Home schooling curriculum benefits education, social skills

by Adán Rubio

Poor social skills and a lack of quality relationships are a few characteristics that many people believe are common with students who are home schooled.

But home schooling does not have a negative affect on a student’s growth.

The idea that homeschooling prevents the creation of necessary social skills is flawed, as students are just learning under a different curriculum, not being isolated from society. Having the luxury of being taught at home allows for many opportunities for students to exercise their social skills.

With the presence of advanced communication technology, it is easy for home-schooled kids to form new relationships and keep in contact with friends.

Many will argue that the introduction of new technology is making people less sociable in public situations. But with a more relaxed learning curriculum and more free time to utilize technology, students who are home schooled will receive the chance to explore their hobbies and go out to interact with people of similar interests.

If a parent is putting his or her time and effort in to ensure that a child gets a quality education at home, they would want their kid to take part in some extracurricular activities and not waste their free time on the Internet.

Because of the parents’ desire to give their child the same learning and growing opportunities as a student attending a public or private school, home-schooled kids will receive the same amount of social exposure. With more free time, home-schooled students can explore their hobbies and skills outside of the house.

Another benefit of home schooling is the constant attention a student will receive compared to being in a public or private school with classrooms sizes close to 20 to 30 people.

With a more relaxed curriculum and the close connection between a parent and the student, more time can be dedicated to improving the student’s strengths and necessary life skills.

Most school subjects already require that students improve public speaking skills, team cooperation and critical thinking skills in order to get the most out of an education. Through a home-school education and a variety of extracurricular activities, students can still obtain these skills by learning core subjects and how to utilize what they have learned.

By participating in extracurriculars, such as sports teams or volunteer work, home-schooled students will have the opportunities to work with other students of the same age. There are even groups that parents and students can utilize to interact with others using a home-school curriculum.

Students at home have the same opportunities as public and private school students to improve their skills and increase their exposure to new experiences.

With different life milestones, such as getting a job or learning how to drive, people are never without new learning experiences that enable personal development.

Learning how to drive is an experience that requires teens, home-schooled or not, to practice social skills with students and instructors during a driver education course. Whether a home-schooled student takes the course or learns from a parent, a lot of work is still needed to develop additional critical thinking skills necessary to deal with different situations on the road.

If a home-schooled student wants a job, a lot of time needs to be dedicated to building interviewing skills and learning how to write a proper resume.

No one, home-schooled or not, is ever without new learning and social experiences. Learning at home does not hinder or isolate the student.

With focus and effort, a home-schooling curriculum can benefit a student’s growth similar to a regular public education.

Home schooling hinders student growth, lifestyle

by Meghan Arnold

Many parents decide to home-school because they believe it gives them more control over their children.

But they fail to see the negative outcomes that occur from the isolation home schooling truly causes.

Being isolated from private or public schools for a long period of time causes children to become unsocialized and socially awkward. Children who are home-schooled are typically always at home a large percentage of the time. That means they are not meeting new people or creating friendships with other kids their age. They will find themselves having issues with holding conversations, and difficulties with their confidence when in large groups of people. Since they are not used to being around people, this could also take away their sense of right and wrong. So they may act rudely or thoughtlessly because they have not been taught how to correctly socialize. Taking great care of others may not be something they learned in their home.

Home schooling can also result in laziness. Many kids who have been home-schooled find themselves sitting around the house doing nothing. They are so used to being at home all the time that they don’t know of anything else to do.

Going out and playing sports is something a lot of home-schooled kids miss out on. Since they lack friends, going  to the mall or movies often doesn’t happen unless it’s with their family. So they just stay home and do nothing.

The parents who home-school their kid may lack the knowledge to teach their children properly. They may be strong in one or two subjects, but everyone has their weaknesses. That means the child isn’t getting taught that subject correctly. Since the parent is weak in that subject, they would be unable to tutor their child if they don’t understand.  

Children should be educated to the best of their ability. Teachers in a school system have to attend years of college in order to earn certification to teach students properly. Usually they only get certified in one or two subjects. So a child being taught five to six subjects by one parent who didn’t major in education isn’t receiving a proper education.

Kids who are home-schooled also miss out on a lot of memorable activities. Since they get taught at home, many of them don’t get to attend a prom with the kids they typically grew up around. A prom is a very special moment that every teenager should be able to experience at least once.  They also miss out in participating in a large graduation, where everyone you went to school with cheers for you as you walk across the stage.

If they attend college, it will be a huge shock for them. They are going to be outcasts and have to adjust to their new surroundings, surroundings that most kids are typically already used to.

Parents believe they have more control over their kids when they home-school them. In reality, they are just hurting their kids by making them miss out on life!