Home’s Cool! - Benefits of Homeschooling in the 21st Century
by Mimi Rothschild
Homeschooling was once the primary method of inculcating knowledge and values in the youth of a society. Homeschooling rested the onus of a child’s education and development firmly on the shoulders of informal, subjective training at the hands of parents, mentors or tutors. George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Jane Austen – names that echo in the halls of celebrated intelligence and integrity – were all products of homeschooling. Then, in 1837, the first public school in the United States of America opened its doors to the children of its community. This marked the beginning of the decline of homeschooling, the oldest system of education in the world.
Fast forward to the 21st century. Many parents feel trapped between the rock of unmanageable private school tuitions and the hard place of unacceptable public school systems. But, as more and more families are coming to understand, there is another viable option. Homeschooling is slowly gaining ground once again. In fact, the US Wade Statistics in 2000 state that around two million children in the United States are being homeschooled and that the number increases by around ten percent each year.
Although homeschooling can be a topic of lively debate, it has many benefits that are uncontested. Homeschooling strengthens the bond between parent and child though extensive and consistent periods of time together. Homeschooling lessens exposure to negative outside influences such as drugs and alcohol that are often sold near school premises. Homeschooling allows parents to monitor the content of what is taught and allows religious beliefs to be interrelated freely. Homeschooling lessens the risk of bullying, severe peer pressure and early sexuality. Homeschooling individualizes the speed and difficulty of lesson plans to suit the abilities and interests of the child, especially those with learning disabilities. Homeschooling can include many subjects that public schools no longer have the budgets to sustain such as music, languages and arts.
Some detractors of homeschooling say that the abovementioned arguments are insufficient to make a case for pulling children out of the traditional school system. Many assume that the decision to homeschool adversely affects the student’s social skills as well as academic competitiveness when compared to peers with otherwise similar backgrounds. The truth is quite the contrary.
In articles regarding homeschooling published by the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) of the US government, it was stated that homeschooled and traditionally schooled students had similar rates of skills, knowledge and attitude needed to function in society. What’s more, there was no difference in the self-concept of children in the two groups.
With regards to the academic readiness homeschooling provides in order to venture on to the next level, it has already been proven that homeschooled students generally do very well on standardized tests and have better grades, averaging 89-90%. Furthermore, a growing number of colleges are recruiting homeschooled students because of a perceived greater degree of self-sufficiency and diversity. These colleges accept GEDs, parent statements and samples of students’ portfolios as part of the criteria for application acceptance.
Perhaps it’s time to ask yourself the question: Is homeschooling right for my family?
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