Home Schooling is better for our Children
Home Schooling is better for our Children
There is a huge trend in education that has many parents pulling their kids out of public schools and beginning a home school routine. That trend is higher ACT scores and GPA’s for home schooled children. Since 1999 there has been a 75% increase in the number of children home schooled, bringing the new estimate to over 2.04 million. (Burgess, 2013) When asked why they chose to home school their children, the majority of parents said that it was due to the current conditions in our public schools. This should be a major concern to the general public because the future of our nation depends on well-educated and productive members of society. When assessing the pros and cons of public and home schools it is easy to see that many public school students underperform when compared to home schooled students. In this paper you will find information on the most common methods of home schooling, student performance, college preparation and performance, and socialization. First, I would like to introduce the main five methods of home schooling. The Traditional Method, also known as the Classroom Method, is very similar to public school. It uses text and work books along with tests to track student progress. Some home school parents even create a classroom that is used for “school hours” in their home. It is suggested that you investigate other forms before settling on this method as it is the most restrictive. The classical method, also called the Socratic Method, teaches children based on phases of development (concrete, analytical, and abstract thinking). This method teaches the links between different areas of study. For example, the link from Math to Science. Another is the Charlotte Mason Method. It is based on the fact that children should be respected and should be taught first hand with real life situations, not with text books. (Sanders, 2010) “The Charlotte Mason philosophy is intent on educating the
There is a huge trend in education that has many parents pulling their kids out of public schools and beginning a home school routine. That trend is higher ACT scores and GPA’s for home schooled children. Since 1999 there has been a 75% increase in the number of children home schooled, bringing the new estimate to over 2.04 million. (Burgess, 2013) When asked why they chose to home school their children, the majority of parents said that it was due to the current conditions in our public schools. This should be a major concern to the general public because the future of our nation depends on well-educated and productive members of society. When assessing the pros and cons of public and home schools it is easy to see that many public school students underperform when compared to home schooled students. In this paper you will find information on the most common methods of home schooling, student performance, college preparation and performance, and socialization. First, I would like to introduce the main five methods of home schooling. The Traditional Method, also known as the Classroom Method, is very similar to public school. It uses text and work books along with tests to track student progress. Some home school parents even create a classroom that is used for “school hours” in their home. It is suggested that you investigate other forms before settling on this method as it is the most restrictive. The classical method, also called the Socratic Method, teaches children based on phases of development (concrete, analytical, and abstract thinking). This method teaches the links between different areas of study. For example, the link from Math to Science. Another is the Charlotte Mason Method. It is based on the fact that children should be respected and should be taught first hand with real life situations, not with text books. (Sanders, 2010) “The Charlotte Mason philosophy is intent on educating the
References: Burgess, K. (2013). Fewer homeschool parents cite faith as main motive. Christian Century, 130(24), 16. Ray, B. D., & Home School Legal Defense Association, P. A. (2009). Homeschool Progress Report 2009: Academic Achievement and Demographics. Hslda. Martin-Chang, S., Gould, O. N., & Meuse, R. E. (2011). The impact of schooling on academic achievement: Evidence from homeschooled and traditionally schooled students. Canadian Journal Of Behavioural Science/Revue Canadienne Des Sciences Du Comportement, 43(3), 195-202. doi:10.1037/a0022697. Lips, D., Feinberg, E., & Heritage, F. (2008). Homeschooling: A Growing Option in American Education. Backgrounder. No. 2122. Heritage Foundation. O 'Shaughnessy, L. (July 20, 2010). Can Homeschoolers Do Well in College? CBS News. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/news/can-homeschoolers-do-well-in-college/ Shortt, B. N. (2010). Homeschooling Should Not Be Regulated by the Government. In N. Berlatsky (Ed.), Opposing Viewpoints. Homeschooling. Detroit: Greenhaven Press. (Reprinted from Homeschool Regulation: The Revenge of the Failures, WorldNetDaily, 2007) Retrieved from http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?failOverType=&query=&prodId=OVIC&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&display-query=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Viewpoints&dviSelectedPage=&limiter=&currPage=&disableHighlighting=true&displayGroups=&sortBy=&zid=&search_within_results=&p=OVIC&action=e&catId=&activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE%7CEJ3010697214&source=Bookmark&u=ivytech26&jsid=2d73d16d26802b55355254915b598dd6 Cogan, M. F. (2010). Exploring Academic Outcomes of Homeschooled Students. Journal Of College Admission, (208), 18-25 Preyss, J. (2011, September 12). CON: Study shows group scores low on confidence, interaction. Victoria Advocate (TX). Sanders, H. (2010, August 19). Five different approaches to homeschooling. The Pioneer Woman. Retrieved from http://thepioneerwoman.com/homeschooling/2010/08/five-different-approaches-to-homeschooling/.