Home-Schooling

November 08, 2009

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Home-Schooling

by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P.
reviewed by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P.

Once considered a marginal form of education, home-schooling has become more widely accepted and practiced in recent years. In 2001, 1 percent of the nation's school-age children--more than 1 million--are being schooled at home. Parents who choose home-schooling do so for a wide variety of reasons. Most commonly, this choice is based on:

a desire for a religious-based curriculum;

a desire for more direct control over curriculum and teaching methods;

a lack of confidence in the public school system's ability to meet a particular child's needs (either because he is gifted or has learning difficulties);

a concern about safety and violence in available schools;

or the lack of a suitable private school in their area.

Home-schooling, of course, requires parents to personally commit more time, energy, and attention than other educational choices. Choosing to home-school also affects the family's lifestyle, since the home becomes the "school." For example, space has to be devoted to classroom-type use and the storage of school supplies, and one or both parents must commit to being at home, at least for a good part of the day. Parents who home-school typically work within a supportive organization that helps parents develop their child's course of study, locate appropriate books and teaching materials, and carry out testing or other forms of evaluation.

Social life
Home-schooling also may affect your child's opportunity for socialization. With this consideration in mind, many parents who home-school take pains to provide their children with alternate means of social opportunities. In some cases, children who are home-schooled for academics participate in extracurricular activities, such as sports, dramatics, and social events, at their local public schools. Overall, the idea that home-schooling necessarily cripples a child's social and emotional growth is simply not true.

However, critics point out, inherent in the very nature of home-schooling are factors that could contribute to social maladjustment in some cases. These include:

being subject to unusually intense parental focus at a time (adolescence) when one of the main developmental tasks is to achieve a measure of independence from parents;

not having to share a teacher's attention with many other students, and therefore not learning how to wait, rely on oneself, or obtain attention in positive ways;

being isolated from peers for most of the day;

if there are religious or cultural reasons for home-schooling, being subject to strict family values that are perhaps outside the mainstream.

None of these factors is detrimental in and of itself, but parents need to be aware of potential pitfalls.

College admissions
As home-schooling has become more widely accepted, many universities and colleges have developed admissions procedures specifically designed for home-schooled applicants. Some actually seek home-schooled children, recognizing that they tend to have a high degree of self-direction, self-motivation, academic achievement, and independent thinking--qualities that are perceived by many to best prepare a student for a successful secondary education. Parents who decide to home-school need to learn how to compile meaningful transcripts for their children.

A word of warning
To home-school successfully, you need to be organized, committed, patient, and, with thorough preparation, able to teach a variety of subjects at different level. If you possess all these virtues and have the time to devote to planning and carrying out a school year's worth of curriculum, home-schooling may be a viable option for your children.


RELATED INFORMATION

			Involving Yourself in Your Child's Education
			What Is Education?
			School Issues
			Choosing a School

Created June 14, 2001
Reviewed August 15, 2004

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