The Popularity Of Homeschooling

Homeschooling has become immensely popular in the 1990's. A report released by the National Home Education Research Institute indicated that 1.2 million students were educated at home during the 1996-1997 school year.

The NHERI report indicated several reasons parents choose to homeschool. These reasons include: the ability to "teach specific philosophical or religious values," the opportunity to control social interactions, to develop closer family ties, and the chance to offer higher academics than the public school could offer.

The decrease in national education standards, shortage of decent educators, and increase in attention on school violence could cause the homeschool numbers to rise even higher in the next ten years.

Public Schooling: Survival of the Fittest

From the day Junior toddles into his kindergarten class and attempts to outshine Sally and Joe in cutting, coloring and pasting, he is learning to compete with his peers in an academic arena. Some people feel homeschooled children miss out on the opportunity to compete academically and therefore are lacking important skills necessary for building a successful career.

David Imig, President of the American Association for Teacher Education in Washington, DC, feels that while there are isolated stories of successful homeschooled students, those are the exceptions and not the rule. "Three years ago I was opposed to homeschooling," he says. " I couldn't believe any parent could make the kind of commitment needed to be a successful educator to their child. Since then I have met parents and seen their efforts and I'm overwhelmed by their commitment and determination." That said, Imig believes that even the most committed parent cannot compete with the resources available in a public school.

"I think a homeschool can never have the range and intensity of experiences that you are going to have in a public school," says Imig, referring specifically to socialization, a topic heavily debated among homeschoolers and public educators. "The downside [to homeschooling] is that there is the absence of [both positive and negative] interactions with other kids. I am not sure that 'positive' [interactions are only] what you want your children to experience. You want your children to have balance, to have the opportunity to choose good over bad."

Dr. Judith Souweine, a noted child psychologist and author, agrees. She believes that children learn important coping skills and self-discipline when they are faced with the challenge of negative behavior exhibited by their peers. To deny the child the opportunity to face such challenges is denying them the ability to make the correct, moral decision.

Eileen Spatz, the mother of three homeschooled children, disagrees with the argument that children who are homeschooled lack the opportunity for socialization." When people ask me about socialization I fight the urge to laugh. Not only is this a non-issue, because most homeschooled kids are very active in social groups, sports organizations, and with their schooled friends after school hours, but home schooling allows parents more control over just who they will be socializing with! It narrows the social sphere down to associations with like-minded families, whose children we like and trust. It protects them from being exposed to the profane language and graphic sexual talk present in schools," she argues.

Eileen Spatz is not alone in her beliefs. Many homeschoolers fulfill their child's need for socialization by taking them to church or youth group functions, or enrolling them in extracurricular pursuits like sports, music lessons, Scouts, and organized playgroups. Some homeschoolers even opt to have their children take part in public school orchestras or sports teams. In fact, a recent study by the National Home Education Research Institute showed that a homeschooled child is regularly involved in 5.2 social activities outside the home.

To Homeschool or Not

Whether it is the right or wrong response to frustration, most parents who decide to homeschool their children do so after becoming disillusioned or disappointed with their public school system. But, homeschooling is not for everyone; educating a child at home requires commitment, determination, patience, and flexibility. Ultimately the decision to homeschool must be made with the child's best interest at heart and the family's abilities and dedication in mind.