Which One Do You Think is Better; Home-schooling or Traditional Schooling?
I have a good friend who has been home-schooling her four children for the past 3 years because of similar and personal concerns. I think she is doing a good job on keeping her children up to par on what they should be learning because her children are as bright and articulate as the other children I know that are their age. I think it is beneficial because the younger siblings strive to learn what the older ones are learning. The only disadvantage I found is that her children don't have the social skills they need to socialize with their peers. They are all two years apart in age and of course, have different interests. Then again, what 8, 6, 4, and 2 year olds do you know who have good social skills? I think that can be resolved with extra curricular activities such as having play dates, being involved with group sports or joining the girls or boy scouts. I know home schooling is a huge responsibility, but it is something that I would be willing to engage in.
On the other hand, my best friend is a grade school teacher who is very opposed to home-schooling and has very good reasons why she thinks I should send my children to a traditional school. Her first argument is that teachers are required to have degrees in order to teach, therefore are qualified to teach our youth and are able to provide them with the best education possible. She completed 8 years of college to get her Masters degree and feels it is a huge slap in the face to teachers everywhere for parents to choose home-schooling instead of traditional schooling. Plus, she says we are robbing our children of obtaining an exceptional education. Granted, that may be true, but what about their safety? Her argument is that it is the parents' responsibility to make sure their children have safe and reliable transportation to and from school. She goes on to say that it is also a good idea to have our children enrolled in a self defense class so they know how to protect themselves from potential bullies, predators, or even on rare occasions, teachers.
The one thing my husband and I have been able to agree on is that public school enables you to learn street smarts. I have to admit that if it wasn't for public school, I surely would not have the street smarts that I have today. I think everyone should have street smarts because it's like another element of common sense which helps to be aware of your surroundings, and it also helps to know when someone is trying to scam or pull one over one you. I also had my only three fist fights in public school. I'm still not sure if that is a good or a bad thing.
Both sides have their pros and cons and I am very torn between the two. I'm sure that I'm not the only one who has an opinion on the two and that is why I wrote this. I am hoping that I get some feed back from other parents, or anyone for that matter, who can offer their views and give some needed advice on this subject. So, with all that said; which one do you think is better, home schooling or public schooling?
Published by Sophie
My name is Sophia and I'm a wife, mother, blogger, make-up artist, poker player. Basically I'm a hustler and will make money any way I can. I have lived in Chatsworth, California practically my whole life. View profile
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15 Comments
Post a CommentI am a homeschooling mother of 3 children. My oldest has just started the ninth grade and has been homeschooled since kindergarten. My husband has a teaching degree but most of the schooling is done by myself. When trying to decide whether we would utilize home schooling or public schooling, my husband and I looked at the finished product. Our concern for our childern is to raise independent, self-sufficient adults who beneficially contribute to society. We sought young adults who had been homeschooled and investigated what they were doing with their lives. We liked what we saw when compared with the average finished product of public school children (there are statistics to support this as well). We're grateful the public school system is available for those who can't homeschool; but, for those who are willing and able, homeschooling will ensure YOU know right where your children are developmentally. As for social skills, there are many opportunities for homeschooled children
Try to reflect on your own educational experiences. What did you like about them? What did you dislike? What would you change? Generally, I'd be leery from too heavily weighing the advice of someone who says "do your child a favor, give them a normal life, send them to public school." Not everyone needs identical experiences in life. There isn't one definition of "normal" when it comes to what is best for your child's education. Ask your public school teacher friend what she thought of the teaching abilities of college professors she had for courses other than those in her major. Psychology, business, history-all of the courses she had to take by professors who didn't have teaching degrees.
I think the best thing you can do for your children as they grow is to give them educational choices. The decision has to be theirs, particularly as they age. So I can disagree with the previous commentor, your children won't necessarily be thanking you for sending them to public school. I'm still griping about not getting the private school education I wanted as a middle schooler. Just use your children as a guide. Start homeschooling and see how they respond. I think having positive early educational experiences as a child is most important, and I don't think that happens very often in public schools. The sheer number of students in one classroom makes it difficult for a teacher to customize anything for your child, and they can't even if they wanted to because of state regulations that require certain things be done on certain days.
