Varying lengths of radical change define the present society. For example, brick-and-mortar classrooms, which have for the longest time dominated learning, are now being challenged by unconventional learning methods such as homeschooling. However, part of the problem with homeschooling is that it faces financial constraints. It also limits the children’s level of socialization and requires parents to spend considerable time with their children. This paper details both the benefits and disadvantages of homeschooling.
Homeschooling continues to gain appeal because it offers an opportunity for individualized learning while solving many of the problems faced by the conventional public and private learning models. Technology has made it even easier to teach outside the classroom. The number of homeschooled children continues to increase at a rate corresponding that of technology growth. In 1999 there were an estimated 850,000 homeschooled children compared to 1.7 million in 2016 (Silva, 2018). Furthermore, homeschooling has transformed from a possible alternative to brick and mortar classrooms and evolved into a hybrid form of learning. Children that choose the homeschooling option have at their disposal an array of avenues through which they can access educational material. For instance, a homeschooled child may be enrolled in online courses as well as regular school-based sessions. To further illustrate the popularity of homeschooling, Silva (2018) indicates that over 30% of middle school and high school were enrolled in some form of an online course. These statistics are an indication that as technology continues to challenge established methods of doing things, more and more people are likely to adopt novel trends such as homeschooling.
Homeschooling solves many of the problems faced by the conventional public and private learning models. Public and private schooling comes with unique difficulties. For instance, the public may be an easy way to get the appropriate education. However, public schooling is accompanied by problems such as large class sizes. According to research (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2018), some public institutions may have as many as thirty students for every instructor. These resource inadequacies translate into low-quality education. Private schools, on the other hand, are accompanied by a budget that is admittedly out of reach for many people (Urquiola, 2016). Another problem with conventional learning models is that some parents feel they have minimal control over the syllabus to which their children are exposed. A homeschooling arrangement is one that would appeal to this group since it would give them control over what their children learn.
Besides consuming time and resources, Homeschooling requires spouses to spend a lot of time with their kids, which means less time for each other. According to Sen (2016), Parents who are not teachers by profession might need to learn how to prepare lessons as well as teaching techniques. It calls for parents to research ways to achieve higher standards for their kids constantly. What is more, parents must learn to be innovative and adaptable in order to help slow learner kids and those who require special attention. Even though more and more families continue adopting homeschooling, most parents cannot fully figure out the concept of not taking their kids to regular schools (Sen, 2016). It implies, therefore, that those who choose this route have to justify it once and again to their counterparts, which can be pretty frustrating. Others who disapprove of homeschooling even question the level of knowledge and intelligence of your kids since they believe that they cannot learn properly in a homeschooling setup.
Socialization, especially with children of the same age, is probably the biggest challenge facing homeschooled children. Although some parents attempt to address the socialization challenge by organizing for play dates with other homeschooling families, these children still miss out big on many sporting activities which can make their school life worth remembering (Jolly & Matthews, 2018). For parents with limited resources, little commitment, and patience to help their children successfully learn outside a conventional school environment, homeschooling is not an ideal education system for them. It also means that either you or your spouse will not engage in meaningful employment so that you can take the children through homeschooling. However, given that the kids require books, sporting tools, and other facilities, homeschooling can become too expensive.
In a nutshell, homeschooling is among contemporary ideas slowly gaining immense attention. It is considered the future of education because it is in line with developments in the area of technology, learning theory, as well as in the ideals held by society regarding education. However, homeschooling might not be ideal in proving the most effective education to children whose parents face financial challenges and those who cannot be available to guide their children 24/7. Such parents can, however, ensure that their children still get decent education by organizing for supplemental lessons at home and other forms of learning that occur outside the classroom.
References
Jolly, J. L., & Matthews, M. S. (2018). The chronicles of homeschooling gifted learners. Journal of School Choice, 12(1), 123-145.
National Center for Educational Statistics. (2018). Fast facts. Retrieved from: https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=28
Sen, V. (2016). Towards Customized Privatization in Public Education in British Columbia: The Provincial Education Plan and Personalized Learning. Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, (180).
Silva, E. (2018). What is the future of homeschooling? New America. Retrieved from: https://www.newamerica.org/weekly/edition-218/future-homeschooling/
Urquiola, M. (2016). Competition among schools: Traditional public and private schools. In Handbook of the Economics of Education (Vol. 5, pp. 209-237). Elsevier.
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