Home Schooling Basics
Through much of human history, the only education children received was from their parents. When schools were set up, they were set up for the rich and royal so even in the middle ages these were the only people who attended a formal school. Some of what was taught at these schools is what we call today, Classical Education, where we teach history and ancient languates. Most children were apprenticed – they learned a vocation either from their fathers or from a skilled tradesman. This was the education that saw them through life.
It was only in the late 17th century that compulsory education began in the West. This was a concept the early settlers brought with them to America. Families moving out from the east coast to settle the virgin lands to the west were basically on their own and what little education was available to children was given by the parents. But schools soon followed and by the end of the 19th century, schooling was available to most American children. However, by the middle of the 20th century, people were beginning to question the prevailing education system and the type of learning it imparted. It was at this time that the concept of Home Schooling emerged, or to be historically accurate, re-emerged.
So what exactly is home schooling? All that is going on with home schooling is that the family is coming together to do the teaching instead of an institution. Home schooling is legal in all the fifty states and while the specifics of the rules and regulations governing this form of education differ from state to state, in general the parents have freedom to choose when, how and what their children will study, subject to the end result being that the children have certain minimum levels of knowledge is various subjects.
HomeSchooling should not be confused with home study which is institutionally supervised education programs for those who would like to attend school but can not. This include such forms of education as Independent Study Programs where visiting teachers visit students who are unable to attend school, for a variety of legitimate reasons which can include physical or learning disabilities, on a regular basis to set the study schedule and monitor progress. Many school districts also offer support programs for children who are unable to attend school due to sickness and injury. These programs are designed to allow the children to keep up with the class work until they are able to return to school. Neither of these or other home study plans offer parents any control over what and how their children study and so cannot be called home schooling.
There are many reasons why parents opt for HomeSchooling . Among the most common are:
· Control over what their children will learn
· Maintaining and developing the family bonds which need not be affected because the child must go to school.
· The option of being able to understand and respond to a child’s special needs
· Concerns about the safety of children in schools and also about the journey to and from there.
· Home schooling provides a huge amount of flexibility. Parents who travel often are able to adjust the study schedules so as to take their children with them.
Home School Jewel is a new community website all about homeschooling your children. Come by Home School Jewel today and join the site for free and you get a free Homeschooling Basics EBook just for signing up! Stop today so you can get your free Ebooks that will give you what you need to know on Homeschooling.
Related Articles
