Home School and School
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Homeschooling has several advantages including one-to-one teacher child ratio that enhances understanding of the child. Children and family needs always come first as parenting style may always fit teaching and child’s learning style. According to Hornby (2011), homeschooling may further assist in tailoring curriculum to the child’s current interest an children who love what they learn may gain a lot of information (18-23). Moreover, homeschooling may make sure that a concept is covered when the child is prepared but not the way the school wants to present them. Homeschooling also helps in protecting a child’s self-esteem especially amongst slow learners or for the children with learning disabilities because they are not exposed to other children or to people who do not understand them.
In addition, friends are always available of all ages with similar ethnic and religious background and adequate utilization of time may provide balance between play, sports, downtime, and learning activities. According to Lois (2013), there is also more active time, snacks, and breaks available hence, a child is able to balance the use of time in person (34-43). Moreover, there are many choices on how work should be done and scopes of topics may be customized. Additionally, children spend most of their time with siblings and parents understand the contents of the curriculum as well as what to apply in the daily activities do. There are no issues of negative peer pressure influencing children undergoing homeschooling and children learn to work cooperatively with siblings instead competing with classmates.
However, there are some disadvantages associated with homeschooling such as parents losing full time income for spending time with their children at home. It is also difficult to find good children that can help a homeschooling child to build quality relationship. Moreover, it may not be easy to research the best curriculum that can work for the parent (Richards, Hull & Proctor 2012, pp. 45-56). There are many curriculums existing and finding the best one for a child may not be easy for a parent. There are issues such as dealing with frustrations of sometimes being behind and being patient with children who may not be learning anything. Homeschooling may make a parent spend more than the normal education program and even find it difficult to go extra mile from comfort zone to learn how homeschooling can be effective.
Schools also have a few advantages though not as compared to homeschooling. Schools normally provide readymade opportunities for children to meet and play with children from different backgrounds, culture, and gender hence enhancing their development and discovery. Schools also have many facilities and resources including teaching aid tools, teachers, and equipment that may enhance their learning process. Schools have experienced personnel in matters of education and child development thus making it easy for them to impart appropriate knowledge to the children (Richards, Hull & Proctor 2012, pp. 45-56).
According to Richards, Hull & Proctor (2012) buying all the required tools for children may be expensive in homeschooling set up but schools have enough funds and resources that can be used in ensuring that education process is complete (63-72). Schools further provide safe environment for children to be cared for as parents pursue other careers hence allowing parents time to make enough income to care for their children. Parents taking their children to school do not take all their time teaching their children because there are teachers doing the work. Children further get education from qualified and experienced teachers who understand the program and variety of children whom they have had experience working with in the past.
However, all students are normally taught similar things at the same time regardless of their concentration. At times, this kind of system may not apply because some students may be bored while some may struggle to grasp what is taught (Hornby 2011, pp. 43-50). It may be hard to assume that all students taught in a classroom would uniformly understand what they are taught. Schools rarely provide the required support to students with learning disabilities. Children with learning disabilities may therefore be pushed back to parents as homework.
Schools further expose children to peer pressure, overexposure, and other counter-productive activities because of availability of variety of students from different cultures (Richards, Hull & Proctor 2012, pp. 72-84). Little time is also given for experimentation and the learning process is not self-directed. Self-motivation is also not encouraged and mostly punishment and grades are used to keep children in line and disciplined. In general, homeschooling is better than taking a child to school as far as child development issues are concerned.
Bibliographies
HORNBY, G 2011, Parental involvement in childhood education: building effective school-family partnerships. New York, Springer.
LOIS, J 2013, Home is where the school is: the logic of homeschooling and the emotional labor of mothering.
RICHARDS, JACK C., HULL, JONATHAN, & PROCTOR, S 2012, Interchange Level 3 Workbook a. Cambridge Univ Pr.
