I Don't Believe Homeschooling Can Replace Sending Kids To School
Start writing a post

I Don't Believe Homeschooling Can Replace Sending Kids To School

Looks and books may break your bones, but school will always help you.

58
I Don't Believe Homeschooling Can Replace Sending Kids To School
flickr

When I used to think of homeschooling, I’d think of parents packing up RV’s and driving their kids across the U.S. to get them in touch with nature and get a real education, whatever that entailed. It wasn’t until we had a go at homeschooling my little brother during kindergarten, that I understood what homeschooling was all about — and it’s not a gypsy freedom.

Nowadays, there are so many programs that provide homeschooling services, many of which are free after 3rd grade. A number of them include interactive classrooms, where there are other students virtually attending and a teacher will actually hold class sessions. My brother joined up with K12, which in kindergarten didn’t come with any horns and whistles. They sent boxes of manipulatives and textbooks, and basically presented an entire online learning plan that my mother was supposed to drag him through.

Even the programs that provide teacher support and peer collaboration can’t compete with actually sending a kid to school, though. My mother’s friend is currently in misery because her son enjoys constantly playing hooky from his online classes; once he does get dragged to the computer, it’s not like the teacher can really call him out for misbehaving, though.

While homeschooling support groups and meet-ups are all very well in their own place, I’ve always felt like my homeschooled acquaintances are more sheltered than other children usually are. They are tentative about stepping into the world, and if they’ve been homeschooled all the way through high school, taking the leap into entering college comes with its own group of problems. I’ve also noticed that some parents who choose to homeschool their kids tend to be slightly overprotective of them, almost as if they think their kids are encircled in a sphere of thin plastic wrap.

Is school life harsh sometimes? Definitely — I can’t count the number of times I’ve gotten into scuffles or just held myself from tattling to the teacher, but I like to consider all those moments as essential life experiences. It’s hard to get that experience with the homeschool friends you meet up once a month with at McDonald’s.

It’s even more difficult when parents are shouldering the entire homeschool burden, not only for the parents but for their kids too. We have teachers teaching different things because those are their strengths; it’s unwise to expect a single person to hold the key to every discipline of knowledge. As a current student teacher, I’m learning so much about new strategies to use with struggling kids, gifted kids, new activities and experiments to try, etc. I recall that my brother’s program also had a bunch of optional activities you could try at home — my brother was somehow always behind on his coursework anyways, though, so we’d usually skim through everything labeled ‘optional’, in hopes of somehow making it to the end.

I’m not trying to say that homeschooling is completely without benefits, that it has no real educational value at all — people have their reasons and I respect that; my brother was simultaneously enrolled in a religious learning program so he had no choice but to be homeschooled. All I mean to say is that there’s some definite caution that needs to be taken when considering homeschooling as a replacement for sending kids to any charter, public or private school because the differences are there and they’re going to have an impact.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

58919
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

38037
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

959547
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

195724
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments