Education System where Children Obtain Education Outside the School Environment - Essay Example

HOME SCHOOLING Introduction Home schooling is an education system where children obtain education outside the school environment. The system allows the parent to guide the children in various aspects of education depending on the guidelines of a particular state (Mur, 2003). Home schooling is a common practice in various developed economies in the world such as United States, Australia, United Kingdom and Canada (Glanzer, 2008). The practice of home schooling is prevalent in countries that comprise of varied religious and cultural diversity. Most states in United States embrace the concept of home schooling, which promotes learning outside the classic private and public schools (Lampmt and Wuthnow, 2008). Home schooling allows the parents to determine the content of the syllabus based on the legal and social provision of a particular state. Various education bodies in the country monitor the conduct of both parents and children in order to ensure the children acquire adequate and appropriate education (Lampmt and Wuthnow, 2008). The concept of home schooling started in 1970s after some educators begun encouraging the parents to conduct tuition for their children at home. Educators and researchers such as Raymond Moore, Dorothy and John Holt led the home schooling movement (Sheng, 2013). The individuals conducted massive campaigns in various schools, media and households encouraging the parents to adopt the home schooling system in order to reduce the cost of education. In addition, they encouraged the parents to utilise home schooling as an avenue for enhancing their relationships with the children (Collom, 2002). The arguments of the researchers were based on the idea that the traditional public and private school environment interfered with the morality of the children. In addition, the scholars highlighted that children concentrate more under the supervision of their parents than under the teachers’ guidance. The idea of home schooling continues to grow significantly in United States because most parents prefer to tutor their children at home. Research indicates that most of the young generation parents prefer home schooling their children in order to enhance their morality and quality of education. In addition, other parents engage their children in home schooling system in order to uphold particular religious beliefs in the society (Mur, 2003). For example, Muslim families in United States educate their children at home in order to incorporate the religious concepts in their training (Aurini and Davies, 2005. Additionally, parents prefer the home schooling system due the hectic involved in the public and private school systems in the country. Moreover, individuals perceive the public schools as an avenue that limits the indulgence of the children in various co-curricular activities such as sporting and talent shows (Lampmt and Wuthnow, 2008). The home schooling system allows parents to determine the content of their children education, which is essential in promoting the quality. There are various arguments about whether home schooling is beneficial to the children the society currently. The issue of home schooling is controversial because the system allows parents to determine the content of their children’ syllabus at different levels of education (Kunzman, 2012). In addition, home schooling is regarded as a hindrance for the children to participate in social activities. The paper discusses an issue of controversy regarding the benefits of home schooling to the children in the country. The research further supports the argument that home schooling is beneficial to the children in the society (Miser, 2005). Analysis of Literature Home schooling is among the common education systems in the United Kingdom. The concept of home schooling was developed by various scholars in 1070s in order to enhance the quality of education for children who needed special attention. Home schooling enables parents to supervise their child effectively in which is crucial in identifying their strengths and weaknesses in various subjects (Lampmt and Wuthnow, 2008). The aim of home schooling was to avoid congestions in the traditional boarding and private schools. In addition, the scholars highlighted the need to establish a schooling criterion where parents can monitor the behaviour of their children at home. In 1970s, the cost of education in private schools was very high which also led to the development of home schooling (Glanzer, 2008). The founders of the schooling system examined various aspects of education such as social interaction, quality of education, freedom and context. The individuals created the schooling system that provides parents with adequate authority over the contents their children are exposed to in a learning environment. The scholars also examined the financial aspect of the schooling system (Sheng, 2013). According to research, home schooling is cheaper than the private boarding schools set up. The financial advantage of the home schooling system occurs due to the reduction in the transportation cost to and from school. In addition, the parents do not incur various costs involved in public and private schools. Home schooling is also common United Kingdom because of the advancement in technology, which enables parents to undertake their office roles at home. In this case, the parents have adequate time to tutor and evaluate their children based on the guidelines of various education authorities in the country. The schooling system also provides parents with an appropriate opportunity to interact with their children effectively. This interaction promotes good relationships between the kids and the parents (Aurini and Davies, 2005). Home schooling also enables the parents to examine the character of their children in the society (Glanzer, 2008). A childs approach towards various activities and concepts in the society enables the parents to identify specific characters in the child (Sheng, 2013). The learning system provides the parents with an appropriate platform to examine the talents of their children, which is an essential aspect of child development. The process of identifying the talents among the children enables the parents to determine effective criteria for teaching the children. In addition, the parents can obtain specialised training and examination on the subject matter from various experts in the society. The authorities and opponents of the home schooling system in United Kingdom do not embrace the concept of home schooling due to various reasons. First, home