Homeschooling free essay sample

Homeschooling When people hear this word, they imagine socially awkward kids who sit at home and live a carefree life. However, this stereotype fails to capture the true essence of homeschooling. Hello class, today I will inform you about homeschooling. Today you will all learn what homeschooling is, the different types of homeschooling, and how it compares to public education. Many of you don’t know what homeschooling is, so let me tell you! Homeschooling is the education of children at home, typically by parents or by tutors, rather than in other formal settings of public or private school. Homeschooling is a legal option for parents in many countries, allowing them to provide their children with a learning environment as an alternative to public or private schools outside the individuals home. Parents cite numerous reasons as motivations to homeschool their children. The three reasons that are selected by the majority of homeschooling parents in the United States are concern about the school environment, to provide religious or moral instruction, and dissatisfaction with academic instruction at public and private schools. Homeschooling can be an option for families living in isolated rural locations, living temporarily abroad, to allow for more traveling or a hectic lifestyle. Many young athletes and actors are taught at home. Homeschooling can be used as a form of supplementary education, a way of helping children learn in specific circumstances, as it allows for extensive one on one time between the teacher and the student. While homeschooling is a relatively simple concept, there are a wide variety of applications of this central idea. There are actually three main branches of homeschooling, each with its own unique attributes. The most unique common types of homeschooling are independent studies, charter homeschooling, and unschooling. The first type of homeschooling is Independent Study. Independent study is a different way of learning. According to the California Department of Education, in independent studies, a student is guided by a teacher but usually does not take classes with other students every day. Independent study regulations require that the student meet with a credentialed teacher on a regular basis. The student works independently. Independent study is available to anyone. Many school districts offer this type of education. Students who participate in independent study take the same courses as students in regular classes. Independent study programs are designed to help students who have health problems, are gifted, are working, or who find that regular classroom settings do not meet their needs. The second type of homeschooling is homeschooling through a charter school. According to Klara East from the Homeschool Association of California, charter schools provide resources that can include cash, computers, textbooks, and other instructional materials, depending on what is specified in that schools charter. Students meet with a teacher to turn in the work they do. Students are given instructional plan that specifies what the student is expected to accomplish in the time period between meetings. Charter schools use a study program in which the credentialed teacher dictates what assignments the child must complete. Some charter schools also offer either enrichment classes and/or supplemental money to pay for classes taken elsewhere or to pay for supply purchases. The third type of homeschooling is called unschooling. Unschooling is a method of homeschooling that puts the desire, drive, motive and responsibility for life in the hands of the learner. Children pursue knowledge based on their interests and parents take an active part in facilitating activities and experiences conducive to learning but do not rely heavily on textbooks or spend much time teaching, looking instead for learning moments throughout their daily activities. Unschooling does not indicate that the child is not being educated, but that the child is not being schooled, or educated in a rigid school-type manner. Personally, I grew up being homeschooled until ninth grade. I’m sure you all wonder, hey why was she homeschooled? I was homeschooled because I was in the acting industry and my schedule was too busy for public school. All of my siblings were homeschooled as well for the same reasons. I first was homeschooled through a charter school and then switched to unschooling. Unschooling was awesome because I was able to learn things that interestedme and learn through life. Once a week I would go to a park with other unschoolers. At parkday we would explore, do different crafts, and learn new things. Those days were probably some of the best of my life. Now time to compare homeschooling to public schooling. People have many stereotypes towards homeschoolers. They do not know the facts. According to the article Clearing House by Michael Romanowski, â€Å"there are four common myths that still influence individuals regarding their perspective and understanding of the role homeschooling plays in the education of U.S. children. The first myth is that homeschooling produces social misfits. This myth stems from the thought that homeschooled students lack the social skills needed to function in the society. The second myth is that homeschooling fails to prepare good citizens. The third myth is that students who are homeschooled have difficulty entering college. The last myth is that most people homeschool only for religious reasons.† According to College At Home, when it comes to taking tests, homeschooled kids consistently out-perform public schools. As the graph shows, homeschooled kids average a higher score in every subject than kids in public schools. (Show graph) People think that homeschoolers can be a little odd. In a study measuring communication, daily living skills, and socialization homeschoolers actually outscored public school kids on every level. (show graph) Once in college, students that were homeschooled graduated with a higher gpa as well. (show graph). When I tell people that I was homeschooled, they always give me a weird look or wont believe that I was homeschooled just based on all the stereotypes associated with homeschooling. While its true that homeschoolers can be unsocial, fail in college, or academically underachieve, this is the exception and not the norm. There will always be that one person who doesn’t do well, whether they are homeschooled or not. I’m sure all of your brains are full, time to conclude. Today you learned about homeschooling. You learned a little about what it is, the types that are available and how it compares to public school. Now when you hear someone speaking about homeschooling you can join the conversation armed with the interesting facts I just told you. And remember, homeschoolers are not a bunch of strange kids, theyre actually pretty awesome!