Pamela Connolly
Homeschooling is becoming a popular alternative to the
deteriorating public government schools.
Raymond Moore, president of the Hewitt Research Center estimates
that 1/4 to 1/2 million children are being homeschooled today
and predicts that this number will grow to 1 million in the near
future.
In the past, only hippies, religious fanatics and anti-social
sects homeschooled their children. Today homeschooling crosses
all demographics, income levels, age levels, and religious
beliefs. These parents all have one common thread: they feel
that they can educate their children better than the government.
The purpose of home schooling is to give the child the best
education possible and create a successful learning environment
for your child. Home schooling is a lot more than doing "school
work" at home. It takes research, planning, a knowledge of your
child's abilities and interests, and a desire to instill in them
an insatiable desire for knowledge.
The decision to homeschool should not be taken lightly. It takes
time, focus, and commitment of the whole homeschooling family.
It requires total commitment to your child's education.
The primary reasons for homeschooling are security, morality and
quality of education.
* Safety: When you look at public schools, very few cues convey
that they are a place of education. Commonly they are surrounded
by barbed wire fences, have police on campus, metal detectors at
the entrance, "lock-down" drills, and tolerate unchecked
intimidation by out-of-control kids represented by gangs and
antisocial thugs.
* Morality: Homeschooling parents can structure and teach
subjects that are in line with their own morals, values and
tradition. They are able to model desirable behavior and correct
undesirable behavior on a continual basis.
* Quality: The primary goal is to create an environment that is
flexible enough to adjust to the natural ebb and flow of
learning for the particular child. The flexibility of the
curriculum can promote and encourage an intrinsic love of
learning. The parents are not just lectures. They expand,
explain, and encourage their children to be inquisitive and
explore areas that interest them. Learning never stops in the
homeschooling environment.
You only have to examine the quality of the curriculum along
with the politically correct environment to see why the public
schools are failing on every level.
Homeschooling is a great option today where public education is
far from ideal. Prospective homeschooling parents have to
consider how important their children's education is and how
much they are willing to sacrifice.
About the author:
Pam Connolly is a professional educator with the San Diego
School District. She has been teaching kids how to type for over
11 years. To teach your child typing, visit http://www.1stoplearntotyp
e.com.
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