schooling interfered with the regular education systems that promote uniformity in the education sector. Home schooling provides the parents with the authority to determine the context and criteria of delivering education to the children (Sherfinski, 2014). The concept of home schooling interferes with the set guidelines in the education systems, which hinders efficiency and quality of education. Secondly, the education authorities opposed the concept of home schooling because it provided an avenue for increasing disintegration in the country (Sheng, 2013). The traditional public and private schools provide learners with a platform to interact with a person from different backgrounds in the society (Leon, 2012). The social interaction between students from different social-cultural backgrounds promotes unity in the country and helps to curve the aspect racial discrimination in the country. Home schooling was introduced in United Kingdom at a period when the country was undergoing adverse changes in the economy and composition of the society. The country was also experiencing high levels of immigration that promoted the government tom utilise school as an avenue for enhancing unity in the country (Mayberry, 1995). Thirdly, home schooling limits the relevant authorities to access the quality of education provided by different households in the country. Home schooling can be used as avenue for promoting extremism in the society because of the religious diversity in the country. Some parents might use the home schooling platform to instil misguiding ideas in their children, which promotes extremism acts in the society. In addition, home schooling might undermine the education system in the country (Sherfinski, 2014). The government has minimal authority over the context of the syllabus for home based learners in the country. The parents might endorse ineffective teaching methods in order to impress their children. The initiative of impressing the children undermines the quality of education provided by the parents. In addition, the misconception that parents cannot give poor grades to their children prompts the authorities to oppose the concept of home schooling in the society (Speer et al., 2010). It is important to direct the children appropriately during the learning process in order to enhance their abilities to grasp main concepts in a particular subject (Hanna, 2011). Fourthly, the education authorities in United Kingdom perceive home schooling as a hindrance to social development in the children. Individuals who undergo the home schooling process have trouble expressing themselves in the society, which limits their communication skills in the industrial setup (Mayberry, 1995). Communication is an integral aspect of the society because it facilitates good relationships among different persons in the society (Glanzer, 2008). Effective communication also enables an individual to inquire regarding a particular approach in their workplace, which promotes efficiency (Hanna, 2011). The tradition private and public schooling environment in the society promotes interaction among students that is crucial in developing effective communication skills (Aurini and Davies, 2005). Person who goes through the public and private education systems develop good communication skills based on their interactions with other students in the school. Moreover, the student develops various problem-solving skills in the society because of their interaction the school environment (Speer et al., 2010). Finally, homeschooling minimises the level of competitiveness among children in the society. Home schooling involves individuals from the same family, which limits their ability to compete effectively. The children are mainly at different levels of education, which hinders them from competing at the same level. Competition is essential in enhancing innovation and creativity in the society. The regular schooling system in the country promotes competition among students through various ways such as participating in class activities and the regular assessment tests (Hanna, 2011). The tests assessment tests provided to the students in the normal schooling system provide the students with an appropriate platform to compare their performance with their classroom (WANG, 2007). On the other hand, home scholars rely on the districts tests provided by the relevant education authorities in the country. The learners can gauge their performance with other students at the national level, which limits their competitiveness. In addition, the level of academic and social competition among learners in the home schooling setup is limited by to their households and neighbours (WANG, 2007). Home scholars mainly associate with other home scholars in the society, which limits their participation in social activities. Additionally, the learners operate under the observation of their parents, which hinders them from engaging other students in their social activities. Lack of competitiveness among the learners limits their performance in the work environment. Home-based learners have trouble ascending the organisational structure at their respective workplaces due to lack of competitiveness and limited communication skills (Mayberry, 1995). The opponents and education authorities disregard the home schooling criterion because of its impact on the academic and social aspects of the students. The opponents the home-based schooling argue that the system promotes divisions in the society, which hinders a peaceful coexistence among different persons in the society (Hanna, 2011). The arguments of the opponents of the home schooling system focus on quality of education and different social aspects. The proponents of home schooling system in United Kingdom and other parts of the world identify various benefits of the education system to the children and parents. First, home schooling provides the parents with a humble avenue to examine the performance of their children both academically and socially (WANG, 2007). In this case, the parents use the schooling platform to interact effectively with the children. This interaction is essential in identifying the weaknesses of the children in the academic and social contexts (Aurini and Davies, 2005). In addition, the parent provides regular test to the children, which is crucial in evaluating their academic performance. The schooling criterion also provides the parents with an opportunity to establish the causes of certain characters in their children (Yuracko, 2011). Some behaviour among children hinders academic performance in various ways. The home schooling approach enables the