Successful Home-schooling

Education is one of the most valued things in life. The type of education a child receives can affect or even decide the outcome of their future; it is important to receive the best education you can in order to be successful in life. Some parents see this as a reason to give their child a home-schooled education. Home-schooling means learning outside of the public or private school environment, which involves a commitment by a parent or guardian to oversee their child or teen’s educational development. A home-schooled education is frequently questioned by many people -- that question is whether home-schooling is beneficial or harmful to a child’s life. Some may believe that home-schooling can have negative outcomes for a child, but these people aren’t fully educated on the abundant benefits of home-schooling. Home-schooling involves being out and about each day, learning from the rich resources available in their community, environments and receiving one-on-one interaction daily. Some people may have their doubts about home-schooling, but the decision to home-school is definitely in the best interest of the child’s future.

There are many advantages that come along with home-schooling. The biggest advantage is the one-on-one learning system. In a large classroom setting, even the best-trained teacher is unable of giving each student the necessary attention to help him or her excel. Unlike the teachers, parents are able to devote even more time to their children. Since parents also know their child on a personal level, they are able to make their curriculum and teaching styles according to the way their child learns. They can incorporate their child's interests into the curriculum to help promote a love for learning. In the home-school environment, learning never stops. Parents are active participants who expand, explain and encourage their children to be constantly thinking and explore the specific areas that interest them. This individualized attention is beneficial to a child’s ability to learn and obtain information.

A concern about home-schooling is whether a child can be academically successful by learning at home. The fact is that home-schooled students have grades that are above the average public school student. An example of an above average home-schooled student is Kyle Jacobs, an interview subject of mine. Kyle received a home-schooled education from third grade to twelfth grade. During those years he received one on one teaching which caused him to receive good grades and to become more advanced than the normal public school student. On his ACTs Kyle received a score of 31 – 10 points higher the national average score of 21. Kyle had an advantage over most students. By being home-schooled, he learned study skills and time management, which helped him to succeed in college. Kyle believes that being home-schooled was a great and rewarding experience that allowed him to have a better future. This is the case with many other home-schooled students as well. Test results show that home-schooling is very effective in terms of academics. One statistic from the National Home Education Research Institute showed the average home-schooled student scored 81 points higher on the SAT than did the general population in 2000. Studies show that home-schooled children also tend to score higher on basic skills testing than do public school children. From this evidence you can see that a home-schooled education has not only achieved the same results as public education, but has also achieved higher standards then the normal public school environment.

A main concern with public school administrators, teachers, and parents is whether home-schooled children are properly socialized. Those who disagree with home-schooling believe that public school students learn to work well with others and that they can achieve greater independence by attending public school. They believe public school prepares them for real world experiences. Critics of home-schooling believe that home-schooled children miss out on important opportunities, such as the chance to interact with those of diverse background. People are concerned that home-schooled students are isolated at home which can cause them to be small-minded, prejudice, and unable to work well with others.

This belief of being poorly socialized is just the opposite of what home-schooled children experience. Since children are kept home to learn, parents make sure their children have plenty of social opportunities. A study about this was done by Dr. Brian Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute. Dr Ray found that an average home-schooled child participates in 5.2 activities per week outside the home. These activities include music, dance, drama, and art classes, visit museums and zoos, and join home-schooling groups or local churches. Home-schooling groups form athletic teams and compete in home-school tournaments. Children also participate in book and foreign language clubs, scout groups, and have pen pals. In fact, since the average time spent in class at public school is about half a day, home-schooled students have more time available to them to pursue special interests. Not only do home-schooled students have more time to focus on a talent, they may also be able to choose to experience more unique things that aren’t found in a public school environment. Participating in outside activities allows home-schooled children to socialize with people of all ages, not just those of their peer group. Since the world does not consist of people who are all the same age, it is the public school students that are at a disadvantage since their day is spent only with peers. Therefore, a home-schooled child’s days are more like the real world than the days of a student in public school.

One of the best benefits of homes-schooling is the strong relationships between family members – home-schooling allows extended periods of time together to strengthen family bonds. These lifetime bonds are not only strengthened between the child and the parents, but also with siblings. Children tend to adopt the behaviors and values of the people they spend the majority of their time with. Therefore, home-schooled children are more likely than public school children to value the beliefs of their families over the beliefs of their friends. Parents believe that the suggestion of drugs, alcohol, smoking, and premarital sex are found in a public school environment. These negative influences of peer pressure are less of a concern when children are home-schooled. Since these children were home-schooled and obtained the beliefs and values of their family they will find it easier to resist the pressure they get from their friends, and ultimately, make the proper decisions in life.

