. The issue I have is how qualified is the parent to home school the child? Unless they have a teaching qualification and have recently been to school with good grades, how can they say they are giving their child the best? What if the parent was an average 3.0 GPA student or lower and the child is brighter, does that help the child? Besides that, the social interaction skills need to be developed, and in lots of cases it has helped children in abusive homes to have someone else to ask fro help. One hears to these dreadful tales of children being kept prisoner, raped and beaten in prostitution rings and often home schooling masks these activities. I recall reading a story where a neighbor said the children were home schooled so she didn't notice that one was missing (the parent killed them) and as such some children are more in danger when it is used as an excuse. Here in the UK, home schooling is only allowed in certain circumstances (illness or disability), and the parents must show lesson plans and also inspectors must be given permission to visit to check.
I also think that home schooling is a bad idea as the people that are in favour of it do tend to be the types of people that place religion before anything else. For me, children should go to state run schools, not be home schooled, not rely on faith schools, and they should all be educated to the same standards.
It's a difficult situation the subject of home-schooling and each case really depends on the background circumstances. Taking your child out of school to home school them simply because they believe it is "gods will" or something like that is pretty crazy and I am against it, but if the child is being bullied, suffering and not getting the education they deserve then I do think that home schooling might be the alternative. It's also no secret that school places are fast becoming more sought after and with the bigger class sizes parents might indeed feel that home schooling might be a bit better for their child.
This isn't the case all the time you know. Some people I know who've been home-schooled are well-balanced and wholesome individuals while some who've entered public or private schools usually have problems. It's really a matter of the school and the community you live in, if you think you can raise your child right then that's your choice. If you think they aren't getting the same experience as every other student in the country then you're absolutely right too but if you can supplement that with a great environment then it's all that matters really. Home schooling is great for students who've suffered in public and private schools too. There's always an option and a better way.
I think a lot of parents choose to homeschool, not for religious reasons, but because they can do a better job than the public schools. I pulled my daughter out of PS last year and she has flourished with homeschooling. We also do a lot of community field trips with other homeschool families and I must say that most of them are homeschooling to give their children a better education, not to shield them from "the harsh and immoral world". Homeschooling allows me and my child to focus more on subjects she struggles with and move on in subjects she finds easier. She was able to get through Algebra I and Geometry last year. If I'd left her in public school that wouldn't have even been an option. As far as missing out on the public school "experience" can you give some detail as to what you are referring to? Are you talking about missing out on taking a school bus? That's my mother in laws favorite when I mention not sending my 3 and 4 year old to PS. So what? We take the train with friends into Boston and get an even better experience. No one has ever tried to pull down my daughters drawers on the train. That has happened on the school bus. If you are talking about having other adults teaching, so there is more than one POV, then we have that too. That's what co-ops are for. If you are talking about being around other kids, we're around other homeschooled kids all the time. We also participate in after school activities, so we also keep in touch with PS kids and parents. I honestly can't think of one negative to homeschooling. Other than the fact that it is a lot more work for me!
It also depends on the personality of the child and if it suits them. There will be many views, but some parents don't have the choice to homeschool. Yes there are bullies out there, and you know what in the world of work there are bullies too. A child will learn the good and the bad and to be independent. I was bullied at school and hated it, but you know what, when I was bullied at work or saw it, I was able to step in and to stop it. It enabled me to choose my friends and teachers can be the greatest resources out there if you meet a good one. You don't get that being home schooled. What about later on with school activities likes sports, drama clubs, debate teams? These are all important things for college applications these days.
A lack of interaction with other children of the same age, that's one negative I can think of just off the top of my head, as well as a lack of independence being another. While in some situations it might be for the best for the child concerned but in a lot of cases it isn't. As a parent you have to do what's best for your child, if that's home schooling then there's nothing wrong with that, I just think it can lead to a lack of confidence, but that's just my opinion.
The schoolyard teaches you some very valuable lessons about life and reality. Such as how to behave in a setting where everything is not about you, how to share, how to behave towards others, even if you don't like them and the general responsibility involved in looking after your own books and getting yourself to the right place for class. I feel it is a better preparation for the world of college, work and the moment when you cut the apron strings. I do know one woman who homeschools and to be frank, her daughter is a demanding little madam. I haven't got a clue how she's going to cope when she finally enters the real world.