parents to examine the character of their children effectively in order to establish their influence on the academic performance of the children (Hanna, 2011). Secondly, home schooling approach enables the parents to identify appropriate learning materials for their children, which is essential in moral development. Some religions limit the social content that is provided to children at different ages in the development. For example, sex education to elementary learners is illegal in certain religions, which focus on enhancing the values and morals of individuals in the society (WANG, 2007). In this case, home schooling provides the parents with an appropriate platform to instil relevant knowledge to their children based on the guidelines of their religion. In addition, it enables the parents to incorporate various aspects of religion in their curriculum, which is essential enhancing the knowledge of the children in their religion (Windley, 2006). Home schooling enables the children to avoid instances such as peer pressure in the society. Peer pressure is the main cause of unwanted characters and practices among learners in the contemporary schooling system (Miser, 2005). Individuals in the home schooling setup associate with their fellow home scholars, which is crucial in developing their character appropriately. For example, individuals in the regular schooling system engage in risky activities such as drug abuse, bullying, early intercourse and crime. The desire of various students to suit a particular group of persons leads to various crimes and habits in the society and school contexts (Windley, 2006). Thirdly, home schooling is an appropriate avenue for observing the students appropriately. The tutors monitor Home scholars effectively in order to enhance their academic performance. In addition, the close observation of the students in the learning environment enables the teachers to identify various talents among children (Hanna, 2011). Home schooling provides the parents with an appropriate environment to identify the talents, which facilitates early talent development (Windley, 2006). The parents can enrol their children in appropriate talent academies in order to promote growth in them. Talent development is an essential element of child development because it promotes creativity and innovation in a particular field. For example, home schooling enables the parents or tutors to identify certain talents such as artistry in the children (Bolle, Wessel and Mulvihill, 2007). The talent owner is enrolled in specialised art institutions in the country to promote adequate development of the talent. On the other hand, talent development in the tradition schooling is minimal because of the high number of students and limited resources. This co-curricular activities resources limitation in public schools hinders effective discovery and development of talent among the students. In addition, the large students populace hinder personal observation among the learners (Bolle, Wessel and Mulvihill, 2007). Close observation of the student enables the parents to establish specific weaknesses of the learners in a particular, which is essential in developing improvement measures. For example, a student who is weak in the addition concept in mathematics is identified during the early development in order to initiate tuition initiatives. Fourthly, home schooling provides the learners with adequate freedom, which is essential in the development of the brain. Freedom is an essential aspect of the development process in children. In addition, it provides the learners with adequate time to explore various elements of the society, which is essential for expansion of knowledge, behold the academic context. Freedom is also important in enhancing the perception of individuals regarding different concepts in the society, which promotes innovation among the children. The freedom also enables individuals to interact with the environment effectively, which is an integral part of the learning process (Komasara, 2007). Homeschoolers are not limited to a particular schedule, which is essential to creating time for sports and entertainment in order to enhance growth among the children. Freedom is crucial in enhancing curiosity in the children, which facilitates innovation in the society (Miser, 2005). In addition, the freedom provided by the concept of home schooling enables the learners to exploit their talents effectively, which is crucial for talent development in the children. Children are also able to grasp various concepts in their academic work because of the provisions of freedom in the home-based curriculum (Miser, 2005). Finally, the proponents of the concept of home schooling argue that the curriculum for home scholars focuses on the essential subjects in the curriculum. Home schooling enables the tutors to identify the most relevant subjects to teach the student, which promotes goal-oriented teaching in the education. The criterion of focusing on the relevant subjects promotes the quality of education delivered to the children in the society. In addition, the training given the home scholars focus on developing specific skills to the learners, which is essential in enhancing their knowledge regarding a particular field of specialisation in future (MERRY and KARSTEN, 2010). The proponents of the concept argue that home schooling is essential in enhancing concept-based knowledge among the learners because the students interact directly with their tutors. The physical interaction of the students with the teachers in the home schooling context leads to the development of good rapport between the learners and the teachers (Komasara, 2007). The rapport developed enhances effective understanding of the context of various subjects among the learners, which is essential for promoting academic performance at the national level. Home-based schooling is an appropriate alternative to the traditional schooling systems because it promotes quality and efficiency in education sector. Additionally, it facilitates talent developments and career-oriented training of the learners according to the proponents of the concept (MERRY and KARSTEN, 2010). Critique Home schooling is one of the education approaches developed in 1970s in order to minimise congestions in public elementary schools in United States. The aim of home schooling is to enhance the quality of education and provide an avenue for individuals to incorporate religious aspects in the curriculum. The controversy of home schooling results from a perception that the system is not beneficial to the learners. Researchers supporting the concept of home