Are My Children Safe in Public School? Is Home School Better?

With all of the recent news of violence, high drop-out rates and low test scores around the country, more and more parents are considering home school which has long been a controversial topic. Public schools want you to think that they are the only valid educational choice. Private schools are expensive. On the other hand, parents who teach their children at home will tell you it is the best decision they ever made. So which one is right for you and your child? How do you decide?

You decide by educating yourself first. You will find that there is a wealth of information about home education online to help you decide and get your home-based classroom started. Online resources are readily available for every child at any age, any grade level and any learning style. I have even found an online expo, an exciting internet-based homeschool convention, to help you explore the possibilities, find resources and networking opportunities.

Home school can sound daunting to the parent considering it for the first time. Most parents who teach their children at home do so because of their strong family values and/or their Christian values. Others feel strongly that the public schools are not the place where they want to send their children every day for any number of reasons. The online expo, which I will discuss further on my blog, is a wonderful opportunity for you to discover the possibilities that await you and your child in the exciting adventure of home school. The host of this internet convention is concerned about passing on family and Christian values through the process of home education - and helping you to do it well!

There are many advantages of educating your child at home, as you will discover as you begin your journey. One of the biggest benefits is that homeschooling is a lifestyle that encompasses your entire family and even your extended family. You will find that your children will learn when they are interested - at any age. As a parent of a toddler or pre-schooler, you most likely provided your little one with educational toys and books and environments. Home school for a school-age child works the same way - you provide the opportunity and they WILL want to learn. There are so many resources online for educating your child at home that you will never run out of ideas or material. Your children will never run out of things to explore and learn!

In my research online, I have found many sites that afford amazing educational resources and opportunities for children, parents and teachers to explore math, science, art, history or any other subject of interest. I found virtual tours of places such as the cockpit of a space shuttle or a pyramid. There are sites for math drills and tutoring, art museums to explore, and much, much more. None of this was available when I was teaching my own children [now adults] at home. Truly the world of learning is at your fingertips!

In the process of homeschooling, you will find that the most important things your children learn are not from a book. The most important things are the ones they learn from you - honesty and integrity, kindness and gentleness, socialization, a good work ethic, a hunger to explore their world and their community, and a love for learning. Proponents of public education will try to tell you that a home school child is not being properly socialized if he or she is not in a classroom with peers all day long for five days a week. Consider, however, what the word, socialization, means. Socialization is learning how to act appropriately in various social situations. Who is better equipped to teach this to your child? Another child who has not yet learned appropriate behavior? Or you? Children are best socialized by their parents and others who love them and will help them learn appropriate behaviors in various situations. Homeschooling provides children with many wonderful opportunities to learn and practice their social skills as you interact with them in the real world.

There are so many wonderful resources online that I know you will enjoy the opportunity to explore the concept of home school further as you weigh your educational choices for your own children.

You can teach with excellence! Want to know how?

Diana Kirsch

http://ideasforhomeschool.blogspot.com/

Warning - Lack of Socialization Causes Home Schooled Children to Have Two Heads?

Rubbish I hear you say? I couldn't agree more. I find it quite amusing that "scholars" and the media treat the home schooled child and parent this way. The number one argument against homeschooling is the buzz word of "socialization" in other words the lack of social interaction with others through schooling.

This is easily avoided by joining numerous organizations, including, independent study programs and specialized enrichment groups for physical education, art, music, and debate. Most are also active in community groups by learning through doing. Home-educated children generally socialize with other children the same way that school children do: outside of school, via personal visits and through sports teams, clubs, and religious groups etc.

Most home education parents have often argued that their alternative actually enhances the student's "socialization". They argue that the school years are the only time in a person's life that he or she will be artificially segregated into chronologically-determined groups. They say that home educated children have a more normal interaction with people of all ages. This will result in more influence on the child from adults, and less from other children, leading to more mature young citizens while still keeping friends and interacting with children of the same age.

In 1999 a statement from the National Education Association that, "home schooling cannot provide the student with a comprehensive education experience". It is funny then that earlier this month shows home-schooled students are actually more socially and academically advanced than their peers. Patrick Basham from Cato Institute and author of the study says one of the greatest quotes ever (and relates to my confronting headline) "aren't surprising in intellectual terms, but it does turn the major anecdotal opposition to home schooling - that it produces social retards - on its head." "Almost one quarter of home-schooled students perform one or more grades above their age level peers in public and private schools," said Basham. Indeed, the study cited findings that by Grade 8, the average home-schooled student performs four grade levels above the national average.

According to the study's findings, the typical home-schooled child is more mature, friendly, happy, thoughtful, competent, and better socialized than students in public or private schools and less peer dependent and exhibit "significantly higher" self-esteem, according to the study.

Where is this socialization the government school crowd always promotes as a reason for not home schooling? The latest blurb is that home schooled kids, even though possibly better educated, just can't be socialized in a home school setting. Once again the difference between theory and practice is showing just the opposite. Socially, home schoolers socialize in soccer comps, football comps, special events, ski trips, astronomy clubs, church groups, on the internet etc. So please, help me find this lack of socialization among home schoolers so we can stamp it out and stop depriving them of this most important asset?. What do you think?

