The Pros and Cons of Home Schooling Essay -- Home-School Education Tea

The Pros and Cons of Home Schooling Home schooling is an important issue in the educational world today. Whether or not a parent has the right to take their child out of public schools to educate them at home has become a widely talked about subject. Over the past decade, some 18,260 home schools have registered as home schools, and this number continues to grow (Clark/Havice). This issue, although intense and multi-layered, is often divided into two distinct groups-those who oppose it, thinking it prevents the child from learning the essentials for social life, and those who advocate it, thinking that it brings the family together, allowing the parents to control what the child learns, and permits them to educate the children one on one. When investigating the importance of home schooling to children, one must see the pros and cons associated with educating the child at home. The cons of teaching children at home are evident when looking at the child’s social life and future educational career. There are 1.2 estimated million students who are educated at home out of 52.7 enrolled students in 1998 (Clark/Havice). Interaction among students in schools allows them to develop social skills necessary for life. Home schooling prevents children from fully maturing into adults because of the constant interaction among other students and teachers that they would lack. According to Mark Rages, a former home schooled student, â€Å"There was no forced interaction with people much different from me. It was not until college that I became friends with people from different cultures or with interests that were much different than mine† (Rages). There is also the belief that home-schooled students may have too m uch socialization. ... ...rned, however, the most important thing to think about what is best for the child and his/her future. Works Cited Clark, Jeffrey K., and Havice, Adam M. â€Å"A Preliminary Survey Health Education in Indiana Home Schools.† Journal of School Health Vol 73 Oct 2003 p 300. EBSCOhost. Roscoe L. West Library, Ewing, NJ. 24 Nov 2003. Cobb, Cathy. Certification Clerk for Hunterdon County. Kaplan-Leiserson, Eva. â€Å"Education Evolution†. JSTOR, 2002. Ray, Brian D. â€Å"Customization Through Homeschooling†. JSTOR, 2002. Smith, Michael. â€Å"Home-Schooling Today.† The Washington Times Final Edition 17 March 2003 pB04. EBSCOhost. Roscoe L. West Library, Ewing, NJ. 20 Nov 2003. Wiechers, Michelle. â€Å"Homeschooling: Adventitious or Detrimental for Proficiency in Higher Education†. JSTOR.