Nostalgia for your own childhood would be a poor reason to choose not to homeschool. Attempting to replicate your own educational experience for your child would not necessarily be in your child's best interest. I personally wanted to go to a private girls' boarding school in 6th/7th grade. My mom wouldn't have parted with me even if she could have financially made it happen. I had never even heard of homeschooling then, so that wouldn't have been an option, but I now realize it would have been an excellent option for me. I was incredibly dissatisfied with my limited educational options (the local public school-just one choice, that's it.) So, my daughter is going to have options. That means if she wants to go away to boarding school in 6th grade (because, yes, I think a 6th grader is capable of making that type of decision) then I am going to have to suck it up and buy a few boxes of Kleenex. If she wants to still homeschool, that is what we will do. I think the best thing you can do
If you prefer I send my comments separately, let me know :) Your teacher friend really should lighten up and not take parents' decisions to homeschool so personally. Our decision to homeschool is not a "slap in the face to public school teachers". I disagree with the way public schools are structured and their teaching methods. I can send my child to a public school, be extremely dissatisfied, either chronically complain about it and annoy her teachers, or simply do the job better myself and not burden the school system with a dissatisfied family. The only drawback, as one earlier commentor mentioned, is that I won't "get a break." Well, parenting does involve time demands, and for homeschooling families that means we don't get a free eight hours of play all day while our kids are at school. "Getting a break" from your kids would be a poor reason to choose to not homeschool, if you are otherwise inclined to do so.
It always amazes me that people can see homeschooling as such a black and white issue- homeschooling is wrong, public school is "normal." Public school is statistically normal because that is where most students go. I'm personally not big on government-run institutions, so if/when we choose a group school setting, it will definitely be private, unless, of course, my daughter really wants to go to public school, which I am really hoping she doesn't. Socialization for most public school settings (with the exception of some public Montessori classrooms that are multi-age) means that your child will spend the majority of his day ONLY interacting with students in the same narrow age range. Homeschooling students regularly interact with kids pre-k to high school. In response to Rhonda below, homeschooling is not an all-or-none scenario. If you homeschool now and then later decide it's not working for your kids as well, you can always pursue other options.
I have a Master's in Education, and it didn't take me 8 years to get it. I finished grad school in less than 2 years. Not that I think an upper level degree is required to homeschool-we have that right in America, to educate our children as we see fit. I didn't choose homeschooling for the safety reasons you mention, I primarily chose it for "academic" reasons. Both I and my husband, despite adapting to, generally tolerating, and being reasonably good and well-behaved students, both hated school. I liked college and grad school a lot more, but I can honestly say that K-12 was a complete waste of my precious time. I'm not criticizing public schools. They have to effectively handle a large volume of students, so they have to make decisions based on handling a large number of students.
I am so sorry that my reply was so very broken up...it simply would not let me sent the whole message! booo
Her work is fantastic, she has won several competitions for art and has had several poems published. she also has friends. She is not a failure because she is homeschooled. It was simply a choice that suited her, as an individual. School does not make the person, experience does...that can be found anywhere within the world that we live. Open your eyes to look beyond the four walls of the classroom....do not conform to what those in charge want you to be!!
How do you also know that that staff member has your childs best interests at heart? how many teachers have told you that you will not become much in life? what right or foresight do they possess to tell a child that? Teachers are human. Does a masters instantly make you super human and remove all of your human traits such as nastiness, spite, anger, sarcasm...which are used at times in an inappropriate way towards our children in the classroom. No, a masters allows you to teach what the governement considers beneficial.
My child attended school for several years, she attended creche, nursery, playgroup before that. She did what was considered normal to aid socialization. However, she is an indivdual and not everyone is suited to the large groups that school dictates you to be in. She is now home schooled, has been for several years. we have good days and bad days. she will be going to college and on to art at uni. Her days are busy, so are mine! Her work is fantastic, sh