Homeschool Equivalent To A Public School example essay topic

ARGUMENT PAPER Home Education: Legal and Beneficial Name of Student English Composition II April 2004 Formal Outline Thesis: As parents, we not only have the right to educate our own children, but it is also our responsibility. I. Introduction II. Legality of homeschooling 1. Amendments a. 1st b. 14th c. 9th 2.

Cases heard in court 3. State regulations a. teacher certification b. public school equivalency c. compelling state interest d. least restrictive means. Benefits 1. Emotional 2. Spiritual 3. Educational IV.

SOCIALIZATION - the main opposing argument 1. Opportunities for in homeschooling 2. Negative in public (or private) schools 3. Results of testing conducted V. Not a new fad, back to the way we were 1.

Notables who were home schooled 2. History of current homeschool movement VI. Conclusion Home Education: Legal and Beneficial While the idea of schooling children at home is not new to our country, it is new to our generation. Most parents today, including myself, are a product of the school system and rarely explore all of the options for schooling our children. Due to a lack of knowledge, we place our children in a preschool, then a kindergarten, eight years of elementary, and four years of secondary school. Fourteen or fifteen years (preschool is now beginning at age three) of our children's lives are being spent away from us, and we " re wondering why we " ve lost touch with them.

Psychologists now say that it's not just quality time that we need with our kids, but quality and quantity time. How are we to give them a large amount of our time when they are away from us the majority of their waking hours? Homeschooling is the solution to this dilemma. Because of the lack of knowledge about schooling options, parents have many questions about homeschooling. Some of the major questions include the following: Is it legal? ; Can it provide the same breadth of education? ; and, most frequently, What about socialization?

The responses to these questions make it clear that we have not only the right, but also the responsibility to school our children at home. Forty years ago, homeschooling was illegal in some places, so it is reasonable to question the legality of the homeschool. "Early homeschooling parents were legally threatened, arrested, and often brought to trial as abettors of truancy, sometimes even as child abusers" (Koetzsch 134). In previous decades, courts have established that parents have the right to school their own children. Wisconsin vs. Yoder in 1972, which took place in the Supreme Court, interpreted the 1st Amendment in support of religious reasons to homeschool. The court decided that "the Yoders' First Amendment right to the free exercise of their religion overcame the state's interest in mandating that every child attend school" (Guterson 86).

Because 80% of homeschooler's are Christians, the 1st Amendment has been an essential support of the movement. The first amendment gives every American the right to worship, which includes training children in any religion deemed worthy by the parents. In 1981, the courts extended the interpretation to include philosophical reasoning as well as religious reasoning. The court decision from In re Falk determined that a parent's philosophy gives that parent the right to withhold his or her children from public schooling (90).

Another amendment in support of homeschooling is the 14th Amendment. Section 1 states that no state can make a law to "abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law" (US Constitution). The first important court case dealing with homeschooling took place in 1925 in Oregon. The court decision from Pierce vs. Society of Sisters interpreted the 14th Amendment in favor of homeschooling: The fundamental theory of liberty upon which all governments in this Union repose excludes any general power of the State to standardize its children by forcing them to accept instruction from public school teachers only. The child is not the mere creature of the State, those who nurture and direct his destiny have the right, coupled with high duty, to recognize and prepare him for additional obligations. (Guterson 84-85) A third essential amendment in support of homeschooling is the 9th Amendment.

This amendment basically states that, just because a right is not clearly spelled out, does not mean it can be denied to the people. In this case, just because the Constitution does not make a statement in favor of home education does not mean that parents, as citizens, can be denied that right. This amendment also includes the right to privacy, which has become a factor in homeschooling, determining how much information a homeschool parent must give to the state. Even though the courts have clearly stated that homeschooling is legal, homeschooler's in each state continue to fight for additional freedom with less state regulation. Four factors have been at stake in the courts: teacher certification of homeschooling parents, equivalency to public schools, compelling state interest overriding the individual rights of parents, and least restrictive means necessary to enforce compelling state interest to override the rights of parents in directing the education of their children (Guterson 97). One of the arguments against homeschooling is that home teachers are not required to be certified, while public and most private school teachers are required to be certified.

Some people think that this makes homeschooling teachers less effective. A 1978 court decision from Iowa vs. Sessions declared a general assumption of parental competency without need for certification (Guterson 96). "Ordinary people have always been teachers, [sic] it is only recently that teaching has become a salaried profession instead of a part of daily existence" (214). In one study, Dr. Eric Hanushek of the University of Rochester "surveyed the results of 113 studies on the impact of teachers' qualifications on their students' academic achievement. Eighty five percent of the studies found no positive correlation between the educational performance of the students and the teacher's educational background" (Klicka 239). Dr. Sam Peavey, a professor at the University of Louisville, also made a comment about certification: May I say that I have spent a long career in developing and administering programs for teacher certification.

I wish I could tell you that those thousands of certificates contributed significantly to the quality of children's learning, but I cannot... After fifty years of research, we have found no significant correlation between the requirements for teacher certification and the quality of student achievement. (240) A second means of regulation by the government has attempted to make the homeschool equivalent to a public school. Perchemlides vs. Frizzle in 1978 decided that, because of the difference in environment, there is no way to make a homeschool equivalent to a public school, thereby eliminating the need or possibility of equivalency. This case also ruled out socialization as a basis for compelling school attendance (Guterson 95). The other two matters of regulation, compelling state interest and least restrictive means to enforce this interest, continue to be battled in court.

