Today we had a interesting discussion about Home Schooling. The issue that was raised is better for a child to be home schooled or go to a traditional school? With home schooling a child is somewhat sheltered socially because they can not interact with other children. This can be a hindrance for a child's development as they grow into an adult, and they do not have the ability to interact with other people. Another issue with home schooling is are the parents or instructors at home "certified" to teach multiple subjects to their child? When a child does not have that interaction with other children, it may be difficult for that child to adjust into society. In today's world communication is very important and some cases it make the difference with your friends, career, and overall appearance to others. As far as being certified to teach all subjects that is a valid point. Throughout high school I had various teachers who taught me everything from Physical Education to Science. Each teacher I had that was their particular field of expertise.
On the other hand, the positives to home schooling were as follows; the child receives that one on one interaction that may not have been received in a traditional school. Secondly, home schooling creates a safe and positive learning environment for the child. Lastly, home schooling can offer a myriad of resources to ensure the child receives an all around education. In education having a safe learning environment is essential to students development. With the violence and behavior issues that exist in education, home schooling serves as positive alternative. Also, with home schooling parents can make the home schooling experience the same or better than the traditional school setting. Again if done correctly and parents maximize their resources home schooling can be a great alternative.
My personal opinion about home schooling is that parents must do what is best for the child. In our discussion today both sides displayed great points and examples of Home schooling. As I reflect on the discussion I asked myself, what I be a different person if I was home schooled? Until today it never crossed my mind, but what I find interesting is that going to a traditional school scoped me into who I am today. By that I mean the socialization with my peers, the academics, basketball teams and so on and so on, helped me become who I am today. In that whole mix of education and learning for me, the foundation of me as a person was derived from my parents. Now if I was home school would I have done better academically? That is a question that can be debatable, because I feel if I was home school my grades would have been better possibly but I might have missed out on being a kid.
This subject was not only intriguing but also a self reflection for me and my education. We might not find the "true" answer to this question, but the key is to make sure us educators/parents we do what is best for the child.
Rashad, I am very impressed by this post! You clearly put a lot of thought into it.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your post, I consider home schooling kind of risky. While there are many benefits, there are also many costs if the educator does not use the resources available to them.
It is a very good point that the choice whether or not to home school should be based on a particular student, not the general population.
Nice Post!
Chrissy
Rashad:
ReplyDeleteI agree that homeschooling should be up to the parents along with student. I also agree that the question about what if I was home schooled is a great one to do as a self reflection. I know I would probably not even have gone to Ohio for my undergraduate and specially not think about staying here. But My personality would be completely different also.
I was talking with one of my fraternity brothers who was home schooled until college. He told me that academically he felt even with most of his peers from his year, not either too advanced nor far behind.What he did say was that he felt that at times feels like he missed out on certain experiences, like proms and homecoming. He is a great athlete since he still developed in sports through different leagues around his area.
I myself would not like to have been home schooled, I love my experiences that I have had, but at the same time, if a family where to call me or another teacher with the opportunity the give some classes in the home school environment I would love to do it, it sounds like a fun thing to do, or at least to experience.
like Chrissy said, Nice post.
-Francisco
This debate could go on forever. I still think home school is a bad idea. There are so many experiences school provides, even though some of them are not so positive they teach you how to deal with the real world and adversity. Some very good arguments were given to show that home school could be a positive experience, but no matter what it will still be lacking in some area. Some children are able to overcome these aspects and or have diligent, dedicated parents who take their job as a home school instructor seriously. I even looked on line and found mostly articles and discussions with people advocating for home school.
ReplyDeleteThe problem remains that as far as I could find no one is making home schooling parents accountable to any one. Some children are definitely getting the short end of the stick and I think it is more than we know because those parents are not going to write articles about how terrible their child turned out.
It it definitely a hot button issue and I don't think we will all agree. My belief is every person, family, and situation is different. The parent's must do what they think is in the best interest of the child and I don't think anyone should be judged for doing what they think is best. You can debate the pros and cons of home schooling but at the end of the day it just might be a better fit for someone.
ReplyDeleteI want to share couple of thoughts and ideas regarding home schooling education. Rashad argues that with home schooling children may become isolated and may have problems interacting with their peers in future. However, I know that parents create various groups, in which their children socialize with each other, play games, etc. In free time, children can attend extra-curricular sports, clubs, and groups with their peers. Although I don’t know if the system would work for all high school students, I think that it is a great option for elementary and middle school age children. Home schooling improves reading, writing, and math skills. Furthermore, students can start learning foreign languages and some other classes in a one –to –one setting, which generally gives better results than a general public education.
ReplyDeleteRashad...I agree with your view on homeschooling. In the end, parents need to be trusted to make the right decision for their child. Hopefully, the parent is truly putting the needs of the child before their own. The positives of a public school education outweigh the negatives and it sounds as if it was the right choice for you as you found what was important for yourself. There are so many options within a public school for a person to find and follow a topic or activity that creates and develops interests. But, choice is all good!
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