Home Schooling in the 21st Century
As the quality of public schooling continues to decline in America; resulting in poorer and poorer scores on standardized tests, gangs and violence on the rise, and the rash of school shootings in the late 90’s, parents are increasingly losing confidence in public education.
Better Learning at Home
Many parents are finding a better solution to their child’s education with a more personalized home schooling curriculum, giving their children a more effective education at home. There have been so many success stories of students that come from home school environments that are setting many of the perfect scores on the standardized tests.
For many parents, homeschooling is an alternative to expensive private schools where the student teacher ratio is much better than any public school can match. Many also prefer the more relaxed learning atmosphere they can create at home while eliminating the stress to fit in at public school that has long been a distraction for many students.
Coinciding with the home school revolution, the Internet has also brought home schooling into the digital age. The Internet is much more than just a learning aid today as it has empowered parents with specialized curriculum in areas the parent may themselves feel deficient. It can also answer that biggest argument against home schooling; the lack of socialization. The isolation of working from home is broken as both teachers and students can easily interact with instant messaging and other available technologies.
Home Schooling Is Not For Everyone
With all the benefits of home schooling, why wouldn’t more parents choose this route? There are several common reasons. Many parents simply don’t have the time. In more and more families, both parents have to work just to make ends meet. For these families, home schooling is simply impossible. Others look to the supposed gaps in the education provided and feel that specialty lessons such as driver education, are lacking.
In short, it just isn’t for everyone. Each family must decide for themselves whether public, private or home schooling is best for their own children.