Years ago, during a discussion of home schooling, I commented that I had concerns about the lack of socialization for a home schooled student. The person I was talking to commented that he had 2 children that were home schooled and they had above average social skills and were very confident. He further commented that his son who was 16 years of age, ran his ranch while he was away on business. He said he would hire and fire employees with no problems at all. Some of the greatest men of the last century were educated at home or self educated. This includes such people as Thomas Edison, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. Before the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century, a home education was the norm. Not, we have compulsory education in public schools. This convenience is considered by many that choose to home school their children not that appealing at all. There have been programs promoted during the beginning of the 20th century for students to take courses at home and mail in their work for grading. Students being home educated today are growing in numbers. In many countries, these numbers are continuing to rise. Often, the parents are using home schooling for their children because what they are looking for in the schools are not necessarily available. Their education can be controlled or directed according to the family's desires. The reasons for home schooling range from assisting children with disabilities to lack of satisfaction with the quality of education available in the schools to the careers of the parents. The demographics of the families is also very interesting. The statistical data for the parents of the home schooled child just intensifies the national averages. This is related to ethnicity factors, income factors, college degrees, housewives and religious factors. What are some of the reasons to home school your child? The reasons vary a lot but avoiding the negative pressures such as school violence where some inner city schools are reporting up to 30% of students are carrying weapons to defend themselves. One of the biggest reasons for home schooling is the fact that parents want their children to have the best education they can. That might mean providing it for them right at home. There are a lot of curriculums that a parent might want to access to follow for their child's education. Some of these materials have been around for one hundred years. Using a curriculum and working at home, the student can be paced by their abilities. They can take units of work and accomplish one unit at a time. There are home school associations that a family can join thereby being able to do some group activities. These associations also allow the student opportunities to socialize with other students that are also home schooled. There are a lot of community resources that are available for the home schooled student as well. There are a lot of considerations for home schooling. The most important question, which encompasses everything, is what is the best way to educate your child and assure them of a good quality education in a safe setting with the proper resources? |