Copyright 2006 Matt Weight

For more information on Homeschooling visit http://www.homeschooling-secrets-revealed.com

Establishing a Home School Connection For Your Children

Home schooling has become quite a common practice with many today due to various reasons. These include safety of the children as the schools are becoming increasingly dangerous to attend, single parents who cannot always make it on time to pick up and drop their kids, those physically or mentally challenged children and/or unavailability of a school in the vicinity.

Due to the fact that there are many children undergoing home school studies program, there are in fact many options, and they are all mostly available on the internet which is something that many people already have easy access to. Well, you will need the following: a computer, and a connection to the internet. The internet should preferably be through broadband because it the speed is fast and thus, you will be able to download and access any data, such as educational videos, quickly in double quick time

Home school connection is established through the Internet from where you can obtain daily programs; submit homework and other curriculum projects that are required. The internet will also help you get connected directly with teachers and students on the specially designed school forums; over on these forums you will be able to chat and discuss directly with a teacher, ask questions as well as get in touch with other students via the wire.

Most home school forums are open 24 hours a day to allow students to interact anytime they want. This is because children who undergo home schools find themselves at times isolated and lonely, and the forum can certainly help with that side of the home school connection.

So What You Should Know About Home Schools

Home schools have many advantages because the parents get to be a even bigger part of their child's life by being his or her school teacher, however, there are a few things you must ensure before enrolling your children in a home school. You have to make sure that the school must be accredited in order for your child's studies to be recognized once he completes programs.

Another very important factor is that home schools don't just give your child the normal social life other children access by attending traditional schooling everyday. You must ensure that the home school connections also have active forums for your child to interact freely and make friends as all other children do in school. There are many home schools available, so do your research and pick with care the one your child should follow, as that will determine his or her future, probably.

There is no need for you to struggle to make homeschooling work. Get your guide in Guide To Home Schooling For All. Homeschooling is a great form of education method. More about homeschooling tips and advises at HomeSchooling For All.

The Children of Caesar: The State of American Education

Christians will NOT win the Culture War until they remove their children from Government Schools. Watch these DVDs and give them to friends, family, and most importantly-your pastor.

In the first presentation. entitled "Whoever Controls the School Controls the World", Dr. Voddie Baucham knows what most parents are too quick to dismiss: whoever is teaching our children is also discipling them. Voddie persuasively argues that Christian parents need to take the initiative in their children's education and stop turning them over to the anti-God environment of the government school. Using Scripture, statistics, and sound reasoning, Voddie powerfully makes the case that whoever controls the schools does indeed control the world.

In the second presentation, entitled "Getting Your House In Order," Dr. Baucham turns his attention to the Christian home and explains what an "orderly" home should look like. Expounding on the Old Testament text of Deuteronomy 6, Voddie highlights six characteristics of a properly ordered home. Through personal testimony and biblical instruction, Voddie educates and motivates Christian parents to rise to the challenge of changing the world-one household at a time.

Two Disc Set ? Total Running Time: 103 minutes

Price: $24.95

Click here to buy from Amazon

Raising Children Who Feel at Home in the World

With globalization, international travel, and the internet it seems like the world is getting smaller.  Businesses are seeking out people who feel comfortable working with those of different cultures and backgrounds, and people willing to travel and live in other countries. Besides the world is just becoming a more complex place, and it is more important than ever for us to get to know our neighbors and understand where they are coming from. So, how can we prepare our children for entering into this global society?

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

- Don’t be afraid to travel with your children. Take them places, expose them to different cultures, different foods, different languages, different climates, different terrains. We have travelled extensively with our children – our oldest has been through museums in London, on safari in South Africa, in the Vatican and Coliseum in Rome, through the Uffizi museum in Florence, snorkeling with dolphins, fish, and turtles in Hawaii, and through Roman and Crusader ruins in Israel, and he is just shy of his sixth birthday (okay, I know we have been very lucky to do all of this, but even one trip can make a lasting impression).

- Seek out ways to learn more about the different cultures represented in your area. Look for cultural center events, go to authentic restaurants to experience different types of food (and maybe meet the owners), put in effort to meet and get to know your neighbors who are from different backgrounds.

- Make studying world geography an important part of your homeschool curriculum. You can really immerse yourself in this type of study – read about it, look at picture books, make cultural costumes, watch a documentary on the region, prepare and eat local styled food, learn a few words of the language, read folk stories from the area, study their art, listen to their music, plan an international cultural day with your local homeschool co-op or group.

- Use resources on the internet, such as National Geographic’s My Wonderful World, and for older children expose them to international news on websites such as BBC and CNN international (not CNN on TV,  I was surprised to realize, upon moving back to the US, that the CNN aired here is not the same as the CNN that the rest of the world sees).

For more ideas look through the book “Growing Up Global: Raising Children to Be At Home in the World”. It is filled with ideas on how to learn about and become comfortable with people and cultures from around the world.

Kami can be found raising her two little world travelers at Nurturing the tender years.

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Tagged as: cultural studies, geography, written by Kami

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