Argument Paper #3 Final Draft

Leah Nieman

English 101 – 5:30 – Paper #3 Final Draft

Sonia Begert

12/3/15

The Option of Homeschooling

Education is so important, for it provides the pathway to a successful and purposeful life, especially in today’s society with jobs and careers that require extensive knowledge. This is why there is so much effort invested into schooling the younger generations, so that they might have opportunities even more extensive than generations past. Now, in almost every state district in America, there is a public school willing to give the school age population an education paid for by the government. This is a great blessing to many families, for many parents and guardians must work full time. But this is not the only way to receive your schooling, for today you can attend private schools, boarding schools, or be homeschooled.

In time past homeschooling was the original schooling. Sons had to learn from their fathers on how to build houses, plant seed, and take care of their families, and daughters learned from their mothers on how to raise children, cook, and keep a household. This was their schooling, it was equivalent to their education, and they were taught by their parents.

            My entire education from kindergarten to my sophomore year of high school I was homeschooled, but I have now continued with my schooling in a community college and participate in the program Running Start. I have never been ashamed of my past schooling, and in fact I firmly believe that I have had an excellent education. But during the time of my homeschooling years, I was confronted on multiple occasions on why I should stop homeschooling because it is not a good education and that it does not compare with the education I could receive by the state. Why many people did not support homeschooling puzzled me and still does, and in this paper I will be discussing why homeschooling is just as effective as the regular public schooling.

            Homeschooling has vast advantages. Homeschooling allows parents to be a part of and involved in their child’s education, while in public schools parents have very minimal interaction (“The Home-School Team”). Homeschooling also provides the tailoring of curriculum to meet the child’s specific needs. (“Home Schools”) Lastly, homeschooling allows the parents to have better control over peer influence (“Home Schools”). Homeschooling has in fact been growing in recent years, for in the year 2007 only 2.9% of the school age population were homeschooled, and now in the poll taken from 2013, it has risen to 3.4%. (“Homeschool Statistics”). This is a ginormous leap, and it shows that there truly is an interest in families to homeschool their children.

            Since public schooling is so readily available, there are many advantages to it also. First, there is free and accessible transportation to and from school. Also, there is the fact that public schooled children have the opportunity to join extra-curricular activities like drama, band, and sports. Then, there is the privilege of having qualified and certified teachers there to deliver an education to your children (“Pros and Cons of Public School Attendance”).

But even with these advantages that the public school offers, it could possibly not be the optimal way to educate your child. In the public schools, often children struggle to succeed and this is most likely caused by the inflexibility of the schooling. Some disadvantages are standardized testing, the inflexibility of curriculum, and over-loaded classrooms. Standardized testing is one the hardest points in education for many children, this is because many children have a difficult time meeting the very specific requirements that the state enforces (“Pros and Cons of Public School Attendance”). Also, the inflexibility of curriculum prohibits children from having courses that would best fit their needs and from choosing what they want to study (“U.S. Department of Education”). Then there are over-loaded classrooms which brings up the possibility that your child is not receiving much, if any, personal attention, and this is a major cause of educational deficiency (“Pros and Cons of Public School Attendance”). From these disadvantages you can see that there is definitely a need for differing choices for education, a choice that could lead children to succeed and enjoy school, and homeschooling is one of those options.

            But many people discourage homeschooling, promoting the public school system. Homeschool Companion points out that when parents homeschool their kids, many are not qualified teachers and do not provide an optimal education for their children like an actual teacher would in school (“Disadvantages of Homeschooling”). This is true, most parents are not certified teachers, but homeschooling by parents alone is not the only way to homeschool. There are options like charter schools and co-ops that have qualified teachers there to teach your child once or twice a week, but yet still let the child have the choice of his/her curriculum and is still able to do the majority of his/her work at home, thus making the child homeschooled.

            Then, there is the common argument that homeschooling leaves kids socially inept (“Social Disadvantages of Homeschooling”). Even though this is a well-accepted point, it is far from the truth. This argument borders the line of stereotype, for the “stereotypical” homeschooler is clumsy, nerdy, and hates crowds. In fact, homeschoolers are able to spend more time with people with a broader age range, not just their immediate peers when in school (“Homeschooling vs Public School”). Also, homeschoolers even have more time to socialize and participate in sports than public schoolers do, since they are able to schedule their schooling around their activities (“What About Socialization?”).

Even with these arguments against homeschooling, you can see the need for children to have differing options from the public school, and we do. The option of homeschooling is incredible, but so many times children are mocked and teased for it, or told that they are not receiving a full education like I experienced during my years of homeschooling. There is not one sure-fire way to receive an education, for every child is different and has different needs, and homeschooling might just be the very option that brings some children a better education.

Homeschooling has always been there, it is natural for us humans to learn from our authorities, especially our parents. Education is important, and with our education today there are many requirements, and thankfully homeschooling has been able to mature and be able to meet those requirements through programs and tailored curriculum. This is very beneficial to children who excel in being taught at home rather than in public school, and this option should not be scorned.

Works Cited:

- “Homeschool Statistics” Time4Learning. Time 4 Learning. 2015. Web. Nov 24 2015.

- “Pros and Cons of Public School Attendance” PublicSchool.Org. PublicSchools.Org. 2012. Web. Nov 24 2015.

-“Disadvantages of Homeschooling” Homeschool Companion. Homeschool Companion. 2014. Web. Nov. 24 2015.

- Corner, James P. “The Home-School Team: An Emphasis on Parent Involvement” Edutopia. Edutopia. July. 1 1997. Web. Nov. 30 2015.

- Mhoon, Jim. "Home Schools" Focus on the Family. Focus on the Family, 2007. Web. Nov. 19 2015. 

- “U.S. Department of Education: Higher Educated Parents More Likely to Homeschool” Tea Party. Tea Party. May 24 2015. Web. Nov. 30 2015.

- “Social Disadvantages of Homeschooling” Successful Homeschooling. Successful Homeschooling. 2015. Web. Nov. 30 2015.

- Amy, “Homeschooling vs Public School” Mommy Edition. Mommy Edition. 2015. Web. Nov. 30 2015.

- Kochenderfer, Rebecca “What About Socialization?” Homeschool.com. Homeschool.com. 2015. Web. Nov. 30 2015.