subject: Homeschooling - An Alternative To Regular Schools [print this page] Homeschooling is more prevalent in developed countries and refers to a form of education granted to children at home by parents or tutors. Parents favoring homeschooling and local advocates of formal schooling have been involved in discussions for years over homeschooling. While many countries do not accept homeschooling, in US homeschooling is legally accepted in all the states.
Parents opt for homeschooling on various grounds that include unsatisfactory school records or even lack of access to good schools. Parents can also opt for home schooling on religious grounds as granted by a decree of the Supreme Court.
While parents have the authority on how their wards are to receive education, denying any form of education to children leads to abuse of this power. Hence parents follow a comprehensive method to impart knowledge to children. Therefore parents adopt a detailed methodology when homeschooling their kids.
While children do not attend classes in regular schools, most homeschooling also requires a formal structured curriculum. When homeschooling does not follow such a structured pattern of study, it is normally referred to as unschooling. Another version of homeschooling is natural schooling which basically is knowledge gained through knowledge building experiences.
Parents can choose from a variety of popular homeschooling approaches. Some common types are Classical education, Thomas Jefferson Education, Montessori method, Waldorf education, Unschooling, School-At-Home and various others. Waldorf education and Montessori models are popular concepts and have also found their way in many formal educational institutes. Today colleges and universities also have new admission procedures to accommodate students from various educational backgrounds including homeschooling.
Parents are permitted to seek assistance from certified teachers or home tutors to help them in imparting knowledge to their wards. As a matter of fact states have their own rules regarding homeschooling and some may insist on certified tutors to handle such cases. Again, certain states insist on a proper formal procedure where parents have to seek approval from state authorities to pursue home education of their wards while other laws insist on registering such students in an independent private school or community while being home taught.
While there are many active supporters of homeschooling, the most obvious drawback in this type of education is the restricted peer group involvement preventing interactive discussions among similar age group.
