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SCHOOLING IS AN ALTERNATIVE OPTION FOR EDUCATION
The question whether home schooling can be an alternative choice for education or not has been preoccupying the experts for some time. Today learning at home is increasing its popularity at a remarkable high rate. Considering that the percent of home schooled students just in the USA have increased from 1.7 to 2.2 between 1999 and 2003 (Lawrence, 2007), one can imply that there was some demand for education away from classroom even in the past years. Also, as Joseph Murphy, a professor at Vanderbilt University, explains in his book “Home Schooling in America” that the number of homeschooled children nowadays has augmented exactly 200 times when it is compared to 1970s (2012, para. 2). Providing several benefits, home schooling is not only bears better learning, but also allows what the student want to do. Thus, home schooling is clearly beneficial for the education owing to its unique features.
Some may argue that home schooling is detrimental. It is the thesis of these supporters that home schooling affects the pupils’ socializing with his/her environment negatively. They believe that home schooling leads a child not to find a friend. However, this idea cannot go further being an immature claim because this is just an idea from a narrow point of view. In fact, homeschooling allows the students socialize in a more healthy way rather than public schools in which bullying is very common. A 14-years old boy Jacob Barnett is an autistic child who was taken out of education system to be homeschooled instead. He is the one for whom doctors say that he could not even lace up his shoes, but he is mastering in physics now. Additionally, he is assertive enough to give speech in TEDx talk, and has many friends, as well. This example unveils that home schooling does not affect a child’s social skills negatively. Also, homeschooling does not necessarily mean that there is no social activity for children. Linda Dobson in her book “The Homeschooling: Book Of Answers” states that homeschoolers have an opportunity to have a lot of activities such as field trip, clubs, activities, and sports (Dobson, 2002). Proponents of public schools may also assert that home schooling requires less disipline and flexible curriculum. This position goes on to say that home schooling results in motivation problems for a child. In addition to that, it is supported that the child does not feel sufficient pressure to trigger him/her to do his/her homework. However, serious doubts can be raised against this. For example, they say that homeschooling is more motivative because it helps students focus on only their interests. They continue to their criticism by stating that homework does not necessarily mean that the student get assignment; a work at garden can be homework for plants unit in biology discipline. According to research results, home schooling is considered as something in a positive association with subsequent institutional engagement to higher education relations (Saunder, 2010). Eventually, when these motivating side of home schooling is ignored, it is easy to view home schooling as a weak alternative for education. However, home schooling has some distinct advantages that are unique to it. The conclusion that one needs to come is that home schooling is beneficial for the education owing to its unique features.
It is clear that home schooling is an alternative option for education; first of all, it provides better learning techniques such as tutoring and Charlotte Mason method. Home schoolers use a new vision of learning and teaching which is named as “tutoring”. It is generated from face to face education. Hence, it helps homeschoolers to comprehend the subject much more easily because the teacher just works with a target children rather than address to all children in classroom. Also, teacher-student relationship is not based on commanding-doing in this type of education. Because there is enough time to make practice on time together, the teacher does not need to command the student to do his exercises himself or herself as a homework. Thus, the tutoring method benefits the student because of its verbal communication advantages including body language, tone, modulation of voice which is necessary for transmiting great richness of information. The other method that is implemented for home schooling is Charlotte Mason method. This is a kind of method that contradicts text books that do not reflect personal idea, and supports that the books that are with real life experiences (Martin, para. 8). Also, it is believed to lead the students to learn how to communicate in a good manner. According to Susan Wise Bauer, Andreola’s words “Talking to little ones throughout the day helps them to think” could not be more plausible (as cited in Bauer, n.d., para. 34). She continues to reflect Karen Andreola’s opinion by reporting that building a link between a child and parents via communicating is vital part of classical education; Andreola’s chapter on talking is great sketelon of the process in which a child acquire reasoning skills in conversation, and enrich vocabulary list (Bauer, n.d.). These two techniques in home schooling allow children to search information from more resources rather than depending on text books, and help them to express themselves clearly, thereby gaining the student’s learning activities. Hence, homeschooling uses really good education methods to make education reach its best quality for homeschoolers.
Secondly, homeschooling helps the students shape their real character traits. It makes it by letting a student behave freely, and revealing his/her own character rather than behaving like somebody else. According to David E. Pratte, home schooled children learn and invent something on their own way. They do not imitate their peers’ behavior. Therefore, they behave independently from someone, which shapes their own identity (Pratte, n.d.). As for the students’ interests and hobbies, home schooling enables the students to discover their own interests. A reporter whose nickname Six Brown Chicks interview with Toni J. Spearman’s with her two homeschooled children. She thinks that home schooling is beneficial, and claims that “You are free to explore your child’s individual interests and tailor lessons accordingly” in her pros of education list (as cited in Six Brown Chicks, 2014, para. 6). In addition to that, it keeps the students away being affected by the environment’s negative opinions about his/her interest. Owing to these benefits that home schooling provides for children, it is easy to create a world in which people are satisfied with their own works because they could discover their character traits, and have decided to work on his/her interest accordingly.
Finally, home schooling strenghts family relationships because family can considerably be in contact with the child in teaching process. Mothers or fathers teach, and the more the number of their roles increase, the more the area they share. Therefore, a child adopt his/her parents with their new roles, as well. It ties the child to the family much more. Apart from this, home schooling strenghts family relationships by affording an opportunity of much time with family. Some public schoolers leave for school even without tidying his/her bed. Also, some of them spend a great amount of time when they go to school on foot or by school service vehicle. According to the survey about time use on an average weekday full-time university and college students, a person spend approximately 1.5 hours for travelling per day. The figure is not fixed. When it is calculated, an average university or college student spends 10.5 hours just to go to school and turn back home per week (Thompson, 2012). However, home schoolers can have extra time for fulfilling his/her responsibilities with his/her family by not going to school. At this time, they make chore like digging, cooking, cleaning etc., which is useful for both family and them because they learn something more related to real life when they also help their family in daily house chores. Even the student’s digging with his/her mother or father both ties him/her to his/her family because of performing something together and becomes a good spare time activity.
All things considered, oppositions to home schooling are nothing but unnecessary objections. With its excellent learning techniques like tutoring and Charlotte Mason method, effect on making a child recognize himself/herself, and letting children spend his/her time much more efficiently, it is literally preferable training method. John Taylor Gatto remarks that students are forced to sit in restrain with their peers from nearly the same social status by allowing others formalize their life (Field, 2013). He refers to public school students, and clearly gives the educational message about our education system. Therefore, he reminds us to think about home schooling again, and make some necessary recovery for education before it is too late.
Zeynep Gizem Emir
For the ones who need sources;
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