Home Schooling and Public Schooling (Term Paper Sample)

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Home-schooling and Public-schooling –An Analogy
Introduction
Today’s parents have countless options to choose from concerning where they would prefer their children to be educated. Living in areas with a reputation of being exceptional school districts may make them choose public education (Kunzman & Robert 75). On the other hand, parents may opt for the home school, due to religious reasons for instance. Both home and public schools have their own pros and cons that require a careful assessment before deriving a sober conclusion on the preferred choice. Arguably, home schools have more cons; more so when it comes to peer interactions (Lubienski & Lubienski 54). Thus, parents are required to understand the facts surrounding the options available before making virtuous educational decisions. They are also required to know the implications or outcomes that one decision may have over the other. Unfortunately, a review of literature on these topics lacks a clear identification of the most beneficial route to students. For instance, McGrath (as cited in Lubienski & Lubienski 57) argued that parents benefit regularly from the fruits of public schools. Moreover, opponents of home schooling also believe that homeschooled children are deprived and socially backward. However, other studies have shown that homeschooled children are more socialized in the actual sense (Houston, Robert & Eugenia 922). It is thus obvious the there are both positive and negative elements in either side of the equation. Thus, this paper will examine these elements in both sides and draw a conclusion as to most preferable type of schooling.
Home-schooling
The homeschooling crusade started at around the mid-century as a liberal alternative to public schooling. Homeschooling can be simply referred to as providing education to school-aged children at home as opposed to an established institution/school. Today, there is an unprecedented rate (estimated at over 2 million as of 2010) of homeschooled children in North America (Chang et al. as cited in Belfield & Clive 26). Despite the varying situations that have compelled parents to home-school their children, most of them had a common desire to have their children receive the best education. Proponents of homeschooling assert that it is an education method which allows for parents to have total control over the quality of the education for their children (Houston, Robert & Eugenia 925). They also point out to safety as a key benefit of home schooling (931). As such, parents do not have to worry about gang attacks and shootings that have lately been witnessed in public schools. Homeschooling also sees to a child experiencing less pressure in a comfortable environment that the home provides (932). This is informed by the fact that for proper student learning, a comfortable environment is a crucial necessity. Moreover, home schooled children can learn at their own pace, which is very important in their learning process given that some learn at slower or faster paces than the pace in public school systems. Besides, homeschooled children can also pursue deeper studying on the subjects that they are most interested in (933). As such, homeschooling allows the child to acquire the necessary skills they need to accomplish their goals as opposed to learning a standard curriculum. Homeschooled children have scored a better average on entry exams to college, such as the SAT, thereby finding their way to the most respected universities (Martin-Chang, Odette & Reanne 86). Some research results have also stated that neither social nor academic success is totally compromised for any particular child just because they are homeschooled. Moreover, home-schooled children have plenty of opportunities to become well rounded like their public schooled counterparts, though their parents have control over them. On the other hand, critics of homeschooling argue that a child is deprived of the benefits provided by public school systems (Martin-Chang, Odette & Reanne 95). One particular point is that since isolation is a key adjective of homeschooled children, they do not experience adequate peer interaction like public schooled children; thereby limiting their social development. Moreover, children need an exposure to the various perspectives and the diversity that characterizes today’s world so as to adequately survive and thrive (97). Thus, children in the controlled setting offered by homeschooling are unable to take advantage of the diversity provided in public schooling. Additionally, their absence from regular classroom settings isolates homeschoolers from the discussion world which could eventually affect their general communication process, sharing, acceptance of the outside world and dealing with issues, among other things (98). Critics also note that parents are least qualified to teach their children the necessary material and subjects needed for college or real life. A lack of resources in the home school setting also presents a problem, since this ultimately results in curriculum that is not substantial. Inadequate funding results into fewer opportunities of vital learning experiences, such as field trips and public libraries. Lastly, homeschooling raises a lot of issues including whether and how to regulate it (101). Simply put, not everyone can teach, hence home schooling should only be acceptable when parents are qualified enough to teach. The pros of homeschooling include: a curriculum which is free to choose; free schedule; a smaller teacher to pupil ratio; and, children are taught to be independent in their learning options. On the other hand, the cons of homeschooling are: it is often more expensive than public schooling; the parents/guardians are often not qualified to teach all subjects; social interaction is hard to provide; and, higher learning institutions may have tougher admission policies in regard to homeschooled students (Martin-Chang, Odette & Reanne 96).
Public-schooling
Public schooling refers to a schooling system maintained at the public’s expense for the education of children of a particular community or district (Lubienski & Lubienski 50). This chiefly prepares the children for the higher education or the public service. Public schooling is generally characterized with a wide range of children from various socioeconomic classes and backgrounds. As such, public schooling provides the community that most children will occupy in their adulthood (53). The public school setting offers an opportunity to meet and learn to negotiate with other children who have various points of view. Thus, through public schooling, the child is able to understand fellow children from diverse backgrounds and values. Moreover, public schooling brings together children with a wide range of abilities and disabilities (56). This diversity (as with cultural, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds) introduces the child to the interpersonal and communication issues that mixing with other different children provides. The number of children in a public school classroom offers opportunities that are non-existent in home schools; from team sports to large scale projects (Belfield & Clive 32). The amount of funding in public schooling systems allows them to have facilities, such as technology and laboratory equipment, that would be prohibitive in most home schools. Public schooling offers an array of advanced lessons in technology studies, the arts and sciences which are generally difficult to conduct in the home school that is run by parents who may be least specialized (33). Additionally, public schooling exposes children to various teachers. Even where there is one main classroom teacher, the children may be assigned with additional instructors for home economics, foreign language, physical education, music, drama, and art, amongst others. This provides the child an invaluable opportunity to learn through diverse pedagogies (35). A variety of extracurricular activities are also provided under public schooling. These range from clubs to a range of intramural sports, among other opportunities (NCES 23). According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), teachers in the public school setting tend to have more qualifications and experience as compared to parents in the home schools (25). Moreover, the NCES reported that children in the public school setting study core subjects including math, science and social studies three more hours per week than their homeschooled counterparts (26). The pros of public schooling include: learning within a social setting; availability of extracurricular activity; diverse social education; and more curriculum opportunities. On the other hand, the cons of public schooling include: high teacher-pupil ratios; scheduled learning that is less independent; the curriculum is chosen by the school; and, peers are based on area as opposed to choice.
Why Public Schooling is the Best Option