The Effectiveness of Homeschooling

by Gabriella Cachia, ninth grade contributing reporter

A teacher has only 45 minutes a day to get through a whole lesson that every child has to understand. Forty five minutes for some kids is not enough time. There must be a better way of teaching, and there is. In America there is up to 2.2 million home-educated students who get a better education than a child in public or private school.

“Kids who are homeschooled don’t have the same school experience as kids who are in public or private school. Kids in public and private school are challenged academically and are subjected to different pressures such as competition.” Says freshman Kayla Pena.

People believe children who are homeschooled don’t get the best education. If this statement were true then colleges wouldn’t be actively recruiting home schooled kids. Home educated kids have no time limit and they could do things to help them better learn. While at school the lesson being taught is taught the way the teacher wants it, not the way a specific child could understand it. Teachers have only 45 minutes, at home you can take all the time you need to comprehend and remember everything.

After graduating from school children are just thrown into the chaos of the real world. People would think a homeschooled child going into the real world would not survive, but they are wrong. Homeschoolers are more likely to succeed in college at an equal or higher rate than someone who went to public/private school. It is also shown that children who learn at home are more active in their community and workplace.

“I think that it cuts back on kids actually getting to make friends and socialize,” freshman Sady Franco said.

Learning at home means you have to make friends a different way. Some may think it is impossible to make friends without going to a school with other kids. Making friends as a homeschooler means you have to do other activities to meet people. Joining a group is a way these kids make friends. In most communities there is a group of home taught kids who meet up once a week and further educate themselves, it is also a great place to meet people who are learning the same way as you.

“When your homeschooled you are sitting in front of technology learning, but when you go to public school you make friends and the teachers are there to help you if you need help,” freshman Rosalyn Ng said.

Learning from the comfort of home doesn’t make you anti-social. Kids learning at home are on an above average measure of social, emotional, and psychological development. Research shows peer interaction, self-concept, leadership skills, family cohesion, participation in community service, and self-esteem is higher than one of a public or private school child.

The home schooling process for middle school and high school is more about teaching oneself, than a parent teaching the child. Some homeschooling programs have online classes, so if they don’t understand the classes online should make it easier. A tutor is a good idea too if the homeschooler doesn’t understand what they are learning.

To be homeschooled parents don’t have to be home all the time. Working parents can also have their child learn from home. Children who are homeschooled have a big responsibility of getting their work done without there parents breathing down their neck. There are many other families who homeschool and if you find a family willing to teach your child then you don’t have to worry about making sure there work gets done.

“I dont think that it matters where you learn, it all depends on the person and there work ethic. People need to make the best of their education and that can work in both at home or in public school,” senior Dominique Cachia said.

Homeschooling is the new form of education that is rising in popularity. Although both homeschooling and public schooling can provide a good quality education to their students, there are many differences between home school and public school. These differences can either hinder or improve a child’s way of learning and developing.