Educational success is usually measured in terms of academic achievement. If this standard alone were applied to home-schooling, most people would agree that home-schooling can be a successful alternative to public school. As of 1999, approximately 850,000 children were being home-schooled in the United States, growing at a rate of about 11 percent per year. This statistic, despite the questions about socialization, proves that home-schooling continues to thrive as an alternative educational choice. The decision to home-school is an important one to consider. The advantages of a home-schooled education can’t be looked over – because home-schooled children are more mature and academically successfully, which allows them to have a rewarding future. Home-schooling is a powerful tool that can be used to help children learn and grow in the best atmosphere that can be provided for them.

Works Cited

NHERI". National Home Education Research Institute. 4-12-10 .

Smith, Michael J. HSLDA. 22 Oct. 2004. Home School Legal Defense Association. 12 Apr. 2010 .

Stacey Bielick Homeschooling in the United States: 1999. Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Education, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, 2001.

Homeschooling Survey Results

I had ten people fill out my survey. The subjects of my survey varied from ages 18-30. All of them have compete school kindergarten through 12th grade. Only one of the subjects was actually homeschooled. Most of my questions where pretty general but I found some of the results from the survey suprising. One question of mine was do you believe that homeschooled children have more of an advantage and 70% said yes while the other 30% said no. What suprised my was that results of the question, would you have liked to be homeschooled as a child. The results showed that only 20% said yes and 80% said no. It made me wonder why people wouldn't want to be homeschooled if they believed homeschooled children have more of an advantage in school. When asked to name the top two reasons they wouldnt want to be homeschooled the main answer was friends. Lack of socialization is an important issue for my survey results. This was shown for the question, What is a major factor when deciding to homeschool. The results showed that out of five choices, child socialization was picked the most.

This survey research is very interesting. Some of the results from my survey was surprising, but some of the were expected. I believe my questions were just right. They gave me the information I needed without getting to into details. It is helpful to get actual opinions from people who don't always agree with your own point of view. I believe that my subjects answers will help my final paper to be more knowledgable.

Profile Paper

A dream for many kids is not having to wake up every morning and go to school. This is the dream that Kyle Jacobs lived for 10 years of his life. He woke up at about 10:30 everyday. He showered ate breakfast and then began school. Kyle’s schooling began whenever he was ready. The reason for this special treatment is that Kyle didn’t even have to leave his house to go to school and his teacher was his own mother. Kyle is one of the many children whose parents decided to have their child participate in a homeschooling system.

I asked Kyle if he would be willing to be interviewed about his experiences of homeschooling. He generously agreed. The day of the interview I went to Kyle’s house. It was a well-kept home with many pictures on the walls. I could tell that Kyle and his family were very close and loving. They welcomed me and made me feel very comfortable. After talking with Kyle and his friendly family, Kyle showed me where his schooling took place. It was a spare bedroom in the house with a desk, computer, books, maps on the walls and a couch for breaks. It was like a regular classroom but even cooler. After the tour, Kyle and I sat down at the same desk he must have spent numerous hours at and began the interview.

At the age of 7 Kyle was done with the public school system. After he finished 2nd grade at Rogers Elementary in Allen Park Michigan, he began 3rd grade right in his own living room. He said that he has little memory of being in a classroom with other kids. It’s an experience he wished he had. Although he was young he still remembers some things. Kyle said, “I will never forget recess. I remember playing Star Wars with the other boys. It was something that I envied when I became homeschooled.” Kyle missed out on a lot of things an average student experiences— things as simple as recess, gym class, lunch tables, and lockers. He always wished he had a normal childhood. Kyle didn’t get to go to school dances and participate in school activities with his classmates. Kyle had only a few friends and little interaction with kids his own age. He felt weird, shy, and awkward at times because of this. These were the disadvantages homeschooling had on Kyle.

Along with disadvantages there were also many advantages of homeschooling. Even though Kyle missed out on a normal school life, he gained much more. Kyle received one on one attention every day. His mother was an excellent teacher and received her degree in teaching from Michigan State University. His father’s job was good enough to support the family so his mother decided to stay home and give Kyle a homeschooled education. She believed she could give her son a better education then the school system. His mother was right. He stayed focused on his school work and received excellent grades. His parents believed that homeschooling was the best decision they made for their son. A main concern about homeschooling is whether a child is obtaining the same information that is needed to prepare a student for college. In Kyle’s case he was getting that and more. On his ACTs Kyle received a score of 31. This is 10 points higher the national average score of 21. Kyle had an advantage over most kids. His parents were fortunate enough give their son all the attention, education, and support he needed to succeed in school.

Kyle is now a sophomore in college. He attends the University of Michigan—Ann Arbor. This was definitely a new experience for Kyle. He said, “When I found out I was going away to school and going to be learning in a classroom, I was excited but nervous at the same time.” Kyle began his freshman year in the fall of 2008. His first year went extremely well. Nervous he wasn’t going to fit in, Kyle decided to become very involved in school so he could meet new friends. He soon became comfortable in the school setting. Now as Kyle is older he realizes how lucky he was to have such a good education from his mother. Skills he learned from being homeschooled, like study skills and time management, helped him do better in college. Even though as a child he wished he was in normal school, Kyle now believes that being homeschooled was a great and rewarding experience for his future.

