Home Schooling as the Process of Educating at Home Either by Tutors or Parent - Essay Example

HOME SCHOOLING {Insert university’s name} {Insert instructor’s name} {Insert student’s name} September 27, 2012 HOME SCHOOLING What is home schooling? Home schooling is defined as the process of educating at home either by tutors or parents. Home schooling does not take place in a formal settings of private or public schools but rather within home settings. Before the compulsory school attendance laws were introduced, childhood education took place either within the community or family settings. In the modern society, homeschooling has been adopted by developed countries whereby it is a legal option thus permits parents to provide their children with an alternative learning environment to private or public schools. This essay will examine the aspect of homeschooling, differences of homeschooling across cultures as well as compare home schooling in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to home schooling in countries around the world. Finally, it will highlight advantages and disadvantages as well as effects of homeschooling before providing a conclusion. How homeschooling differ from one culture to the other Home schooling differ from one culture to the other. In the American culture there are many reasons why parents are motivated to home school their children. Some of the highlighted reasons are: to provide moral or religious instruction and the existing dissatisfaction with the private and public schools academic instructions (Greene, 1998). However, in some cultures such as Muslim culture it is a form of parenting style whereby children are taught about the Koran and community values. Furthermore, while homeschooling in American culture is for both boys and girls, in Muslim culture home schooling is preserved for girls as a means of secluding them from the community and mainly for teaching them Muslim values. On other hand, for rural communities it is an option because of the inaccessible of formal schools. American culture further prefers home schooling for the purpose of apprenticeship and mentorship while in other cases it is used as a form of supplementary education. Comparison of home schooling in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to home schooling in countries around the world UAE education system in comparison to other nations across the world is relatively new. Home schooling has been a common system of education in UAE with great focus on religious studies. Children are taught by either tutors or parents about Arabic calligraphy, arithmetic, writing and about the holy book Quran. However as a result of expatriates, homeschooling perspective has changed to include formal curriculum (Greene, 1998). Many international families in UAE prefer homeschooling other than conventional one. However, home schooling is mostly preferred by parents who prefer the international schools curriculum. In homeschooling setting, private tutors are able to provide education continuity for the learning of the child. However, home schooling in nations in countries such as USA is widely spread as compared to UAE whereby it is only common among the expatriates that follow the international curriculum. Additionally, parents opt for home schooling to help their children wit subjects such as sciences and foreign languages which may be challenging to teach. Consequently in USA, there are a number of curriculums from a variety of religious and secular sources that parents and tutors can choose from. The mentioned enables the parents to choose a curriculum that is most suitable to their children. However, UAE home schooling does not provide the aforementioned freedom. Furthermore, American home schooling is evaluated and monitored. For instance, a number of states in the America have specified requirements which include: curriculum approval, submission of attendance records, test score standardization and impromptu visits from department of education. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF HOME SCHOOLING Key players in the education sector have argued on the advantages and disadvantages of home schooling. The argument about advantages and disadvantages of home schooling can go on forever. The following section will highlight some of the advantages and disadvantages of home schooling. Advantages of home schooling Home schooling is advantageous to children due to the fact that they are in a position to receive sufficient attention and focus from the tutor. This is because there is curriculum flexibility as the tutor and the parent are capable of adjusting the curriculum to meet the child’s aptitude. As compared to private or public school setting, home schooling enables a child to attain one-to-one instruction from the tutor who not only have knowledge of the child but also his/her abilities (Kilborn, 2000). Another advantage of home schooling is that there is reduced peer pressure. According to Greene (1998) private or public education encourages unhealthy competition among learners while homeschooling specifically encourages learning. Apart from reduced peer pressure, the element of home schooling promotes family. Society believes that it is the role of the parents to promote core values and beliefs in their children. Due to the fact that parents are in a position to spend adequate time with their children if they are home schooled, the process promotes family values and beliefs in children (Kilborn, 2000). Additionally, home schooling enables parents and teachers to have full control of what the children learn. According to Klicka (1998) the process of teachers and children having control of what subjects children should learn has great benefits. This is because the parents have the authority to select the best reading materials as well as other instructional resources that will be effective in teaching the children. Moreover, there are various methods for conducting home schooling and these include: formation of small groups with other home schooling families an aspect that encourages socialization. Other forms include; creation of small classes, online learning, utilization of an individual specialist, using professionally prepared curriculum and correspondence via virtual schools, email