According to the National Center For Education Statistics, almost 1.1 million children underwent home schooling in 2005 alone. That’s a lot of children. Once upon a time, homeschooling used to be a radical statement – something like a declaration of independence.
It was the (right-wing|conservative Christians who pushed for homeschooling in the ’80s and legalized it in every State. But the typical homeschooler of today is not religiously motivated.
More recent surveys show that parents are actually fed up with the public school system where a lot of the learning is superficial and compulsory. They are also concerned about the negative environment in school, which ranges from drugs and abuse to negative peer pressure.
Because of this, we have a surprising mix of people who make up the homeschooling world of today. They cut across all religious creeds and all regional borders. Their main aim is providing meaningful and productive learning through a method that strengthens the bond between the various members of the family.
These families all have one major thing in common – a long enduring commitment to the sanctity of childhood. The children of these families are given a primary position. Many believe, and, probably, rightly so, that home schooling allows parents to bring up their kids in a more natural and nurturing environment.
Public schools can make a child nervous, diffident and thoroughly nasty. Children who receive their education at home are protected from these damaging, negative influences until they attain an age where they can withstand them.
Home-schooling draws the whole family into the almost religious task of teaching. Everyone has a role to play. The parents together form a bond with the children. Any experience can be turned into an learning experience. Both the parents are aware of exactly what is going into their child’s head.
Parents also have a greater say over the kind of religious and moral values that the child is learning. Even watching a film together can become a learning experience. Visits to the libraries, zoos, museums and other places become educational experiences as well as recreational ones.
A home-schooling family is usually dependent on the income of one earning member. That means that often outgoings have to be curtailed and proper planning of expenditure is necessary. This helps to bring the family members together and everybody becomes involved in the task of saving money.
Just having a parent at home to supervise, to nurture and to care for the children brings with it a lot of love and caring. Even the husband takes part and there is just no room for complacency.
Yes, problems still do crop up, and there will be many misgivings in your mind, but when you know that your kids can always count on you, and your kids know it too, then homeschooling becomes a very rewarding experience.