Homeschooling is a big decision for a parent to make. It can either help or hurt their child’s future. Some parents who keep their child homeschooled don’t take their education seriously enough. They allow their kids to slack off and practically do their child’s schoolwork. They also keep their child from interacting with kids their own age. This can be unhealthy and affect their ability to work with others. Kyle was lucky enough to have parents who were well-educated and knew how to prepare their son for college. They allowed him to be involved in city sports and church activities which helped him with his social skills. Many children who are homeschooled benefit from this experience, and Kyle Jacobs was one of them.

Not Your Ordinary Student

This is the desk that Kyle Jacobs did his school work at on a daily basis. He spent hours at this desk learning from math, science, and English from his own mother.

This is a spare bedroom in Kyle's home. After his parent decided to keep hime homeschooled, they turned this room into Kyle's very own classroom.

The picture to the left is of Kyle working on some school work in his own living room. As you can see he is very relaxed with jogging pants and no socks on. This is what Kyle got to do on a daily basis because he was homeschooled.

Reading Response #2

"Skeptics May Object"

Exercise 1.

In the mind of most people, ending the war on drugs is not an option. Contrary to my belief, people believe that the money spent on the prevention of drugs isn't money wasted. Many will probably never agree that drugs could be considered safe to take. Some may also argue that drugs cause an increase in crime and violence. Nevertheless, despite increasing amounts of money being spent on prohibition, drugs have become more accessible and cheaper. Our society is wasting money on a lost cause. The answer to this problem is finding a new approach against drug prevention. A successful drug policy must apply a balanced approach of prevention, enforcement, and treatment.

Exercise 2.

I chose to look over an argumentative essay I wrote about raising the legal age to drive from 16 to 18. In my essay I included a counter-argument paragraph. In this paragraph I included many likely objections such as some 16 year olds are mature enough to handle the responsibility and that some 16 year olds have jobs and can't depend on others for a ride. The people making these objections would either be the 16 year old driver or the parents of them. I believe in my paragraph I represented the objections fairly. I gave good examples of each reason. Then, I clearly made my argument that these reasons aren't good enough and why raising the legal driving age is the right decision. To improve this paragraph, I think I could definetly include the language in this chapter to make my arugments more clear and understandable. Including a naysayer definetly strengthens my arguments in this essay. I gave example of why people wouldn't agree with me then showed why their reason where wrong and why my arugment is the right and safe decision.

Reading Response #1

"They Say"

Exercise 1

a. Some people still believe that our groundwater is safe to drink. In fact, however our experiments suggest that there are dangerous levels of chemical X in the Ohio groundwater.

b. You would think that material forces such as, money, technology and engineering drive the future, but it is material forces that drive history.

c. A standard way of doing things is based on the common sense of people. In contrast, proponents of Freudian psychology question these standard notions of "rationality."

d. It is a common belief that women talk more than men, but it has been shown that male students often dominate class discussions.

e. Women seem to always believe that having a boyfriend solves everything, which isn't always true. This film is about the problems of romantic relationships.

f. It has become common today to use templates to make writing easier, but I am afraid that using templates like the ones in this book will stifle my creativity.

Exercise 2

If ever there was an idea custom-made for a Jay Leno monologue, this was it: straight people supporting gay marriages. Isn't that like vegetarians supporting people who eat meat? Whatever happen to making up your mind and choosing one side?

I happen to sympathize with these flip-flopping critics, though. Maybe that's because I am also one of them.

Screen Shot

My difficult composing task was typing my chemistry lab report. As a requirement, the whole report had to be typed. This included all data sheets and graphs. It was hard to figure out how to organize the report and type out all my writtten observations. As I looked at my screen shot, I couldn't believe I created this. I saw a well written report. All my papers and notes were all together and made sense to the reader. Even though it took me a long time to figure out how to compose my report, once I was finished I felt satisfied and proud of what I accomplished.

Composing this on the computer allowed me to create a well organized, detailed report. Compared to my written report, the one I created in digital space was cleaner and sharper looking. All the lines were neat and the words could be read clearly. If mistakes were made I could easily fix the error without great effort. I could go back whenever I wanted and make any changes to the report. In digital space, I could record my observations in a table that the program set up for me and bold words that were more important than others. In digital space, It is alot easier to format a paper.

To better understand digital composing processses you must try them out. First you have to explore the program. There are so many possibilities to format a paper you just have to figure them out. There are even classes you can take to help you learn how to use it. One thing you can do is even look up information on the internet. I did exactly that when figuring out how to do the screen shot. I googled it. It is a great resource. It is to your advantage in this day in age to fully understand digital composing.