To home-school or not to home-school. That is the question.
The efficacy of home-school vs public school is among the hotly contested topics in education around the world. With up to two million American children enrolled in home-schooling, the question remains whether home-schooling bears as many benefits as are advertised.
Why do people home-school? Read on for our analysis of the benefits, challenges, and some of the reasons to consider home-schooling.
Why to home-school
Various studies have unveiled loads of academic, mental, and social developmental benefits posed by home-schooling a student. Additionally, home-schooling is a boon for many parents as it allows for close monitoring of a student’s progress and saves on costs such as those purchasing uniforms and engaging in school activities.
However, the key reason why many parents advocate for home-schooling is that it allows you to determine a study approach that best suits your child’s strengths and weaknesses. This approach to education thus unshackles you from the rigid public-school study where children are taught similarly regardless of their differences.
Is home-schooling hard?
A major concern and turn-off for many parents is the assumption that home-schooling is a demanding task that is only achievable for the wealthy. However, this is far from the case, compared to public schooling, home-schooling may result in a lower cost.
However, home-schooling does have its share of shortcomings.
Home-schooling vs public schooling
Unlike the public setup, home-schooling denies parents the comfort of coasting along with their child’s education as they don the cape of a teacher and are in charge of their child’s education.
Also, some parents may struggle in asserting their role as a teacher and thus, owing to their leniency, slow the progress of their child’s education. Also, finding tutors could prove a daunting task as you have to sift through their methodologies and determine the affordable options that suit the needs of your child.
If, on the other hand, you opt to manage some lessons, this may prove a time-consuming Endeavor and limit you from addressing various commitments. The latter is true for employees as striking a work-life balance as a home-school teacher may prove a major challenge.
How does home-schooling work?
Home-schooling works in different ways depending on the mode of learning. Traditional home-schooling involves a parent or home-based teacher engaging learners in face-to-face discussions over the units prescribed by the home-school curriculum.
Another alternative is online learning where students have access to various tutors across the globe. Unlike the former, this allows for more flexibility and makes it easy to access a vast catalogue of tutors suited to your child’s needs.
Is home-schooling good?
Like all things positive, the pros of home-schooling outweigh the cons. Some of the benefits of home-schooling include:
- Avoiding negative influences
The public-school setup exposes children to negative influences ranging from negative peer pressure to bullying. These influences may side-track your child’s study efforts or even worse cultural addictions that may rock your child’s life.
Home-schooling allows you to curb peer pressure involvement and culture the behaviour necessary to make your child properly integrated into society.
- Tailoring lessons and learning experiences to your child’s abilities
Public schooling is often criticized for its inefficiency as the schemes of work employ a uniform pace and study approach for all students. This results in some learners missing out as the learning activities do not reflect their interests.
In home school, you may focus on your child’s interests and employ teaching methods that suit your learners’ strengths and weaknesses. Home-schooling also allows you to cater to the special needs of a learner, ensuring their academic success.
- Allows you to nurture your child’s life skills
Unlike the school setting up the home, the environment exposes children to social situations, allowing them to foster positive social skills. Also, through helping with various chores, children develop autonomy, reducing their dependence on guardians to get things done.
- The benefits of home-schooling to a parent
Home-schooling is also a boon for parents as it allows them to monitor a child’s progress and chip in where they notice weaknesses. Also, home-schooling has a flexible schedule that can be easily fitted into the daily life of a parent.
How to make home-schooling fun
Some ways to make home-schooling fun include:
- Employing a reward system to motivate short-term and long-term achievements.
- Seeking learner-friendly resources that simplify complex ideas and engage your learners’ senses.
- Involving your learners in decision-making allows them to feel like part of the learning process.
Final take
Home-schooling is a great choice for parents who can commit the time and resources to their child’s education. For the best results, consider engaging our experts for custom guidance on the subject matter and the development of resources that are suitable for your learner.
