Homeschooling vs. Public Schooling Essay

When one is a parent there are many decisions you will make in hopes to benefit your children, one of those decisions being whether you want them to attend homeschool or public schooling, both which have their advantages and disadvantages. The differences between the two can play a major role in your decision, some being the location, socialization, and learning speed. One of the first things that most parents think about when choosing to home school or not is how your child’s social skills will develop. There are many resources out on the Internet that can answer any questions you may have on this subject. The following essay will give you an in depth description of the differences between public and home schooling and how your child may benefit from one or the other. First of all, the locations in which both home school and public take place could not be more different. Homeschooling usually takes place in the child’s home and does not have a specific room, maybe one day school is in the kitchen another day it is outside. The homeschool environment is a safe place for the child, filled with freedom and flexibility. With public school parents struggle with the fact that they have to send their child to a different location for four to eight hours a day, this also can be hard for the child as well. The environment is also a big change from the home school environment, you are in a big cement building, with formal classrooms, and 20 or more children in each class. Children in public school do not have the same type of freedom and flexibility as homeschooled children. One of the questions parents may ask themselves when deciding homeschool or public is if their child’s social skills will develop at the same rate as children attending public school. With public school their main goal is to educate children and children do not have much time for socializing. Most socializing takes place at the unsupervised setting of the playground; the values most children pick up here are not values that parents would not instill in their children. This is also where issues such as bullying, peer pressure, and being secluded often occur. Homeschooling on the other hand, provides children with more opportunities for real interpersonal and interactive life situations. The homeschool student socializes with adults and children of different ages on a daily basis. They can also choose to play with friends who have common interests and values as their family. They also do not have to tolerate physical or emotional assault from bullies, this builds their self-esteem and self- confidence. Many homeschool students benefit significantly from their homeschool curriculum because their curricula is designed to their specific learning abilities. When the child is learning at their own speed it is more likely to learn the concepts and accomplish their goals. It makes it easier for a student to really learn because they cannot skip lessons or drift through their subjects even if they do not understand the material. Public school curriculums are designed for large amount of children. That is to say that when a child enters a grade they are expected to be at the same learning level as all the other children in their grade. For many children this system does not work, they either fall behind or are bored because they know the material already. This results in an uneven education and children who never truly learn certain concepts and lessons. In conclusion, home schooling verses public school, public school may at first seem superior. One might think that public school provides everything that their child needs and more, but home school is starting to prove itself worthy. Statistics are starting to prove that home schooled students can achieve just as much as public schooled students. Either choice you make take it seriously and consider all the facts as well as your child’s learning style and speed. School is the most important experience we have in our life, and can make or break us, so as a parent make the best decision for your child.