Homeschool Is Beneficial to Children

Homeschool is Beneficial to Children

Jeni Valk

ENG/215

February 10, 2013

Karen Lawler

Homeschool is Beneficial to Children

With more and more schools across the nation taking away fine arts programs and recesses, and focusing on school work and standardized testing, parents are choosing to take their children out of the public school system and teach them from their own homes. These are, of course, not the only reasons why they are taking their children out, there are many varying reasons. These reasons can vary from wanting to teach their children in a Christian based curriculum to the feeling that local schools are not teaching their children well enough (Hawkins, 1996). Whatever their reasoning might be, many homeschooling parents have come under fire for deciding against the ‘norm’ of standardized schooling.

There is a stigma when it comes to homeschooling. Many critics like to say that if a child is homeschooled then they will not receive the same social interaction that other children receive from being in an institutionalized school. Other critics believe that if a child is not in a public or private school system, that child will never learn discipline or structure.

These statements are simply not true. The social interaction that homeschooled children receive is on a wider level than their counterparts in the public sector. Homeschooled children are forced to interact with people of all ages and in different settings. From this, they are taught to respect their elders and not to be afraid of approaching different people. Many families will opt to work with homeschooling co-op in which the children will be able to socialize with children of their own age and also those younger and older.

Detractors would also have people believe that the lack of structure in a homeschool will lead the child to never learn discipline and schedules. However, most homeschools have set schedules to get certain subjects done and then time for other things. Just like at any other school, children are taught manners and discipline and in most cases these children are more polite and disciplined than their counterparts.

These children are also usually well balanced