Saturday, August 2, 2008

Three Good Reasons to Choose Home School

By Mimi Rothschild
Posted By Bobby Cole, A Learning By Grace Affiliate

Opponents of home school cite a hundred and one reasons why home school is a bad idea. However, most of these reasons are based on pure myth. Home school is an excellent way to instill quality education and values in children, particularly for the Christian family who may be disillusioned with the public school system's purposeful disregard of God and faith-based teaching. Each of the reasons put forth by home school opponents can be dismissed as hearsay and bunk by the realities of the home school environment.

The issue of socialization represents perhaps the loudest murmur of discontent among detractors of home school. According to the misinformed, home school children lack the opportunity to interact with society and develop healthy social skills. However, take a look at the typical day of a home school student and it becomes clear that the opposite is true: home school children are generally more social than their publicly educated counterparts. Most home school students spend quite a bit of time out and about in the community, interacting not only with children their age, but also with adults, seniors, and older or younger children as well. The traditional public school system creates an unnatural atmosphere with twenty to thirty children of the same age spending six to eight hours a day together. Nowhere else in society is this anomaly found.

Another point that strengthens the argument for home school is the atmosphere in which children learn. It is true that school-age children lack social skills—but the public school system is not the best place for them to learn these skills. Children can be cruel to other children. Often in public schools this cruelty goes unnoticed by teachers charged with controlling dozens of children at once. In a home school setting, natural childhood squabbles are noticed and dealt with accordingly. Parents who home school are presented with the opportunity to develop character and instill Christian morals in their children on an individual level.

Perhaps the most compelling argument in favor of home school is the constant battle against peer pressure and conformity. Peer pressure thrives in a public school atmosphere. Peer pressure often has consequences for children: from low self-esteem to deadly violence. In public schools, children learn more than the basics of education. They learn to fit in and follow society's directions—or else. The home school environment is one of family and values. When children are raised in a setting that allows them to develop in their own ways, guided by conscientious parents, they tend to become comfortable, intelligent and responsible adults capable of making decisions to thrive in the real world. After all, isn't that what we all want for our children?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mimi Rothschild is a homeschooling mother, writer, children's rights advocate, and Founder and C.E.O. of home education company Learning by Grace, Inc. She and her husband of 28 years reside with their 8 children right outside Philadelphia, PA.

Rothschild launched Learning By Grace, Inc. because she believed that our nation's public school system has failed parents and students. Learning By Grace, Inc. offers online education through a multimedia-rich curriculum to PreK-12 children across the country and throughout the world.

An accomplished author, Rothschild has written books regarding education published by McGraw Hill and others. Her Homeschooling News Café Blog consists of the most current and relevant education news.

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