Home Schooling

Educating your child in home school is fine and he or she may get a better education than children going to regular schools. But a children going to a regular school gets, after they graduate, a diploma to certify that they has completed their 12 years of study with a sufficient degree of proficiency. But what does your home schooled child get when he reaches (or often exceeds) that level of knowledge. The answer is that he or she gets exactly the same thing - a diploma. There is a perception that high school diplomas have a greater value than a home school diploma since it proves the quality of the education the child has received. This is completely false. Keep in mind that a high school diploma is issued by the school and not by a Board of Education or any other independent authority. So how much education and of what quality depends not on the diploma a child receives but on the school attended. And as everyone knows, standards vary greatly. Non- accredited schools, which include both private and home schools, also have the authority to issue diplomas.

The problem lies in the public perception that parents are not equipped to teach their own children and that a home schooled child knows less or has been taught less effectively that a child from a regular school. Of course this is nonsense but to overcome this bias, your child will need proof of the quality of his education. There are three ways in which you can provide your child with the home school diploma he or she needs to either get a job of go on to higher education.

First of all you can, once you are satisfied that your child's level of education is at least them same as a child from a regular school, make your own diploma. Yes, its that simple and also perfectly legal. Secondly, you can buy a diploma from a company that designs and prints out both school and home school diplomas. Both these options allow you to pretty much create a diploma of your choice, made in the way you want.

But to overcome the unfair prejudice against home schooled children and the belief that their standard of education may be inferior, the best option would be to select an accredited home school program that will prove the standard of education your child has received. These programs are deigned by certified education professionals and are created to set high school standards while leaving the actual teaching process to the parents. They are not carbon copies of high school curricula but are designed to provide the same standards but allow the parents flexibility to teach in their way to focus on the child's persona needs. These courses have a lot of maneuvering room so you can add on anything extra that you feel your child will need for the future. If your child's home school diploma is backed by an accredited home school education program, it will give it more value in the eyes of those who continue to doubt the benefits of home schooling.

One other option is a compromise on the home school concept but one that many parent opt for on practical grounds. This is to have their child finish their education from an accredited online or campus based school that will give the child a diploma.

The problem lies not the in the value of home school, which is often far superior to regular school education, but the perceptions those who do not know the facts.