Homeschooling Your Child Essay

In America today many parents feel that public or private schools are not doing an adequate job of teaching their children. A lot of people feel that our public schools are focusing too heavily on standardized testing and the curriculum is reflecting test taking skills. The homework   load often becomes too much for the student and takes away from family time- in some cases taking four or more hours a night to complete. In many instances the curriculum moves too fast or too slow and the child becomes bored and less attentive or simply gets lost in the coursework. In a classroom with thirty children a single teacher cannot cater to the needs of every single child and this leaves many lost. Some children are very bright and intelligent but they need one on one teaching to learn and reach their full potential. And some choose not to put their children in public schools because it does not offer a religion based curriculum- something that is very important for some families. Lastly children in public schools also come into contact with negative peer pressure such as drugs and violence and in some instances gun violence takes place in schools. By choosing to educate your child at home you can give your child the opportunity for a better education suited to your child’s individual needs. Reasons that drive parents to homeschooling their children include: too much homework, not enough family time, a curriculum based on standardized testing, negative peer pressure including violence and drugs, and the absence of religion in schools. By homeschooling your child you can control the curriculum and you can choose to include religion in the curriculum and the negative peer pressure from fellow students is not there. In order for children to learn they must be put into the correct setting. â€Å"Securing a sage place free of drugs, gun violence, and negative peer pressure were all factors which turned families toward homeschooling.† (Wichers, 2001, p. 145) Homeschooling Your Child In America today many parents feel that public or private schools are not doing an adequate job of teaching their children. A lot of people feel that our public schools are focusing too heavily on standardized testing and the curriculum is reflecting test taking skills. The homework   load often becomes too much for the student and takes away from family time- in some cases taking four or more hours a night to complete. In many instances the curriculum moves too fast or too slow and the child becomes bored and less attentive or simply gets lost in the coursework. In a classroom with thirty children a single teacher cannot cater to the needs of every single child and this leaves many lost. Some children are very bright and intelligent but they need one on one teaching to learn and reach their full potential. And some choose not to put their children in public schools because it does not offer a religion based curriculum- something that is very important for some families. Lastly children in public schools also come into contact with negative peer pressure such as drugs and violence and in some instances gun violence takes place in schools. This topic is important to me because I feel that one day when I have children homeschooling may be an option for them. With the way things are headed now and the things that go on in our public schools I may feel it is best to teach my children myself when I have them. This topic is relevant to many others because of the same reasons and homeschooling is becoming more popular in America with every year. In today’s society there are a lot of people in America that are searching for alternative methods of educating their children and homeschooling can be a great choice. A few reasons that drive parents to homeschooling their children include:   environmental concerns, such as safety, drugs, and negative peer pressure,desire to provide religious or moral instruction, dissatisfaction with academics at other schools, child’s physical and mental health problems, child’s other special needs, and other reasons, including the child’s choice, flexibility, and greater parental control over education. (Abbott, 2006, p. 49) Some families also face too much homework, not enough family time, and a curriculum based on standardized testing when they have children enrolled in the public school system. Children with disabilities and children who demand a more attentive teacher with one on one teaching are great candidates for homeschooling. I also feel disappointed in the fact that our schools no longer involve religion- not even a simple morning prayer. It is to the point where teachers are reprimanded for mentioning religion of any kind. My faith is very important to me and I would like it if faith based instruction was an everyday part of my child’s education. When I think of the future and what my children may encounter on a daily basis at their school I always think of homeschooling if our public school systems get bad enough. When I hear about the violence and drugs that my future children may encounter while at school I consider homeschooling a great option for my future family. Homeschooling can become a good choice for parents who are tired of the test taking based curriculum and the extreme amount of homework that is required of their children. By choosing to home school, the parent and student can decide on a curriculum that best suites the child and that isn’t based on passing one test at the end of that school year. Another plus side to choosing the curriculum is that parents can choose to teach a faith based curriculum and implement religion classes into the coursework. If a child is getting their education at home usually it will involve much less homework and   the child’s spare time can be spent on extra-curricular activities- something that students often feel they don’t have enough time for. Being homeschooled also gives the student and parents more family time because there’s less homework to be done in the evening. Another reason why parents choose homeschooling is because of the violent and drug filled atmosphere in most public middle and secondary schools. Students encounter negative peer pressure while at school and this can lead to drug or alcohol abuse and violent or rebellious behavior. In an atmosphere such as this a child is not given the best opportunity to succeed and sometimes this is enough to convince parents that in home education is best for their child or children. I can’t think of any parents that I know who would want to send their children to a school filled with drugs and violence and that is not a suitable learning environment. Parents know what is best for their child and know how to create the best environment suitable for their child to learn. In homeschooling, parents can give their children more choice and control in their curriculum while teaching them one on one. If a parent decides to home school their child, that child will have the opportunity to advance at their own pace. Children who are homeschooled often learn at a faster pace because they are being taught one on one usually by a parent. By allowing a child to accelerate at a faster pace the child will not become bored with the content taught and will remain focused and interested in the material being taught. Although many Americans are still skeptical of homeschooling there are many advantages to homeschooling your child. Studies have shown that children who are homeschooled tend to score higher on standardized tests such as advanced placement exams, the ACT, and the SAT than do public schooled children. (McReynolds, 2007) It is also shown that children who are homeschooled attend college at higher rates and are in many cases recruited by universities. (Romanowski, 2006, p. 127) Many prestigious schools such as, â€Å"Brown, Georgetown, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, the United States Military Academy at West Point, UC at Berkeley, University of Michigan, Notre Dame, and Yale† are all universities that accept freshman who have been homeschooled and in some cases recruit students who have mostly been homeschooled. (Romanowski, 2006, p. 127) It is just as easy if not easier for homeschooled children to enter into college. It is reported that children who are educated at home usually score about 15% higher on standardized tests than do publicly schooled children. (Wilhelm, 2009) In the year 2005, students who were homeschooled averaged scores of 22.5 while students educated in public schools averaged a 20.9 score. (Abbott, 2006, p. 50) By choosing to educate your child at home you can give your child the opportunity for a better education suited to your child’s individual needs. Reasons that drive parents to homeschooling their children include: too much homework, not enough family time, a curriculum based on standardized testing, negative peer pressure including violence and drugs, and the absence of religion in schools. By homeschooling your child you can control the curriculum and you can choose to include religion in the curriculum and the negative peer pressure from fellow students is not there. In order for children to learn they must be put into the correct setting. â€Å"Securing a sage place free of drugs, gun violence, and negative peer pressure were all factors which turned families toward homeschooling.† (Wichers, 2001, p. 145) References Abbott, M., & Miller, J. (2006). What you need to learn about homeschooling.  Contemporary Pediatrics,  23(11), 48. Retrieved from CINAHL with Full Text database.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the article titled, â€Å"What you Need to Learn About Homeschooling†, Myles Abbott and Jennifer Miller explore many common reasons why parents choose homeschooling their children over traditional public schools. Abbott and Miller also studied the different