Homeschooling Myths: The Major Myths of Home Schooling
There are several myths that pervade the public consciousness concerning home school and home school families. These myths aren't just annoying, they actually damage the reputation of families who choose to home school, make the option less viable in the public's eye, and create an environment where the public demands more government oversight of home school families. However, these myths are all half-truths and inaccurate portrayals of the facts. In order for home school families to dispel these myths, it is imperative that they understand the basics themselves.
One of the most common myths of home school is that it deprives children of proper socialization and friends at all stages of life. Of course, if you live like a hobbit, your home school child might have problems. However, the vast majority of home school kids do the same sorts of extracurricular activities as their traditionally schooled peers. Home school kids are in dance classes, sports, arts and crafts, weekend language classes, soccer, basketball, and band. Home school kids often spend a good chunk of time with other home school kids in joint lessons or support groups. Point being, home school kids have just as much opportunity at socialization as do traditionally schooled kids.
Another commonly held myth is that parents are not qualified to teach many of the subjects. Actually, this isn't really a myth as much as a misconception as to what it means to home school a child. While many parents welcome the opportunity to learn along with their children and children often choose to self-teach a subject, there are many resources available for a child in home school. For example, a home school child can take an Internet course or telecourse. Sometimes a group of home school families will get together and hire a private teacher or tutor for a specific subject. Older students can often take community college classes for free or at a discounted rate. In other words, the home school family has many options available when it comes to teaching a subject.
Another rapidly dissipating myth is that home school kids often have difficulty getting into college because they don't have a high school diploma and don't have a GED. While you will find this to be a requirement on the websites of most colleges, schools will often make exceptions for home school students. Home school students perform very well in college and have become prized prospects among admissions committees. Home school students gain entrance into some of the top colleges in the country.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mimi Rothschild is a homeschooling parent, author, children's rights advocate, and Founder and C.E.O. of Learning by Grace, Inc. She and her husband of almost 3 decades reside with their 8 children in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Rothschild co-founded Learning By Grace, Inc. because "our current system of education has broken its promise..." Learning By Grace, Inc. delivers Internet-based multimedia education to PreK-12 children in the United States and throughout the world.
Rothschild has authored a number of books about education published by McGraw Hill and others. Her Home Education News Blog contains feature stories on alternatives in education.
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