Parents Home School Their Children example essay topic

Home schooling is another way for a child to receive his or her education. It is one of many alternatives to regular schooling (classrooms and schools). It is the oldest alternatives to regular schooling and one of the most effective. There are many true stories proving that home schooling is an effective and often successful way to teach you child.

But first lets talk about home schooling began in the U.S. Home schooling started in colonial America, (around 1777 to 1783) for most colonial homes, home schooling was the only thing available. According to the Texas home school coalition, our founding fathers had a strong conviction that children should be able to read for the very important reason of reading the Bible for the spiritual benefits and truth it contained (Texas home school coalition 1997). Sometimes parents would hire a tutor to teach their children subjects in which they did not feel qualified (Texas home school coalition 1997). It wasn't till later that education developed into religious training in the universities in the Ivy League. These universities were strictly there to train ministers. According to the THS C (Texas Home School Coalition), the entrance requirements often included being able to read and translate Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.

Eventually, communities and states began to establish schools funded by the government however, these schools still had a strong religious up bringing. Home schooling has been around for a long time. But most people won't know the steps it takes to successfully home school a child. But, to fully understand these steps one must first learn the basics of home schooling. Home schooling means to teach or be taught at home. Home schooling is to teach children at home, or be taught at home rather than in the public school system, using an approved curriculum.

Of course the parents have to have a degree to teach their children (except in New Jersey). According to the New Jersey Education laws all high schools in New Jersey will accept students who were taught by their parents. The parents have to bring proof of the child's progress and the names of the textbooks the child has used (NJ Education Laws 1). I do not think many colleges can accept students that went through home schooling at a high school level. These laws differ from state to state. California's Department of Education maintains that you can't homeschool your children unless you hold credentials as a tutor.

Carolyn Pirillo, the department's deputy general counsel, says, 'If everyone in the state without teaching credentials could say, 'I'm a private school,' there would be no standard whatsoever. It would be tantamount to repealing compulsory attendance law.'s ince 1990 the number of home-schooled children in the country has soared 400 percent, to nearly 2 million, according to the National Home Education Research Institute (NERI). The institute estimates that 150,000 of those children are African-American. Five years ago Blacks were thought to make up only about 1 percent of the total. Some believe the number of home schooled children may be closer to 4 million; it's difficult to make a precise head count of children whose homeroom is the living room. According to the home schooling laws of New York you have to hire a service to keep records of all school courses that your children complete at home, if you want to get school credit for completing New York homeschool courses.

These services are authorized by the state to keep records of your activities and award your children with credits. With the increased popularity of home schooling across New York, it has become more common for the board of education to designate one of their staff members to assist home school ers in finding the information they need. This makes it easier for parents in New York to home school their children. This also eliminates the possibility for children not to receive credits at the end of the school year, due to some error.

But, one must follow the New York home schooling law's instructions in order to receive credit. Parents who determine to commence home instruction after the start of the school year, or who establish residence in the school district after the start of the school year, should provide written notice of their intention to educate their child at home within fourteen days following the commencement of home instruction within the school district (New York state homeschooling regulations 100.10 home instructions). Within ten business days of the receipt of the notice of intention to instruct at home, the school district shall send to the parents a copy of section 100.10 (the NY home schooling laws) of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education and a form on which to submit an individualized home instruction plan (I HIP) for each child of compulsory attendance age who is to be taught at home. These are just where just a two of the laws that New York has pertaining to home schooling. But, no matter what state you live in, it's necessary to know your state's home schooling regulations. And in a highly regulated state such as New York, it's especially important.

If you do not follow these regulations while teaching your child at home, your child might not receive credits at the end of the school year. It will be a waste of time, and the process will have to be repeated again. Home school regulations in your state should be available in any school in your neighborhood. Now that we covered the rules and regulations of home schooling, lets get to the typical home schooled student and their parents. Usually parents home school their children because they feel that regular schools lack the one on one atmosphere that is provided in home schooling. Parents who teach their children at home feel that schools don't have the right environment.

The home environment offers the child a place free of competition, peer pleasure and violence, allowing the child instead to focus on their studies and education (Bruner 65). Home school provides a more secured and loving environment for the child. The encouragement allows the student to be nurtured in all areas of life. Since most home schooling is done at an early age it is hard for the child to have say in the mater.

Sometimes children are home schooled for different reasons. A mental disorder or a fear might be the reason a child gets home schooled. These disorders are quite common and it affects teens. A child with a fear of public places or a social anxiety disorder might be the perfect candidate for home schooling. Social anxiety might also be called "social phobia", it is a disorder characterized by overwhelming anxiety and excessive self-consciousness in everyday social situations (Robins and Regier.

