Homeschooling is an option that more and more people, especially in the United States, prefer. Here the parents act as teachers, and their kids, the students. In fact, it is just the extension of the parents' role as the first mentors of their children. The modern setup of homeschooling, in contrast, makes use of computers and other materials tailor-made for the child. A homeschool teacher is also hired.
Why do parents choose homeschooling? Some parents are apprehensive about their kids going to a public school and getting influenced by other kids. On the other hand, some people believe that they can save when they don't have to pay for the tuition fees and other school-related expenses. It does not matter as long as the long-term goal is met: the kids learn.
- A Familiar Environment A child is more likely to concentrate when learning at home primarily because he is in an environment where he is most familiar with. He knows the people who would walk in and out of the room. There are fewer inhibitions. Moreover, he gets an individualized kind of learning. He does not need to compete with 40 or so other students. The child is therefore given more freedom to explore concepts and express his ideas.
- Teaching Materials The home is also an ideal learning environment since it is equipped with common things that can be turned into teaching materials. For a chemistry lesson, for example, the teacher and the child may use the kitchen. And it doesn't look like performing an experiment at all! With a simple activity as cooking, the child will know about the physical and chemical changes in matter. The possibilities are actually endless.
- Practice vs. Theory In the traditional classroom, the class is in a more ideal setup. Everybody is expected to behave and do as they are told. It looks almost as if everything is orchestrated. In homeschooling, however, the child is exposed to what the real world is like, basically because there are more applications than theories. Besides, one will not really use all the terms learned in school; they will be forgotten eventually. What's important is that the child sees how these theories are applied in real life.
- Socialization with Different Ages Another advantage of homeschooling is that it develops the child's socialization skills. In a regular classroom, a grade level is consisted of children of the same age. Therefore, a child usually only interacts with people of the same age level.
And as what was mentioned, children are taught to behave at school. Homeschool provides a more realistic social setting. A homeschooled child can interact with both children and adults. He can even enhance his functional communication skills. Take your child to the supermarket and teach him how to deal with vendors and salesclerks. If you are regular church-goers, he will meet and talk with different sorts of people.
At home, the children learn life skills, and are less likely to be influenced negatively. Though they are in their comfort zones, it is actually in the parent's method of disciplining them that they learn responsibility. With homeschool, the child is faced with real situations, and these make up the tools that a child really needs for survival in the real world.
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