Home Schooling Essay, Research Paper

Home Schooling: It May Be The

Best Thing for Your Child

Home schooling? will it be beneficial or harmful to the student? Can the child fit in or perform normal social functions in the real world? Do the parents have certified credibility to educate? How well will the child adjust to everyday life? Do they interact normally with others of the same age? Can they function in an uncontrolled environment? All of these questions are quite legitimate and realistic. However, the real question to be answered is– What is in the best interest of the children? Since they are the leaders of tomorrow, we must secure a strong education in our children for their own personal welfare as well as the welfare of our future. A perfect way to educate our future is through the individual attention, closely regulated environment, and strict supervision of home schooling.

Home schooling is an effective way of ensuring that a student can learn at his or her own pace, receive special attention concerning learning handicaps, and gain the confidence needed to advance in the educated world. Home schooling gives parents confidence that their child will be educated in a drug free setting, a non-violent atmosphere, and without peer pressure.

Those who oppose home schooling claim that home schooling is a nonrealistic sheltered environment, excludes the child from normal activities, and allows students no possible chance to be a normal kid. They state that a home-schooled child has no way of interacting with others of the same age. Without this interaction, there is no way for the child to develop crucial social skills, learn ways to cooperate in solving problems, or be exposed to everyday life without the protection of a parent. When a child does not develop around others, problems in development can arise. They claim that to avoid all of these casualties is to avoid home schooling. (Reader’s Digest)

Home school allies James P. Comer and Robert Slavin conducted surveys of all fifty states and they found that the estimated number of students that are home schooled range from one to two million, which is 4 percent of the entire American student population. Approximately 16,300 home schooled students surveyed tested in the 77th percentile of standardized tests. Their public school counterparts only tested in the 50th percentile. The data supports the fact that home schooled children are advancing at a perfectly normal (if not advanced) rate. This evidence states that home schooling would presumably be in the best interest of the child. (Reader’s Digest)

Home school students receive many of the same opportunities that public school students are exposed to. Because their parents pay local taxes, home school students are allowed to participate in the sporting, musical, and extra-curricular activities provided by the public school district in which they reside. This involvement is an excellent opportunity for home school students to interact with others of the same age and learn needed social skills. There are also special home school advising packets that can be purchased from the school district. These packets provide ways of involving home school students with other home school students in the school district.

Over forty states have home school regulation laws. These laws state strict guidelines for parent credibility. Most states require a teaching certification. If a certification is not required, the state demands that the children be tested annually by the use of standardized tests in the areas of English, mathematics, social studies, and science. If a child fails to meet a specific percentile on these tests, the child can be removed from the home schooling and placed in public school. This ensures the proper administration of education in the home.

Home schooling is definitely a valid substitute to public education. The data can not be ignored. Home schooled students excel at a rate comparable to that of public school students. Strict state guidelines confirm the credibility level of education given to the students. Involvement in public school extra-curricular activities ensures the normal growth and maturation of social and emotional skills.

When considering the best interests of a child, consider home schooling. A controlled environment, individual attention, setting of the academic pace best suitable for the child, and opportunities to interact with others by involvement in public school activities make home schooling a qualified and suitable alternative to public school education.