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| children with out of date text books, run | | | | standard of education and checks will be made |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