Public School vs. Home Schooling
... Parents have far more input into what their child learns when they become their child’s teacher. One advantage of home schooling it that it gives parents the ability to help develop the individuality of their child (Swanson 309). Instead of learning what the local board of education thinks is important, parents can teach their children to be individuals by providing them educational opportunities that students in public schools don’t have. Parents have the flexibility to take their child on a field trip to a museum and the time to explain the parts of the museum to their child. Parents can tailor their instruction to meet the individual learning style and specific needs of their child, something that every public school teacher wishes he or she had the time to do. Another advantage to home schooling is the one-on-one interaction between parent and child. One-on-one instruction is known to be an ideal format for learning, and home schooling allows for this (Swanson 309). Imagine what a child could do if they had their own individual teacher! Any question or problem they had could be answered or solved quickly and in more detail. Not only would the student have someone to answer his or her questions, but would also not have to share that teacher. Without the constant distractions of a crowded classroom, children can accomplish more academic work in less time (Swanson 309). In addition to allowing for one-on-one instruction and greater flexibility, home schooling also provides an opportunity for parents to control the values and beliefs that their children learn. Throughout history, this was the driving force for home schooling. Parents wanted their children to learn their values and faith. In our society of lowered morals and consumer-driven, instant gratification ideals, many parents are turning to home schooling to pass on the values that they want their children to learn. This includes the belief in God. Home schooling is no longer considered the province of “religious zealots who home school to shield their children from the evils of the world” (Cortez 305). Instead, it is becoming the province of parents who worry about what their children are learning. No one can dispute the fact that home schooling, when done correctly, can be extremely effective. In a study for the ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation, Dr. Lawrence Rudner found that the average eighth-grade home schooled student performed at level nearly four grades higher than the national average (Swanson 308). Swanson goes on to state that colleges recruit home schooled students because of their “love of learning and mature study habits” (309). Although there are benefits to home schooling, and many home schooled students go on to lead very productive lives, there are severely negative issues that go along with home schooling. The first negative aspect of home schooling is the issue of socialization. Although much socialization is learned from parents, there is considerably more going on in a school that is not related to academic achievement. Public schools are places where children meet and learn to get along with others. In public schools, children learn to “deal with many different personalities and temperaments, helping them acquire the skills not interact with the diversity of people in the world” (Hudak 307). Unlike students in public schools, home schooled children are limited to knowing only a small group of people, people that they have known for a long time, sometimes only their parents (Hudak 309). Home-schooled children tend to be sheltered from people with different backgrounds and experiences. This leads to a more narrow view of the world and the inability to get along with others that think and see the world differently. Many parents home school their children because they do not want their children to have to worry about bullying or learning bad behavior from other children. It is precisely in these situations that children learn how to be their own person. A child that has never had to deal with a situation such as bullying or peer pressure will be lost in a college setting. They will lack the ability to test the values that they have learned from their parents and are more likely to become outcasts (Smith 13). Children in public schools learn much more than academics and social behavior in the classroom. They learn how to work with others. Home-schooled children are more likely to expect their questions to be answered immediately and are less likely to have strong group-work skills (Smith 15). Children that are home schooled have not had to interact with multiple teachers, and as such have not had to adapt to the varied instructional methods of different teachers (Hudak 308). In addition, students that are home schooled have not had to deal with the distractions of a crowded classroom. Although this can assist in the learning of academics, it inhibits their ability to concentrate when the...