schooling identify various benefits of the concept of the learners and the parents (Collom, 2002). On the other hand, researchers who are opposed to the idea of home schooling establish various weaknesses of the schooling system. In addition, they argue that the system does not benefit the students. Home schooling provides various benefits to the learners. First, the learners obtain goal-oriented training at their homes. Home schooling provides the parents or tutors with an avenue establish the content of the subjects. Most home-based tutors select the subjects that focus on enhancing the career of the children at an early stage. Early career development is essential in creating passion and interest of an individual in a particular career (Collom, 2002). In addition, the students acquire religious education in the home schooling context, which is crucial in enhancing an individual’s morals and values in the society (McIntyre-Bhatty, 2007). Goal-oriented training of the learners is not possible in the regular schooling setup because of lack of adequate equipment and resources as well as congestion in various learning platforms. In addition, the tradition schooling system relies on a set of guidelines for the relevant education authorities, which prevents the tutors from deviating from the guidelines (Collom, 2002). Secondly, home schooling enables the learners to identify their talents during early development stages. The curriculum that is developed by the parents ensures that the children have adequate time to interact and engage in co-curricular activities, which is essential to talent development (McIntyre-Bhatty, 2007). Career development for home scholars is possible because the approach provides the learners with adequate freedom to free interaction in order to establish their talents effectively (Kunzman, 2012). In addition, it provides the tutors with an appropriate avenue to identify the talents of their students, which prompts early development initiatives. The idea of identifying and developing the talents of the children benefits the children in various ways. The learners can develop their talents in order to enhance their performance in their fields effectively (Bolle, Wessel and Mulvihill, 2007). Talent development among regular learners in the tradition-schooling environment faces various challenges such as limited equipment, specialised trainers and adherence to the guidelines provided by the national education authorities. Thirdly, home schooling is beneficial to the children because it enables the learners to select the subjects of their interests. The provision for the learner to identify their subject of interest is essential enhancing their performance in the respective subjects. In addition, the subject selection freedom provided to the learners enables the tutors to identify the causes of the student’s dislike of a particular subject (Collom, 2002). Subject-oriented learning in home schooling facilitates acquisition of quality education by the learners. On the other hand, learners in regular schooling have no freedom to select their subjects of choice during the early stages of education, which hinder their academic performance (McIntyre-Bhatty, 2007). The process of giving the learners freedom to select their subject of choice enables the children to develop interests in the particular subject (Bolle, Wessel and Mulvihill, 2007). Finally, home schooling provides an avenue for introvert learners to inquire regarding different concepts of a subject. Introverts learners can ask the parents various questions in order to acquire reliable and appropriate information about the concept (Kunzman, 2012). On the other hand, introverts have no room to express themselves in the regular schooling environment because of the fear of embarrassment. This fear limits learners from succeeding academically because of lack of adequate understanding of the subject (Komasara, 2007). Conclusion Home schooling refers to processing of teaching children and adults from home. The concept of home schooling involves the process where parents take the responsibility of teaching their children on various aspects of education. The parents participate in the daily learning of their children. The research focused on the elementary level of education in United Kingdom. The research identified the benefits of home schooling based on the arguments of various scholars in the field. In addition, the study examined the negative arguments regarding home schooling based on the existing literature on the issue. The critics of home schooling argue that home schooling prevents the children from engaging in various social activities such as interaction, playing and sharing ideas with others. This social limitation affects the individual’s performance at the workplaces or in institutions of higher learning. In addition, the opponents argue that home schooling comprises the quality of elementary education in the United Kingdom. They further highlight that government authorities in the education sector oppose the concept of home schooling because of the limited government involvement in the process. The opponents of home schooling identify various benefits of the education system such as promotion of quality and facilitation of talent development among the children. Home schooling enables the parents to observe the children effectively in order to identify their weaknesses in various aspects of the society. The parents can establish talents of the children at an early stage. Home schooling also promotes goal and career-oriented learning among children, which is essential for enhancing their performance at the national level. Home schooling benefits the learners in various ways such as the provision of quality tutoring by the parents and development of their talents. In addition, it provides the students with adequate freedom to participate in various social activities. The research, therefore, upholds the argument that home schooling is beneficial for children. References Aurini, J. and Davies, S. 2005. Choice without markets: homeschooling in the context of private education. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 26(4), pp.461-474. Bolle, M., Wessel, R. and Mulvihill, T. 2007. Transitional Experiences of First-Year College Students Who Were Homeschooled. Journal of College Student Development, 48(6), pp.637-654. Collom, E. 2002. Kingdom of Children: Culture and Controversy in the Homeschooling Movement by Mitchell L. 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Yuracko, K. 2011. Education off the Grid: Constitutional Constraints on Homeschooling. SSRN Journal. Read More