1-2). People with this disorder have a repeating fear of being watched and judged by others and of being embarrassed or humiliated by their own actions (Robins and Regier. 1-2). In this case the child might fear the fact that sooner or later he or she may have to speak in front of the class.

Students will often worry for days or weeks in advance of a "dreaded" situation like: class discussions and school projects. Their fear may be so intense that it interferes with their school work and activities. This is why it's more beneficial for students with social anxiety to receive an education at home. Attention deficit disorder is another behavioral disorder. ADD (attention deficit disorder) is a behavioral syndrome characterized by inattention and, restlessness, inability to sit still, and difficulty concentrating on one thing for any period of time. ADHD most commonly occurs in children, though an increasing number of adults are being diagnosed with the disorder.

Since ADD mostly affect children, it is hard for them to focus on their school work. They are often distracted, by common everyday things. Hallowell, Edward M. is a publisher at psychology today magazine. He illustrates in his article, "What I've Learned from ADD" the symptoms a person might have if he or she has ADD.

These symptoms are: The patient often to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork, work, or other activities Often does not seem to listen when spoken to directly Often does not follow through on instructions and fails to finish schoolwork, chores, or duties in the workplace Often has difficulty organizing tasks and activities Often avoids, dislikes or is reluctant to engage in tasks that require sustained mental effort Often loses things necessary for tasks or activities Is often easily distracted by extraneous stimuli Is often forgetful in daily activities person must have six or more of these symptoms in order to be diagnosed with ADD. There is also HDD, (hyperactivity deficit disorder) ADD's hyperactive cousin. Home schooling might help them focus. Since the student is at home and with their parents they pay more attention to them rather than a stranger (a teacher). The students will receive a much more personalized education and they will eventually get over add with out medication. But of course this is just a theory of mine.

Students might benefit more through home schooling, due to its personal environment. But, to successfully teach your child at home, one must have certain materials in order to educate their children. Home school is not cheap. Many learning materials such as, books, workbooks, and computer software must be purchased to successfully teach a child.

You cannot teach your child with just a set of encyclopedias. In the area of reading research IntelliTools (a company that produces computer software and other learning a plications) has had the opportunity to work with leading reading and writing researchers in looking at varying ways to most effectively teach reading to a wide range of children. In the late 1990's, IntelliTools was awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health to research and develop an early literacy program to meet the needs of children in kindergarten through the early second grade (Wilkes 2000-2003). IntelliTool's Reading has a balanced literacy instructional model that helps even beginners how to read.

The software is based on the Four Blocks method developed by Patricia Cunningham. These programs offer a verity of instructional phonics, word identification, structured writing, and reading of connected text. The instruction in these areas is integrated into a seamless, theme-based instructional package (Wilkes 2000-2003). There are many more companies other than IntelliTools that have learning material for home school.

But it will always cost a lot of money. Like I said im ny other essay "home school isn't cheep". Wich brings us to the negative points of home schooling. One example is the argument that a home setting is inherently inferior and can't offer high academic standards. Many questions are raised when considering home schooling. Questions like, I can't afford it, I never liked school, my kids will get bored, I am not highly educated, and I don't have time.

These questions usually scare the parents off. Other negative aspects of home school are the parents. A child might think the parents are trying to control them. Some sociologist think that home school education is a way for parents to regain control of their children's, and their own lives. They think that home schools help them make the impact that they want to make on the next generation.

This choice is being made by a wide variety of people. For example, despite the unfounded claim of some critics (a representative of the National Education Association) many parents choose home schooling due to their racism (Ray 71). It appears that an increasing proportion of African Americans, Hispanics, and other minorities are choosing home education (Home School Legal Defense Association) (Ray 71). Control is not the only reason a parent might want to home school their children, race can be another factor. For example, a variety of families in Atlanta, Georgia, including African American Muslims, African American Christians, American Indian Christians, European American secular humanists, European American Christians, and others were practicing home education to transmit particular cultural and ethnic values to their offspring (Ray 71). This can be a negative aspect to home schooling because, children in the grade school level, do not want to learn about their culture.

They are more concerned with "fitting in". Research suggests that currently more than 90% of home school ers are non-Hispanic White in terms of racial or ethnic background (Ray, 1990 b, 1997 b), but it appears that a rapidly increasing number of minorities are engaging in home-based education (Ray 71). But, parents must ignore the negative affects of home schooling and focus more on the out come. Your children's academic success at home is not just a point of pride; you have to make sure the youngsters are keeping up, because many states require them to take the same standardized tests as their publicly educated peers.

Home schooling can bring many advantages to your child but there are also many risks involved. A parent should listen to their child before considering home schooling. They must go through all the procedures and laws of home schooling. The parents will invest a large amount of time if they choose home schooling for their children. And they must anticipate what is in store for them and their children in the next few years. After they have taken all the steps in this procedure, then teaching your child or children at home will be next.

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