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From the Chalkboard: Growing number of families choose to home school
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Anonymous user Tue Aug 1, 2006 13:07:22 PDT
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0 responses 0 comments As the new school year approaches, parents around the country will again be making one of the most important decisions they will ever make: Where will we choose to have our children educated? 

For a growing number of families, home schooling will be their choice. According to recent estimates, approximately two million students are receiving their education at home. As more and more parents learn about home schooling, more communities around the country are opening their doors to the new wave of education. 

For a variety of reasons, these parents are viewing home education as the best alternative for their children. And achievement test scores indicate that they have made the proper choice. Studies of home-schooled kids show that they are scoring between the 70th and 80th percentile on standardized tests. 

But there are other important reasons that enter into their decision. 

An analysis of 300 newspaper and magazine articles about home-schoolers revealed that the top four reasons to home school were dissatisfaction with the public schools; the desire to freely impart their religious values; the lack of academic excellence; and the building of strong family bonds. In home schools, teachers are free to teach respect for the Bible and for God, with absolute values of right and wrong. In home schools, excellent textbooks are available that advocate pure values. History and science can be approached from a Christian viewpoint. Literature assignments reinforce true morality, avoiding violence, profanity or other forms of immorality.

The teacher is always available to answer questions immediately. Instead of dealing with 20 to 30 students, home school teachers are able to deal directly with their own children. This one-on-one teaching is by far the best teaching arrangement possible. By working directly with each child, many students can learn more in two to five hours daily than others who are gone from 8 to 10 hours, then come home to several more hours of homework. Home-schooled students do not have to put up with negative peer influence of kids who lie, cheat, steal, disrespect authority, use drugs, bad language or immodest dress. 

Home-schooled kids associate with children that their family chooses for them. Critics say that home-schoolers are isolated and that they cannot adjust to the “real world,” but the opposite is true. Consideration of the previous points demonstrates many ways that home-schoolers are better prepared for life than are other students. 

On a personal level, Stockdale Christian School serves as an umbrella for nearly 100 home-schooled students. Many of these students eventually enroll in the regular program. I have observed these students to be well behaved, respectful and academically advanced. They are model citizens and socialize well.

Upon graduation from high school, many home-schoolers are being accepted at major universities such as Harvard, Yale and other prestigious colleges based on their exceptional achievement test scores. The lesson for educational reformers is that home-schooling, with minimal government interference, is producing literate students at a fraction of the cost of government programs.

In short, home schooling is here to stay. It is certainly not a cure-all. Nor is it an option for the faint-hearted. It takes much time and hard work to do it well. No parent should begin unless they are committed to doing the job with excellence. Home schooling is a lifestyle requiring the cooperation of the family, the teacher, the student and the home school provider. The decision to home school should be preceded by much careful planning and counseling. It is suggested that prospective home schooling parents become familiar with the literature, state home schooling laws, attend a seminar or spend time with a current home school family before taking the leap.

One thing is clear: home-schooling has given new meaning to the idea that “there is no place like home.”

E-mail Dick at: dferris@bakersfieldfirst.com

Do you agree with Dick that in many ways home-schoolers are better prepared for life than other students? Post your comments to this article.

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