Home Schooling - Fad, Fringe or Favored Choice?

Is home schooling a dangerous fad that damages the educational system? Is it a goofy educational choice practiced by the religious fringe? Or is home schooling a proven, time-tested method for producing brilliant and morally centered citizens?

Some people view home schooling with suspicion. It seems to deviate from the standard model of education that almost everyone views as proven and successful, and with which everyone is comfortable. Where do you stand? Are you sure about your position?

You may find this hard to believe, but home schooling actually existed before traditional schools and has a long record of effectiveness. If fact, given the many benefits of home schooling, the forces that created today's public education classroom actually had very little to do with educational benefits.

History is squarely on the side of home schooling. Some of history's most significant and influential figures were home schooled. Who knows if maybe their prominence and success were actually linked to the benefits of home schooling? Critics of home schooling find it difficult to believe that standard, classroom-based instruction isn't the best way to learn. The fact is that history's greatest thinkers have often given credit for their brilliance to their individualized education at home.

The good news is that the benefits of home schooling remain to this day. Technology has advanced and society has evolved, but there are still many significant benefits of home schooling.

For example, the environment at home provides an excellent learning situation. Think about it. There are fewer distractions than the typical classroom. The home teacher often has fewer administrative chores and procedures--like taking attendance--that can take away instructional time and reduce focus on the students. One of the major benefits of home schooling is that much lower student-teacher ratios allow for more individualized attention and instruction.

A focused learning environment means that students will be more engaged; that is, listening and responding to the teacher. There are fewer distractions, fewer alternatives for attention, and the attention of the teacher encourages the student to respond in kind.

Another common benefit of home schooling is that kids emerge from the experience with higher maturity levels. They've spent less time immersed in the culture of their peers, and more time interacting with all age levels, including adults.

Students who spend their educational years in private or public schools will learn most of their ideas and values from their same-age peers. They may be lucky enough to pick up some good values, but it's certainly not guaranteed. Is successful learning admired by your child's friends? Is good behavior praised? Do you really want to leave your child's emotional and moral development to the notions of his peers?

The style of home schooling is much more likely to result in the communication of desired values. Home-schooled children are more likely to view the world from a mature perspective. Benefits of home schooling include enabling your children to assess the choices of society against a standard, and not be held hostage to the whims of a group.

The continued existence and growing credibility of home schooling are directly related to the many home schooling benefits. It's unfortunate that home schooling lost some of its relevance in recent decades. However, the results produced by home schooling should ensure its place in our educational system far into the future.

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