| Why Parents Choose a Home School Education | | | | state education board of the state in which the |
| An increasing number of children today are | | | | family resides will have to approve a decision to |
| receiving a home school education. The reasons | | | | give a child a home school education. The person |
| for making the choice to homeschool their kids | | | | taking on the responsibility of homeschooling must |
| varies from family to family but there are three | | | | be certified to be a home teacher, the curriculum |
| main reasons why parents are removing their | | | | must follow the state curriculum, and the text |
| children from the public school system and giving | | | | books and other educational materials to be used |
| them a home school education. | | | | must be approved by the state. Although this |
| The first reason is that the public education | | | | might seen like undue interference in what is a |
| system in the United States is struggling to | | | | matter of personal choice, the state has a |
| provide a proper education for the nation's | | | | responsibility to ensure that all children receive an |
| children with out of date text books, run down | | | | adequate standard of education and checks will be |
| school buildings and inadequate equipment. | | | | made to ensure that any child being kept away |
| Provision of a home school education enables the | | | | from public school is being properly educated. |
| parents to have control over the quality of the | | | | A home school education might mean that a child |
| educational materials used by their children and | | | | is deprived of certain opportunities which would |
| the general conditions in which they are educated. | | | | have been available within the public school |
| The second reason is that parents wish to | | | | system. There could be difficulties in providing |
| assume more control over the influences their | | | | facilities for athletic children to realize their |
| children will be exposed to. This is often on the | | | | potential. Musically talented children could be |
| basis of religious grounds but, very often, it is | | | | similarly disadvantaged. In some states there is |
| simply because a home school education will | | | | provision for children receiving a home school |
| ensure the child learns the values upheld by the | | | | education to take part in amenities such as being |
| family and is taught from an early age what | | | | able to attend sports lessons and join after-school |
| behavior is appropriate. Unfortunately, many public | | | | clubs. However, the level of assistance provided |
| schools have a poor reputation for instilling good | | | | to homeschooling parents is not uniform and |
| discipline in students. This often results in badly | | | | varies a lot from state to state. |
| behaved children disrupting lessons and preventing | | | | The final potential disadvantage to affect children |
| their peers from getting the full benefit of classes. | | | | receiving a home school education is that they will |
| Discipline and the upholding of proper standards of | | | | not develop the social skills which will be important |
| behavior is an important part of a home school | | | | as they grow up. Social interaction with their |
| education. | | | | peers and with adults outside the family is |
| The third reason many parents choose to give | | | | essential if a child is going to grow up with a |
| their children a home school education is fear for | | | | properly balance personality and a reasonable level |
| their safety. Violence is on the increase | | | | of social skills. These developmental issues can be |
| everywhere and the public school system has not | | | | fairly easily overcome if the child lives in a state |
| escaped this trend. Violence in the public education | | | | where homeschooling parents are given support |
| system is getting worse and the individual acts of | | | | and the child receiving a home school education is |
| violence are more serious. Since the shocking | | | | accepted into classes and extra-curricular activities. |
| events at Columbine High School there have been | | | | The decision to keep a child out of the public |
| further tragedies involving firearms where | | | | education system is not one any parent would |
| teachers and students have been injured or killed. | | | | make lightly and any weighing up of the pros and |
| A home school education ensures the safety of | | | | cons must take into account the level of support |
| children who would otherwise be seriously at risk | | | | the state will provide. However, if the public school |
| of harm. | | | | system continues to deteriorate, the number of |
| The Disadvantages of Opting For Homeschooling | | | | children receiving a home school education is |
| Providing a home school education is not simply a | | | | bound to increase. |
| matter of parental choice. In most cases the | | | | |