California Homeschools Info

Home Schooling Pros And Cons

The Advantages of Home Schooling
One of the most obvious advantages of home schooling is that a parent has much more contact with a child and virtually total control over what the child learns. Home schooled children are not subject to incessant peer pressure, nor are they required by to learn at the same pace as other children in order to avoid being labeled. Home schooled children are better able to pursue their own interests and often become independent thinkers who are comfortable with people of all ages.

Research has shown that home schooled children out perform traditional school students in academics and socialization. Home school students have an exceptional ratio of acceptance at universities. Schools such as Harvard readily accept home schooled students. In addition, home schooled children are not dominated by their peers or forced into a common mold, and home school parents can work at providing a curriculum that is focused on the child's interests.

The Challenges of Home Schooling
Finding and creating the right curriculum for your child is key to successful home schooling. At the same time, since many states require periodic standardized testing of home schooled children, parents are forced to teach certain subjects in a somewhat traditional manner. Another significant challenge in home schooling is how to succeed in an overall environment that is geared to traditional schooling.

In many cases, home schooling begins when parents become frustrated with their child's progress within a traditional system. This creates some initial stress pertaining to the process of redefining to the child what school will be. Some children who leave a traditional school for home schooling are unhappy because of missing friends, and this can cause a consistent problem with the child wanting to return to a school at which s/he may have been very unhappy. It will be up to the parent in such cases to clearly define and demonstrate the advantages of home schooling and to create opportunities for the child's interaction with other children.