Homeschool Research Paper

Education is an important aspect of a child’s life even when they become an adult. Knowledge is the key to everything they accomplish in life so it is no surprise parents want the best for their children. Homeschool has more positive advantages than often recognized and overall is a better choice than public or private institutions. Flexibility, financial differences, and outside activities for your child make homeschooling an ideal choice.

Flexibility is one key element in the growing popularity of homeschooling. The adult as well as the child’s schedule becomes flexible with the use of this form of school. The child is not limited to the routine of sitting in a particular class for a specified amount of time and continuously switching classes throughout the day. Also, since the child isn’t reliant on the school calendar it allows their family to travel whenever they want. Not being bound by the school calendar also has another advantage such as not worrying about missing days of school. If the child is sick, making work up would be relatively simple and they would not have to struggle in the process. Also, children won’t be spending unnecessary time on homework because they will complete their overall work faster with the help of one-on-one instructional time. The completion of homework would happen during the child’s class time with little distraction.

The parents could teach their children at their own pace which is usually faster than that of other institutions. (Moffat) “Public schools squander the best time in a family’s life. They rob the family of the time that could be spent together, learning, playing, and creating.” (Vital Speeches of the Day 1) Parents have the ability to be flexible with their children’s education in various ways. One of the most popular ways is being able to incorporate religion, for example, into the child’s daily routine effectively by the use of their schooling. The parents have the choice to customize their children’s education and regulate their exposure to certain materials to how they see fit. This enables the child to learn the curriculum that is academically set but also life essentials such as morals and values. (Evans) Home school is also financially cheaper which makes a huge difference to the parents.

They save money on various items such as gas and the child’s lunch. The Progress Report shows that the average public school spends nearly $10,000 per child while the average homeschool parent spends about $500 per child per year. (New Study Shows Homeschoolers Excel Academically) Parents just purchase the books, curriculum, and other materials needed to efficiently conduct their school which comes out way cheaper than that of public or private school. Homeschooling is brilliant because it essentially brings the child and his/her family closer together. They learn to understand each other better while the schooling provides much needed bonding time. “The homeschooling family creates a generation bridge instead of a generation gap. Parents can pass on to their children their spiritual and moral values thereby creating a family continuity into several generations.” (Vital Speeches of the Day 1) When the child and family are brought closer together the parents can better understand their children and their needs. The children can then be influenced by their family instead of their peers which will increase their decision making positively.

Students can often surpass the negativity of socialization that traditional schooling provides by being homeschooled. These children are not exposed to peer pressure, bullying, battling over status, or having discipline issues while being homeschooled. (Washington Times) Also, since children need socialization with children their own age they can participate in sports. Recreational sports, for example, are sports for any child in or out of school. These types of sports are similar to public or private sports. Home school children actually seem more involved in activities than that of other schools because it is their chance to interact with other children. Some other activities besides sports that they could participate in are church youth groups, dance classes, the scouts, and spelling bees. (Klicka) These children get plenty interaction with others replacing the need for recess or anything similar that is contained in public or private schools.

Popularity in homeschool is rising for all the right reasons. The outcome of not only being flexible, financially cheaper, or outside activities
outweighs what public or private institutions have to offer. Homeschooling proves that children are just as smart as or smarter than that of public/private taught children. A survey conducted in 2009 states that fifteen independent testing services throughout all fifty states resulted 11,739 homeschooling students scored thirty-seven percentile points above public school students on standardized achievement tests. (Ray) Homeschool children retain more information with the one-on-one instructional time they receive and are able to focus on their academics rather than worry about their peers.

Works Cited

Evans, Dennis. “Customizing Education at Home.” Clashing Views in Teaching and
Educational Practice. 16 April 2011: 31-35
Klicka, Chris. “Socialization: Homeschoolers are in the Real World.” March 2007. Available at
http://www.hslda.org/docs/nche/000000/00000068.asp> Accessed 27 April 2011. Moffat, Gregory K. The Parenting Journey: From Conception Through the Teen Years.
20 April 2011: 179
“New Study Shows Homeschoolers Excel Academically.” August 10, 2009. Available At http://www.hslda.org/docs/media/2009/200908100.asp Accessed 19 April 2011 Ray, Brian. “Homeschool Achievement confirmed.” 2009. Available at http://www.hslda.org/docs/study/ray2009/default.asp Accessed 19 April 2011 “Socialization in high school oversold.” Washington Times 31 May 2004: B04. Student Edition.

Web. Available at
http://find.galegroup.com/gps/retrieve.do?contentSet=IAC-Documents&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&qrySerId=Locale%28en%2C%2C%29%3AFQE%3D%28ke%2CNone%2C28%29socialization+in+home+school%24&sgHitCountType=None&inPS=true&sort=DateDescend&searchType=BasicSearchForm&tabID=T004&prodId=IPS&searchId=R8¤tPosition=1&userGroupName=discweb&docId=CJ117428076&docType=IAC&contentSet=IAC-Documents Accessed 27 Apr. 2011. “Why Homeschooling is important in America.” Vital Speeches of the Day 1. 763+. General OneFile. Available at