Homeschooling

School at Home?

Figure 1: pencil with face

Picture this, would you like to sleep in everyday or eat breakfast in your pj's and even know who your teacher is everyday or every year? This is called homeschooling. That is where you learn all of your subjects from home and have your very own parent as your teacher. Homeschooling can be taught in many different
 ways. Your parent can choose what and how to teach you every day.

Wouldn't it be so cool just to wake up and start your school work whenever you wanted? Just imagine only having a couple hours of work to do with your parent teaching you everything you need to know. once all your work is done, you are already right there in front of your TV to watch your favorite show or even play video games.

Why Parents might choose Homeschooling

Most people might think people are home schooled because they are too lazy to actually come to school since it is so early in the morning, but really, research has found that parents choose to home school their children for safety reasons. Why not just teach your own kid at home every day and keep an eye on them so you know they are OK? "88 percent of homeschooler parents stated they were concerned about the environment at public schools"(Kunzman, 2009). 

There could be different safety reasons why a parent chooses homeschooling. Look what has been going on in schools the past few years. Most schools now have police officers, metal detectors, and doorbell systems to come into a school. In many different areas you have been hearing about school shootings. What a scary thought that would be going through a parents head every time they send their child off to school. A child worrying in school about an intruder or not feeling safe is upsetting, so why not just keep your child at home safe with you? 

Figure 2: Mom teaching students at home

Many other reasons your parents could want to home school you is for bullying issues. There are so many stories on the news of kids getting bullied these days and want parents want to ever see their child go through that kind of pain? I definitely know a lot of parents who would never want to experience that.  A lot of people also think children who are home schooled have a lot of social issues. Chang's study shows that (2011), "that home schooled students were more socially mature than the public schooled students". Growing up and learning in an environment of just your parent can really teach you a lot, especially how to be more mature. Just imagine if your child wasn't around kids who act like jerks, they would be so much nicer and know how to respect other people. 

Getting older and not being able to experience that "fun" time with your friends in high school right before graduating may not seem like the best thing for a home schooled student, but in all reality being home schooled may actually get you more ready for the real world. 

Like mentioned before, just imagine waking up every morning at whatever time you wanted and never having to pick out an outfit to wear to school or even eating breakfast in your pj's while learning right in your own living room. Home schooling doesn't sound too bad, so don't knock it before you try it. You never know if you are actually going to like something until you try it and maybe home schooling will better your future for you. 
References:
Chang, S., Gould, O. N., & Meuse, R. E. (2011). The Impact of Schooling on Academic Achievement: Evidence from Homeschooled and Traditionally Schooled Students. Canadian Journal of Behavioral Science, 43, 195-202

Kunzman, R. (2009). Understanding homeschooling a better approach to regulation. Theory and Research in Education, 7, 311-330

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