Now that we have established that homeschooling is definitely legal, let's consider the most important factor: quality of education. Every parent wants his or her children to experience the best possible education. Who knows your children better than you: the way they think, the way they learn? Who cares more about your child than you: how he behaves, how much she knows? As parents, we have the largest possible vested interest in our children.

The benefits of homeschooling are endless. Among adults today, there is a "where-were-you-when-I-needed-you" syndrome toward their parents (Blumenfeld 77). This would not be the case if they had been home schooled. A parent is always there when needed, because homeschooling requires that at least one parent stay home. This personal attention creates confident children who grow into confident, successful adults.

A strong family support system is what is lacking in many American families today. Another benefit to the family is flexible scheduling. Not only will the children spend a large quantity of time with Mom (who is usually the primary teacher in the home), but they will also be able to adjust the school schedule to spend more time with Dad. The father in one homeschooling family works from 1 pm-10 pm. In a classical school environment, the children would only see Dad on the weekends. This family, however, has chosen to school from 1 pm-7 pm, leaving the mornings free to spend with Dad.

Along with emotional benefits to homeschooling come obvious spiritual benefits. Even in a private school, a parent has no control over the personal beliefs each teacher may be subtly imparting to his or her child. In a home environment, parents have ample time to impart to their children the spiritual or philosophical beliefs they hold dear. Combined with the emotional and spiritual benefits, by far the most impressive are the educational benefits of homeschooling. In a recent study of homeschooling families, those who took the state achievement test scored at or above the 80th percentile. If any school in the country had scored at or above the 80th percentile, it would have made national headlines.

In science, where everyone wonders what homeschooler's are going to do with the subject, the group of homeschooler's scored in the 86th percentile (Harris tape 1). "Homeschoolers, on average, score 30 to 37 percentile points higher than conventionally schooled students on the most commonly administered K-8 standardized tests" (Mattox A-23). There is no comparison between a good public school student-teacher ratio of 20-1 and the average homeschool, student-teacher ratio of 3-1. A public school teacher must adhere to a set curriculum in an attempt to accommodate the needs of all the students. This sometimes means that a few will be left behind, because they don't understand a concept. Homeschoolers have the option of pursuing "delight-directed studies" (Harris tape 1).

If a child is experiencing great difficulties with math but enjoys baseball, a unit study of baseball can incorporate math into the curriculum without becoming burdensome to the child. This type of study creates life-long learners. With all of these wonderful benefits, why would anyone choose not to homeschool? The biggest opposing argument is socialization. The question everyone asks is "How will the child learn to interact with his peers?" Homeschooling socialization super cedes that of the public school in two ways. First, many opportunities for socialization occur in the homeschool that cannot be found in an institutional setting.

Instead of spending the entire day with children of the same age, home schooled children learn to interact with people of all ages, from the elderly to the infant. In a normal adult environment, we are not isolated with people of only the same age, so it is not beneficial to isolate our children that way in a public school environment. In a study conducted by Brian Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute, home schooled children are involved in "5.2 social activities outside the home each week" (Mattox A-23). These activities, combined with the extra time spent with parents and siblings, are where the children have the opportunity to learn interpersonal skills. The second social benefit of homeschooling is the lack of negative socialization. It is increasingly clear that public schools contain "unhealthy peer pressure, crime, and immorality" (Klicka 128).

One study conducted by Dr. Larry E. Shyers found this to be true. In 1992, Shyers proved himself wrong. He expected to find home schooled children in a worse position socially than public schooled children. Instead, what he found is that "from every standpoint the homeschooler's proved to be much better socially adjusted than the traditionally schooled kids" (Blumenfeld 72). While home schooled children scored within the normal range in the problem behavior scores, the traditionally schooled kids had mean problem behavior scores well above the normal range (73). The negative socialization in public schools far outweighs any positive socialization that could be gained in that environment.

Finally, if you are afraid to homeschool because it seems like a new fad, be comforted that is outdated public schooling. Compulsory attendance laws were not initiated by the government until 1852. Before that many notable people were home schooled: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Madison, John Quincy Adams, Abraham Lincoln, John Tyler, William Henry Harrison, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, 17 of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention, Patrick Henry, John Jay, John Marshall, Robert E. Lee, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, George Patton, Douglas MacArthur, Booker T. Washington, Andrew Carnegie, Thomas Edison... the list goes on and on, filled with composers, artists, authors, and leaders of this fine country (Klicka 160-171). Teaching children at home has been done throughout history.

In wealthy families, a tutor may have been hired, but primarily, teaching was the responsibility of the parents. "Families existed long before governments were formed, and therefore families are quite capable of managing their affairs, including education, without the help of the government" (Blumenfeld 9). Recently, an overwhelming lack of trust in public schools has arisen. Not only is the educational rigor disappearing, but there is now also a concern for the safety of our children. Studies have even shown that many high school graduates are not prepared for life after school. Some graduates have found a way to escape notice that they cannot even read, write adequately, or perform simple mathematical functions.

A study by John Good lad "sent note takers into a thousand classrooms, and they found that less than two percent of instructional time was spent on discussions requiring students to offer an opinion about something" (Guterson 42). A child whose intellect is not developed to the point of creating opinions and discussing them cannot fully participate in the adult world. The only way to make sure that our children do not fall through the cracks is to take them by hand and lead them one by one down the path of knowledge. School your children at home; it's your right and responsibility.