In today's day and age, schooling is the most important part of any person's personal development. It is the start of a child's education and the school is the place where the child acquires their basic knowledge. Public schooling was formally introduced in the United States in the 18th Century and has been the main method of education since then. An educational trend from before that time has recently started to reappear in the American schooling system and is gaining wide popularity all over the country with many States officially recognizing it as a valid form of schooling. This returning method of schooling is called Home Education.
What is Home Education?
Some parents choose not to send their children to Public or Private schools but rather educate their children themselves, at home. This method of education is known as Home Education or Homeschooling. Before the introduction of public schooling, parents used to educate their children at home. This practice faded away once public schooling was formally introduced but in recent years, 50 states have made homeschooling an authorized way of providing education to children. Parents are allowed to teach their children at home by using various methods of teaching and different forms of curriculum.
Why do people choose Home Education?
There are many reasons as to why parents would want to educate their children at home. Some of the predominant ones are:
- Religious: Some parents choose to educate their children at home due to religious reasons. This form of home education usually follows a religion based curriculum.
- Disabilities: Children with mental or physical disabilities might find it hard to cope with a regular public school so their parents choose to provide the right educational environment for them at home.
- Social Reasons: Parents who worry about the social impact of public schooling can also choose to home educate their children. This is mostly done to keep the children safe from unethical activities.
- Flexibility: It is sometimes preferable for the parents to home educate their children as they find the curriculum more flexible and are able to mould the education according to the child's needs.
Methods of Home Education
There are several methods in which home education can be provided to students. Some of the most popular ones include:
- Unit Studies: A unit study teaches multiple subjects to a student based on a recurring topic. This usually includes all regular school subjects blended into a chosen theme.
- All-in-One Curricula: Also known as School in a Box, this package includes a whole year's worth of course work for the parents to be able to create a school-like environment at home.
- Community Resources: In this type of setup, parents who educate their children at home meet up with other parents regularly to discuss their progress, etc. - Unschooling: Parents who believe that regular school education is not right for their children adopt this method of education. The children are taught what they want to learn and topics that they show interest in rather than a fixed curriculum.
- Online Education: This is the fastest rising method of providing home education. Parents receive all coursework and teaching aids online and can even attend online lessons with their children.
If you are looking to provide Home Education for your children, make sure you carefully select the methodology you intent to use in doing so.