What a Homeschool Actually Is
By Hamzah Jameel
Staff Writer
Imagine that you were a super duper smart eighth-grader in a public school and you always seemed to be the teacher’s favorite, but, unfortunately, someone didn’t like that. They decided to plan a sleepover with you, and your parents agreed, never knowing what to expect next. After they came to your house, had loads of fun, and you fell asleep, they brought a pair of scissors and cut off all of your hair. How would that feel? Terribly awful! That is bullying. But, what if I told you that you’ve got another choice – a choice that will enable you to study at home. That sounds pretty much awesome. A self-explanatory word, this term means, according to Merriam Webster, ‘to teach your children at home instead of sending them to a school.’ That’s quite simple, right? No, of course not! From its history, reasons, pros, and cons, to its legal status across the world, this word carries a lot behind it.
The word ‘homeschool’ has journeyed through a long epic that dates back to 350 BC! Alexander the Great is one of the first examples of a homeschooler (The History of Homeschooling). Then, in the late 1700s, early education evolved starting with learning basic life skills. In the 1830s, Abraham Lincoln received an 18-month homeschool education (The History of Homeschooling). Around the 1900s, some states started to adopt a compulsory education system through public schools. In the mid-1960s, a homeschooling movement broke out. Half of the states legalized homeschooling by the 1980s. Finally, in 1993, all states in the US considered homeschooling legal (The History of Homeschooling).
Talking about its legal status in the US, how is it in other countries? Well, in many countries, including South Africa, Canada, India, Taiwan, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Russia, Switzerland, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, homeschooling is legal (International Homeschool Status). On the other hand, it is illegal to homeschool in Brazil, Croatia, Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, and Turkey (International Homeschooling Status). In China, it is illegal for the Chinese to be homeschooled but legal for an expatriate (International Homeschool Status). In Iceland, your homeschool teacher or parent has to have a teaching degree (International Homeschool Status).
So, exactly what are the reasons for choosing a homeschool? A 2011 survey from the National Center for Educational Statistics, or commonly known as the NCES, gives the main reasons for parents to choose this educational scheme. According to the survey, the majority of parents chose homeschooling because of a ‘concern about environment of other schools’ (Reasons Parents Homeschool). This means that maybe the child was physically or verbally abused by his teacher or bullied by other students. One-fifth of the parents chose this type of education for their kids due to ‘dissatisfaction with academic instruction at school’ (Reasons Parents Homeschool). Maybe the curriculum wasn’t that good or the parents may be dissatisfied with the teachers. Another reason for choosing a homeschool is to ‘provide religious instruction’ (Reasons Parents Homeschool). Five percent of the parents who chose homeschooling was because of their children’s ‘physical or mental health problems,’ which implicates a need for an individualized learning plan, which is the core advantage of homeschooling (Reasons Parents Homeschool).
An individualized learning plan does not only help children with physical and/or mental disabilities, but it also can help you. This is how: in a regular school, if you don’t understand a scientific concept, for example, the whole class will not wait for you, but when you are at home, you are the whole class, and you do not have to move on if you don’t understand something. In addition, if you are very good at a certain subject, then you can work at your own pace at a faster speed. Furthermore, you get to do more hands-on activities with your parent or teacher, such as going to the museums, visiting libraries, and performing lab experiments yourself (Homeschooling). For instance, when I took a lesson on how the heart works, the program requested modeling a mammalian heart with a red pepper. However, my Learning Coach, took it a step further and we brought a real sheep’s heart to dissect.
Despite the fact that homeschooling has so many advantages, this educational scheme also has its disadvantages, but there is a solution for each. For instance, a homeschooler’s parent may not be an expert at all fields of study (Homeschooling). No problem! You can hire a tutor and if that is not possible, then visit the library, a museum, or even access the internet, which has a repertoire of educational resources, such as the Khan Academy [khanacademy.org] and Coursera [coursera.org]. Another possible problem is when a homeschooler does not have all school facilities, such as a science lab or a gymnasium (Homeschooling). Easy! The problem becomes a piece of cake when you decide to access a public gymnasium and carry out experiments through a virtual labs, such as Yenka [yenka.com]. The main issue comes when many homeschoolers feel that they are isolated from the outside world. Many feel that they are spending too much family time and less time with friends their age (Homeschooling). Many children will then enroll in extra-curricular activities, including joining a sports, scouts, or dance clubs. You can even meet up with other homeschoolers either to study together or to socialize. Nevertheless, socializing through electronic media, such as Facebook, Skype, and Twitter, can ease the isolation.
If you’re getting bullied at school, having trouble with school materials, or even finding school too easy, a homeschool is a right place for you. From a few millennia ago to its current age, this word carries a long history behind it. Not only that, but it also has a vast definition to it, that you can’t actually understand it until you actually try it!
Works Cited
"The History of Homeschooling." Homeschool World. 1 Jan. 2015. Web. 17 Jan. 2015. <http://www.home-school.com/news/history-of-homeschooling.php>.
"International Homeschool Status." The Art of Homeschooling. 8 Feb. 2013. Web. 17 Jan. 2015. <http://theartofhomeeducation.com/2013/02/08/homeschooling-international-status/>.
"Reasons Parents Homeschool." Coalition for Responsible Home Education. Web. 17 Jan. 2015. <http://www.responsiblehomeschooling.org/homeschooling-101/reasons-parents-homeschool/>.
"Homeschooling." Kidshealth.org. Ed. Steven Dowshen. 1 Jan. 2012. Web. 17 Jan. 2015. <http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/school/homeschool.html#>.