Getting Started: Taking the “Room” Out of the Classroom
By Mimi Rothschild When it comes to education today, many parents are turning to a new schoolhouse: their own homes. The popularity of home school is on the rise, with millions of parents across the country removing their children from public schools to educate them at home. Those who home school choose this method for a variety of reasons, and many are not what most people think. A long-held belief that home school parents shun public school only for religious reasons is being challenged by a growing number of non-religious parents who are realizing the benefits of home school as well.
Many home school parents are not teachers themselves. However, the flexibility of a home school environment allows for a number of teaching methods so that parents can choose one, or several, best suited to them and their children. One of the more popular home school teaching methods is “unschooling,” which is based on the belief that people are learning constantly and it presumes that children will learn without having to be taught. This does not mean that home school parents allow their children to run wild and do whatever they want; rather, it involves giving a child more control over learning about what interests him or her. Hands-on activities such as cooking, sewing, art and experimentation are often major features in home school curricula.
Another opportunity many home school parents take advantage of is the vast amount of supplemental education available to today's students, often through the Internet. There are hundreds of school districts and specialty organizations offering online or distance learning classes on a variety of subjects. Home school parents who may have trouble instructing their children in difficult subjects such as math, science or language can enroll students in classes that teach these skills on the computer. Internet access is also helpful for home school students from a social aspect: forums and web chat allow them to connect with peers and discuss school work online. The Internet also assists in combating the sense of isolation that sometimes comes with a home school setting.
Some parents are concerned that home school prohibits children from receiving a higher education. Most colleges, however, are more than willing to consider admittance for home school students. Since the quality of education children receive in a home school environment tends to be as good as, if not superior to, that of publicly educated students, more colleges are willing to enroll home school students on the basis of SAT or ACT scores, personal essays, and parent-generated learning transcripts. In fact, some colleges actively recruit home school students, who are often better equipped to handle the flexibility and the challenging solution skills college students must develop to succeed in academia. Home school provides a well-rounded education for many children.________________________________________________________________
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mimi Rothschild is a homeschooling mother, writer, children's rights advocate, and Founder and C.E.O. of home education company Learning by Grace, Inc. She and her husband of 28 years reside with their 8 children right outside Philadelphia, PA.
Rothschild launched Learning By Grace, Inc. because she believed that our nation's public school system has failed parents and students. Learning By Grace, Inc. offers online education through a multimedia-rich curriculum to PreK-12 children across the country and throughout the world.
An accomplished author, Rothschild has written books regarding education published by McGraw Hill and others. Her Homeschooling News Café Blog consists of the most current and relevant education news.Electronic reproduction of this article is permitted if content is published unchanged, appropriate credit is given, and the article title links to corresponding article webpage.
