Homeschooling And The Family

Posted by Colin Jones on May 26, 2010

According to the National Center For Education Statistics, roughly 1.1 million children underwent home schooling in 2005 alone. That’s a lot of children. Once upon a time, homeschooling used to be an extreme statement – something like a declaration of independence.

It was the conservative Christians who pushed for homeschooling in the 1980′s and legalized it in every State. But these day, average homeschooling student is not religiously motivated.

Later surveys indicate that parents are quite fed up with the public school system where much of the learning is superficial and compulsory. They are also concerned about the negative environment in school, which ranges from drugs and abuse to negative pressure from their peers.

As a result, we have a surprising mix of people who make up the homeschooling world of today. They cut across all religious creeds and all regional borders. Their main aim is providing meaningful and productive learning through a method that strengthens the bond between the various members of the family.

These families all have one main thing in common – a long enduring commitment to the sanctity of childhood. The children of these families are accorded a primary position. Many believe, and, I think, rightly so, that home schooling allows parents to bring up their kids in a more natural and nurturing environment.

Public schools can make a child anxious, diffident and thoroughly nasty. Children who receive their education at home are protected from these damaging, negative influences until they attain an age where they can deal with them.

Home-schooling draws the whole family into the almost religious job of teaching. Everyone has a role to play. Both the parents together form a bond with the children. Any experience can be turned into an educational experience. Both the parents are aware of exactly what is going into their child’s head.

Parents also have a greater say over the kind of religious and moral values that the child is learning. Even watching a film together can become a learning experience. Trips to the libraries, zoos, museums and other places become educational as well as recreational.

A home-schooling family is primarily dependent on the income of one earning member. That means that often outgoings have to be curtailed and proper planning of expenditure is a must. This helps to bring the family members together and everybody becomes involved in the process of saving money.

Just having a parent at home to look after, to nurture and to care for the children brings with it a lot of love and caring. Even the husband chips in and there is just no room for complacency.

Yes OK, problems still do sometimes occur, and there will be many misgivings in your mind, but when you know that your children can always rely on you, and your kids know it too, then homeschooling becomes a richly rewarding experience.

If you are thinking about Home Schooling then please pop along to our web-based resource at Home Schooling Information