Home Schooling Essay -- essays papers

Home Schooling The debate over home schooling has been a hot topic for many over the past few years. Home schooling can be defined as, â€Å"to teach school subjects to one’s children at home† (Merriam-Webster Online, 2003). However, the main debate is not over whether or not children should be taught at home; rather, the question debated is if home-schooled children are as prepared socially as those children who are traditionally schooled. Although opponents of home schooling claim that children who are educated at home do not develop their social skills at the same rate as their peers who attend traditional schools, research findings indicate that students who are home-schooled develop socially at the same rate as those who are traditionally schooled. Home schooling originated in a time when there were a small number of schools. Even when more public and community schools became available, traditional groups like the Seventh Day Adventists and Mormons, chose to school their young children at home. The Amish society kept their older children out of the public schools and chose to educate them through life in the community. The movement for home schooling has become more prevalent in modern day education. Many parents opt to educate at home, whether it be for religious purposes or because they are pursuing the philosophy of child-led learning. Whatever the reason for home schooling, it has become a predominant form of education in society today (Lines, 1995). Society inflicts many stereotypes upon those who â€Å"go against the norm.† Children who are home-schooled are seen as shy, passive, introverted people who do not get along well in society. It is believed that parents of home-schooled children are protecting their chil... ...ooled peers. Bibliography Aiex, N. (1994). Home Schooling and Socialization of Children. ERIC Digest. Retrieved April 23, 2003, from http://www.ericfacility.net/ericdigests/ed372460.html Jaycox, R. (2001). Rural Home Schooling and Place-Based Education. ERIC Digest. Retrieved April 24, 2003, from http://www.ericfacility.net/ericdigests/ed459971.html Lines, P. (1995). Home Schooling. ERIC Digest, Number 95. Retrieved April 23, 2003, from http://www.ericfacility.net/ericdigests/ed381849.html Merriam-Webster Online. (2003). Home School. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. Retrieved April 24, 2003, from http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?va=homeschooled National Home Education Research Institute. (2002). Home Education Research Fact Sheet. National Home Education Research Institute. Retrieved April 24, 2003, from http://www.nheri.org/content.php?menu=1002&page_id=24