Home School 101
From the first day of Kindergarten, as we send our children off to public schools, we feel satisfied that they are receiving a quality education. After all, our taxes are paying top dollar for the teachers, care takers, supplies and buildings, but the question still remains: are we really receiving our money’s worth from public education? More importantly, are the children gaining valuable life skills and personality alterations from this type of learning environment?
Socialization is hailed by public school supports as the greatest advantage to typical schooling. Yet this is the place where some of the worst habits and insecurities are picked up by our children!
Public school supporters say that school is the place where a child picks up the rudiments of social skills that will help him survive later in life. Yet in truth, a regular school attending girl or boy can interact only with his peers. He or she may bully younger children or fear older ones. He or she does not know how to interact authentically with an adult.
These are just two of many reasons public schools do not service our children’s social capabilities well. In the school environment our boys and girls are interacting only with their peers.
On the other side, home schooling environments bring in a more natural social environment.
Public Schooling is Unnatural Learning
There is no other time in a person’s life where they are forced to interact only with people their own age. It is completely unnatural. Therefore the ’social’ stigma of non home schooling parents is eradicated.
A regular schooled child cannot read literature, keep silent, or think in depth about any one topic. This artificial education style, imposed upon him by the school, disallows quiet contemplation. Rowdy and destructive behavior from peers as well as perpetual noise from the teachers, are far too common.
There is little long-standing knowledge among regular school goers because most facts are learnt solely for the exam. There is no association of these facts with everyday life. The child may know a lot, but understands very little when the time arrives to be functional in society. This is where the home schooling families excel. Ultimately, homeschoolers emerge more adept at facing the outside world.
Is Home Schooling Legal?
As I write this, home schooling is legal in all 50 States of the U.S. as well as Canada. However laws and regulations regarding home schooling vary from state to state, province to province. Furthermore, interpretations of these laws can vary from one school district to the next. These laws are often changed and revised on a regular basis.
I might suggest checking out state laws regarding home schooling before you begin to educate your sons and daughters at home to prevent any surprises by the authorities.
Who Is the Home Schooling Teacher?
The teacher is the key to the success in home schooling. In most cases, the teacher is a parent or relative. In some cases, parents divide the subjects between them, hire a home school teacher, or join a group of homeschoolers in their area and pool their resources between families. Whatever your situation, children need time with their parents. Parents, as a rule, make very good teachers for their home schooled children.
Teaching does not require a degree nor does the style require a clinical presentation of facts. Learning has to be integrated lovingly into daily life for it to interest the child. If you feel anxious about your skill or knowledge, relax.
You Are Not Alone in Home Schooling
There are countless home-schooling resources that are aimed at helping you. Professional curriculum packages, support groups, online help via websites, virtual schools and library resources are all available resources to the home schooling family. When you start out, you may want to make use of the commercial curriculum packages. Specialized software allows you to record and log important achievements and lessons learned.
Laura Childs
Another Home Schooling Mom
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