Committed Parents: Educated Child
A Look Into Home Schooling
An ideal situation for a home school involves exposing children to all aspects of education. Being dedicated to the curriculum and allowing children to be involved in activities outside of the home are essential to the home schooled child’s success. There are many who are against home schooling, including, “many liberals and educators, as well as some education groups, such as the National Education Association. They wonder how students are able to get a full education if they are not experiencing the social and cultural diversity in a public environment. The worries are that when home scholars leave home they will not be able to cope socially in the ‘real world’. Critics are under the impression that home schooled children are socially deprived” (Home Schooling, 2000), because these children are not interacting with their peers. One California home school mother says, “That is an ignorant thought.” The reality is that most home school children are not as isolated as people think. They are involved in a variety of activities in the community and in home schooling networks. According to R. Medlin, “Home schooled children are more involved in social activities than that of public schooled students” (Medlin, 2000). Providing the opportunity for students to experience education through life experiences helps them become socially and culturally conscious. They are active in church groups and sports. They participate in activities like 4-H, scouts, science fairs and clubs. Because these activities are not limited to home schooled children, they are interacting with different children in and outside of their peer group. One of the reasons home schooled children have time to take part in different activities is that they watch significantly less television than their peers. According to a study done by L. Rudner Ph.D., it was found that fewer than 3% of home schooled fourth graders watched more than 3 hours of television a day; compared to 38% of fourth graders nationwide (Rudner, 1999). The fact is, “home school children are not socially deprived” (Henderson, 1987). Parents need to commit to providing their children with social activities beyond the television set. Public and home schooled children benefit from socialization and extracurricular activities. Time that children spend participating in social activities helps prepare them for interaction among many different cultures and peer groups.
For children to thrive in a school environment they, must have opportunities to experience a wide variety of subjects and activities. Successful home school parents use a textbook curriculum as well as everyday situations to enhance the educational experience. A home school geography lesson may consist of planning a road trip, and baking cookies can be turned into a lesson in fractions. Going to the mall, figuring out the sales tax and discount items can be a teaching opportunity in percentages (Kleiner, 2000). Art, physical education, and music are taught in the home schooling environment. By taking trips to art museums children receive the opportunity to view and learn about art and art history. They may study the artist and then go see his/her work in a museum or gallery. Likewise, for home scholars P.E. is not a typical study time, but rather students participate in sports like, baseball, soccer, dance, gymnastics or karate. Some home schooling parents trade off with other parents to teach particular subjects. Children might participate in a swimming lesson at another home school. Another important subject in school is music education. Many home school children take music lessons or are involved in a local choir or music program. In order to provide the home scholar with a well rounded and rich education, “Some public schools are admitting home schooled students into certain courses that would be difficult to teach at home, such as computer and science lab courses” (Home Schooling, 2000). Many public schools are allowing home scholars to join and compete in the sports programs. According to The Arizona Daily Star, Mountain View High School has several home school students in their athletic programs. The article states that “Though they have never attended a class at Mountain View, according to state law and the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) bylaws, home school students are eligible to compete for the school in the area they live” (Pederson, 2003). Public school and home school children benefit from these programs. These resources are an asset to home schooled children and parents, and can help to provide the balanced curriculum that all children need to succeed in school. These hands on experiences, along with textbook studies, ensure a diverse experience and create the opportunity for all learning styles to thrive. Dedicated home school parents have a consciousness about the education of their children and use every opportunity available to help relate their teaching to the world around them.
For some, keeping their children at home and giving them a structured well rounded education allows them to raise their own children in the way they desire. This raises questions among critics: “Who is home schooling, what credentials do they have, and how can we be sure that children are learning what they need to learn” (Home Schooling, 2000)? Teaching credentials is a main focus for many who want stronger legislation for home schooling families. “Home schooling critics want the states to create standards for the credentials of the parents teaching ability” (Home Schooling, 2000), thus ensuring that children are being taught by capable educators. Laws for home schooling vary from state to state and many students run into problems proving they went to school at all: “Charles D. Beckenhauer, associate general counsel for Baylor University, says that home schooled students often lack any way to prove that they have received the equivalent of a high school education” (Morgan & Burd, 2003). Statistics state that “twenty seven states require standardized testing and other forms of evaluation of home school children, including providing portfolios of the students work, while other states have liberal or no laws requiring documentation at all” (Home Schooling, 2000). According to Rudner’s study, the statistics of home schooling parents vary from those who did not finish high school to parents with a doctorate degree. The test results of the students, despite their parents’ education, were the same. There was not a significant difference between parents with a teaching certificate and parents without one. This study appears to indicate that if parents had to be certified teachers then the results would remain the same. There is no evidence that a certification would benefit the students. Test scores also show that uncertified home schooling parents are able to teach their children the standards needed to perform with that of their public school peers. Dedicated home school parents are not lacking in the skills they need to educate their children: “Home school students do exceptionally well when compared to the nationwide average. In every subject and at every grade level of the ITBS, home school students scored significantly higher than their public and private school counterparts” (Rudner, 1999).
Critics continue to ask the question, why are home schooled children outperforming their public school peers when they are not being held accountable for their test scores? In order to answer that question, we should imagine a public school where the student to teacher ratio is one to one. We should imagine that all teachers are dedicated and have the time to spend on the education of each individual child. That is the reason that home schooling is so effective. If the parents are dedicated to the education of the student, the student will learn. In his study, Rudner states that “almost one in four home schooled students is two or more grades above public schooled children of their age level” (1999). This is because students are not rushed through coursework and they are allowed to progress at their own rate. There is no hurry in a home based classroom, and the parent can spend essential one on one time with each child in each subject. Committed parents can benefit the education of any child. Home school and public school children learn best when parents are involved with a child’s education.
No one will argue that the public school system is not perfect, and many will tell you that the home schooling experience is lacking in many ways. However, most people agree that the education of each individual child is important. Educators, including, public, private and home based, need to find a common ground. Parents and public schools need to work together to provide the very best opportunities for students to grow educationally and emotionally. When asked, “What is the greatest benefit to home schooling?” A California home schooling mother of 5 children said, “It is more than the amount of time with my children, it is what goes into that time. We (the parents) are able to be the biggest influence on their character development.” The parents who want the very best for their children, and are willing to go the distance to provide the best educational experience possible usually succeed in doing just that. These committed parents can be found in home schools and public schools. Whether in a home school or a public school it is essential that parents take responsibility for being there for their children as educators and role models. Dispelling the myth that home schooling is inadequate, parents who choose to educate their children in the comfort of home are providing educational opportunities that public schools cannot always provide. Home schooled children are socially equal or superior to those of their public schooled peers. They have a wide range of activities and curriculum that helps them to maintain above average test scores. Parent’s commitment to their child’s education is the driving force in the success of home schooling. As the numbers of home schools climb in the coming years we can expect to see more brilliant minds contributing to society.
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