| Home schooling used to have a bad image. When | | | | peer pressure, and parents can keep an eye on |
| we think of home schooling, we often picture with | | | | their children better than if they were off at |
| fundamental right wingers, antisocial weirdos, or | | | | school. |
| people too scared to let their children attend public | | | | Much of the improvement in the image of |
| school. This image has been improving over the | | | | homeschooling can be attributed to the Internet. |
| last several years. New curricula for home | | | | Online homeschooling options provide more than |
| schooling has come out, each provides a clearer | | | | learning or teaching aids for home schooling |
| path for learning. There have been many success | | | | families. Internet-based curriculum helps parents |
| stories of students that have come from home | | | | improve the general state of the education they |
| schooling environments. | | | | are providing, as it can help the parents in areas |
| On the other side of the fence, the quality of | | | | where they may be weaker as teachers. |
| public schooling (in America at least) has been on | | | | The Internet also helps overcome one of the |
| a dramatic decline the last several years. | | | | main drawbacks to home schooling, and that is |
| Standardized test scores are down, gang violence | | | | the lack of socialization. Many online home |
| is up, and that's not even considering the school | | | | schooling programs offer group meetings or |
| shootings. This all contributes to an increasing lack | | | | seminars where home school students can meet |
| of confidence in the public education system. | | | | and work together on projects. |
| Many parents are finding they can better teach | | | | If it's so great, why don't more parents home |
| their children at home. Using personalized home | | | | school their children? There are a number of |
| schooling curriculum, parents are able to give their | | | | reasons. Many parents just don't have time to |
| children a better education right in their own | | | | teach their children, and some don't feel qualified. |
| home. Many of the children who are schooled at | | | | Many families need both parents as breadwinners |
| home are getting excellent scores on standardized | | | | just to make ends meet. |
| tests, with many achieving perfect scores. The | | | | While home schooling is shedding its iconoclastic |
| quality of education is only one reason many | | | | image, whether or not to home school your |
| parents are going towards homeschooling. | | | | children is a family decision. You will still need to |
| Parents have also found that home schooling is a | | | | hire teachers in such areas as driver education to |
| cheaper alternative to expensive private schools. | | | | be in compliance with state law, but most parents |
| There is a student teacher ratio they can't be | | | | who are fairly intelligent and literate can use the |
| beat in public or private school. Overall, many | | | | helps found on the Internet, in books, or in home |
| parents say they like them relaxed learning | | | | schooling support groups to provide an excellent |
| atmosphere, and the ability to better control their | | | | education for their children. |
| students workload. There is also generally less | | | | |