Education

Argumentative Essay

Stacy Robinson

October 29, 2019

Southern University of New Orleans – English II/112

Real School vs Homeschool

Introduction

The world is changing, and so is education. The 21st century has come with massive technological advancement and expansion of the education sector in a thousand different ways. Instead of the homeschooling that most parents grew up taking their children through, the world of technology and educational expansion is making this nearly impossible. Knowledge sharing is much faster than it was in the past years. Therefore students must be out there to learn new things, be creative and innovate for themselves instead of being stuck at home with parents who may not have the requisite knowledge and skills to advance their education (Stewart, 2018). The world is changing, and we must run fast to keep up. In this argumentative essay, we look at both sides of home schools and real schools and then make a decision on which one best suits the current education sector.

Home schools. Educating children at home is fun. Homeschooling is legal in the United States, and therefore parents can choose to stay with their children at home instead of sending them to public schools (Stewart, 2018). One of the biggest reasons why I would love to homeschool my daughter is the parent-child bonding that comes with each session. Homeschooling allows the parent to spend more quality time with the child; they both get to learn each other and develop strong bonds. Such bonding time also allows the parent to teach their children how to observe and respect personal boundaries, child mannerism, and how to behave in social and public gatherings (Stewart, 2018).

Home schools allow for one-on-one teaching and interaction between the teacher (parent) and the student (child), and therefore a lot of attention is paid into areas of weaknesses. Teachers in public schools have so many students that they never get time to attend to the individual needs of the students. Such direct interactions help in saving time and allowing for flexibility (Stewart, 2018). The parent has absolute control of the curriculum or content to be taught and, therefore, can impact the direction of knowledge sharing.

Home schools encourage students to learn for knowledge and not grades, which is the focus of rea schools. There is no competition, and therefore the child and parents focus on learning for knowledge’s sake. Lastly, home schools promote the talent of the child and ensure that the learning environment is safe. In-home schools, the parent can focus on a single area of interest for the child and advance his or her talent in this area.

Real School. This is where the parent has to take her daughter to the Louisiana public school or find a beautiful private school for the child. Private schools are expensive and, therefore, out of reach for most parents. Therefore, public schools are the most suitable and affordable option if they cannot implement homeschooling. Some parents are so busy, for instance, that getting time to teach their children at school is nearly impossible (Stewart, 2018). That is the benefit of real schools. Most people think that public schools are expensive than homeschooling. This position is not correct. Homeschools are more costly than public schooling. Why? Because the parent has to put their career goals aside and focus on teaching their children. It means that they will have to contend with fewer wages while the expenses are even more (Meltzer, Shaheed & Ambler, 2016).

Public schools provide structure, something that homeschools do not have. The school has a trusted system with standardized evaluations, credible information sources, and tested methods of instruction (Stewart, 2018). At home, resources are limited, and therefore, the student may not have a complete grasp of knowledge. Three, public schools expose kids to a variety of disciplines. Limiting the chances of the student to learn varied subjects like math, literature, social studies, and humanities imply that the student’s knowledge is limited and skewed (Meltzer, Shaheed & Ambler, 2016). Such limited knowledge can also affect their career prospects in the future.

Homeschools are good at encouraging parent-child bonding, but it must also be realized that these parents are not trained in teaching skills and competencies (Meltzer, Shaheed & Ambler, 2016). For most parents, teaching their children at home is more an experiment, which is highly dangerous because the quality and credibility of content are likely to be distorted (Stewart, 2018). Home schools also limit the ability of the child to interact with others and hence develop social skills. Parents can still bond with their children during weekends, holidays, and after school. But when their chances to interact with other children from diverse backgrounds, they are likely to have a minimal understanding of the social, economic, and political environment.

References

Meltzer, L. J., Shaheed, K., & Ambler, D. (2016). Start later, sleep later: school start times and adolescent sleep in homeschool versus public/private school students. Behavioral sleep medicine, 14(2), 140-154.

Stewart, M. (2018). Mothering in a Era of Choice: Race and Gender in Schooling Decisions of Homeschool and Public School Families.