Homeschool For The Win: Its Benefits Over Public Schools

Throughout the years, many people’s perspectives on homeschooling have changed dramatically. Students don’t necessarily have to be homeschooled. As long as kids receive a proper education, they can be successful in many ways. However, homeschooling can be very beneficial. Although it isn’t very common now, there is much evidence that shows the increasing rates of children being homeschooled. I’ve had childhood friends who were homeschooled their entire lives, and I’ve had friends who I went to public school that left to be homeschooled. Similarly, they graduated on time, if not early, and have continued on to well-known, accredited schools such as UGA or Georgia State University. Before the 1960s, homeschooling was the primary source of education (Homeschooling). Homeschooling has proven to be beneficial because children learn more practical life skills, earn better test scores, and are provided more time and opportunity to learn.

One reason some people oppose this method of education is that they believe parents are unequipped, lacking the skill and materials to teach like a certified teacher. Some parents have proven to be biased in their teachings, only allowing religion-based materials to be the foundation of their child’s education as opposed to proven facts. However, religion-based texts have always been the central element in many private religious schools while using other educational materials, as well as teaching religion itself. In 1972, the case Wisconsin v. Yoder, religious objections to fundamental education were ruled constitutional, because the court believed freedom of religion outweighed the state’s interest in public education. This verdict came after Old Order Amishmen, an American term used to describe those of Amish descent that resisted “new” forms of technology, church, and social organization, from two separate communities, refused to send their children to high school, claiming that furthering their education conflicted with their religious beliefs (Homeschooling). The conflict between religion and education has been an ongoing concern and central issue for many years. Parents have begun to take matters into their own hands. They are believed to be underqualified and lack certification, but all that a certification tells us is that someone endured extra schooling to achieve a title or status. The question that often arises is, if they are not required to have any certification, is this really a sufficient way to educate future generations? “If parents are not even going to subject themselves to a literacy test—something that would be important, given the levels of functional illiteracy in the United States—then how can we know they are even able to teach their children to read” (Downes)?

It is also believed that homeschooling reduces a child’s chance to learn to socially interact and become a pivotal role in society. The National Education Association (NEA) believes that public schools offer experiences and opportunities not available at home, such as group collaboration, labs, and activities that develop friendships like school dances (Mur). However, a 1996 study determined that parents who homeschool their children participate in civic activities more than parents with kids in public school, including voting, attending town meetings, and involvement in politics and volunteering. Growing up, I met my friends that were homeschooled through organizations such as Girl Scouts of the USA. Even though homeschooled students are not taught in a traditional setting, they are still given the opportunity to interact with public school kids. A majority of states allow homeschooled students to participate in high school sports and other extracurricular activities.

By being taught at home, students learn practical life skills and have more time for hobbies because they are not strictly curriculum bound. Cindy Mur addresses the progressive results of children in this situation, proving that they do in fact, acquire more life skills. “One 60 Minutes segment in 2001 spotlighted a family with five children, all of whom played piano and all of whom were accepted at the elite music academy Julliard—something that was unprecedented. As homeschooled students, they were able to practice many hours a day, something they would not have been able to do if they attended public school” (Mur). A study by Dr. Brian Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute revealed that homeschooled students participate in 5 activities a week, including fine arts such as music and theater, visiting museums, form their own recreational athletic teams, and even host their own tournaments for some healthy competition (Mur).

Not only do you learn material that can be useful, when being homeschooled, you are also taught how to budget and use time efficiently, as opposed to strictly focusing on school work. Yes, in public school you take Home Economics or a health class that participates in those “baby assignments,” but they don’t really teach us many practical lessons about life. Neither of those classes teaches us how to write a check or balance a checkbook, nor do they explain how to budget or save money. In today’s society, the world revolves around money, and because people never learn these vital parts of being an adult in school, they tend not to succeed quickly after graduating but hey, I’m pretty sure we all learned how to measure flour correctly! Receiving an education at home will allow more freedom for curriculum, aside from the required courses. Parents can incorporate essential knowledge such as using a credit card effectively, investing and receiving passive income, and even awareness on subjects that are not discussed in typical classroom settings.

It has been proven that homeschooled students have better standardized test scores. Several studies have suggested that homeschooled students perform better academically than their counterparts in public schools. “The average home-schooled student scored 81 points higher on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) than the general population in 2000”. The top three [finalist] at the 2000 National Spelling Bee were homeschooled (Mur). It’s also shown that a parent’s background has little to no effect on the child, they still test in the 80th-90th percentile. Referring back to that childhood friend, Melody from Girl Scouts, she was so devoted to her school work and succeeding in general, that she was able to take the SAT’s like a high school sophomore and scored what a high school junior would achieve on average. I remember learning that most high school students score around 1300 on their first attempt at the SAT, even with preparation.

Lastly, homeschool kids possess more time and opportunity to learn. The positive impact that personalized lesson plans and one-on-one instruction have had on students in traditional schools suggests that the level of personal attention presented in homeschooling could further improve academic performance. Parents of children with special needs may choose to homeschool because they feel that the school cannot provide the necessary level of care and instruction. “According to Dr. Ray's research, a child in the government school whose parent has a master's degree, or a teaching certificate will score 25-30 percent lower, on average, than a homeschooled student whose parent has only a high-school diploma or less. In homeschooling, it is the customized context and the parental involvement that make the difference” (Wayne). Each Individual’s brains are hardwired differently, some might be kinesthetic learners or sensory, then there are those who were born with special needs. Even in the school system, special needs children are not taught personalized lessons, they are taught in a class – although substantially smaller than most classes – with other students who have the same disabilities, in varying degrees. Being homeschooled allows for them to be taught in unique ways that appeal to them by not only helping them achieve an education but also possibly exciting them about school and learning.

Although homeschooling does not always allow for a student to interact with many peers in their age group, they are given the opportunity to become a vital part of their community, allowing them to function in society without having to succumb to the idiosyncrasies of modern-day adolescence. While being enrolled in an institutional school can be beneficial, it can also hinder a child’s development by being easily susceptible to the influence of other kids and peers. It is understandable that people have doubts when it comes to the homeschooled educator’s background knowledge and certifications, but it does not define the future and potential outcome of children that are homeschooled. It has even been proven that the educator’s background has nearly no effect on the success of their students. In conclusion, homeschooling better equips the youth for their future, rather than attending public or private school because you learn a similar, but a more in-depth curriculum, get to know yourself and how your brain functions, and still get most of the benefits of a regular student. This form of education allows a student to receive a more personalized opportunity for development, catering to their specific needs which increases their chances of having a successful future. If given the opportunity, I would homeschool my daughter to give her the best chance she has at an education without distraction. That doesn’t mean she won’t play soccer, become a social butterfly, or learn how to work on cars. Who knows she may just become the next Steve Jobs.