or mail. Hence, the parents can easily decide on the mode of instruction to be used by the tutor (Klicka, 1998). Lastly, the main reason given against home schooling is that it does not enable children to attain social skills. Nonetheless, according to Kilborn (2000) children being in class and competing with fellow children does not result into socialization. Home schooling presents children with real community that enables them to interact with individuals from different age groups. Disadvantages of home schooling Apart from the advantages of home schooling there are also disadvantages. On socialization, it has been argued that home schooling makes children to lose the necessity of socialization that is provided by public and private schools environment. In a traditional learning environment such as public and private schools, children are in a position to interact not only with one another but also with adults. Additionally, they can cope in an environment that is multi-dimensional an aspect that will enable them to develop coping skills necessary in gaining entry in workforce as adults (Sugarman & Kemerer, 1999). Consequently, home schooling does not provide separation between a child and parent. The mentioned bond occurs when home schooling become invaluable, nonetheless, homeschooling fails to provide a break between the child and the parent. This makes children to be extremely dependent on either the parents or the caregivers. Moreover, home schooling makes children not to be in a position to learn future public education norms. According to Sugarman & Kemerer (1999) home schooling enables children to be well equipped to move to the next education level, however they may not learn the expected norms in a traditional learning environment. Another disadvantage of home schooling is based on the aspect of re-intergration. According to Sugarman & Kemerer (1999) a number of states fail to provide high school diploma for home schooled learners. Therefore, if parents decide to take their children to high school for the purpose of obtaining formal diploma, some children may find it challenging not only integrating into the recommended social environment but also learning in an environment that is formally structured. Homeschooling makes it challenging for the children to do their assignments. Effects of home schooling to student’s life Having examined the advantages and disadvantages of home schooling let us now highlight some of the effects of home schooling to the life of a student. Additionally, homeschooling impacts on the social skills/life of a student positively. This is due to the fact that home schooled children are not subjected to drugs, violence, peer pressure and other negative influences that are common in either private or public schools. However, despite the fact that home schooling equips children with social skills just like public and private schools it fails to prepare them for the competing world. In the current world, there is competition in every field and public and private schools equip children wit the skills that enable them to face competition (Ray, 1997). Nonetheless, home schooling does not provide learners with the opportunity to compete with other kids. Additionally, learners may fail to understand their educational position/standings in the competitive world. The mentioned may impact negatively on their future lives as they may not be in a position to survive competitive careers. Ray (1997) it is not only academic education that children require in order for them to become successful in life. It is essential that they learn not only to communicate but also interact in the society. However, home schooling fails to provide these critical skills which are also present in conventional school environment. The friendship formed in the conventional school environment is important as children learn the importance of being there for their friends and also sharing. Therefore, home schooling does not instill into the children the virtue of sharing and togetherness. Additionally, conventional school environment provide children with an opportunity to get involved in different curriculum activities an aspect that enhances their overall development (Sugarman & Kemerer, 1999). However, children who are home schooled do not fully exercise their talents which may be useful in their future lives. In the conventional school environment, children are in a position to gain access to various facilities such as libraries, computers among others things that they may fail to get as a result of their parents financial position. The mentioned can impact negatively on the education of the child. Moreover, certain colleges consider enrolling school educated children for particular careers an aspect that impact negatively on homeschooled children as they may fail to pursue career of their choice in future. Conclusion In conclusion, despite the aforementioned disadvantages, homeschooling has positive effects for children and many outperform their colleagues on standardized testing scores. Nonetheless, it is important for parents to carefully examine all aspects of home schooling prior to making a decision. It is true that home schooling and conventional schooling has disadvantages and advantages as well as positive and negative effects to student’s lives, however, from the discussion in this essay, it is evident that school enables children to acquire that are essential in facing and surviving the tribulations and trials of modern life. References Greene, J. P. 1998. "Civic Values in Public and Private Schools." In Learning from School Choice, ed. Paul E. Peterson and Bryan C. Hassel. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press. Kilborn, P. T. (2000). "Learning at Home, Students Take the Lead." New York Times May 24. Klicka, C.J. (1998). The Right to Home School. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press. Ray, B. 1997. Strengths of Their Own: Home Schoolers Across America: Academic Achievement, Family Characteristics, and Longitudinal Traits. Salem, OR: National Home Education Research Institute. Sugarman, S. D., & Kemerer, F. R. (1999). School Choice and Social Controversy: Politics, Policy, and Law. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press. Read More