Home schooling is also known as home education, and is a method of teaching children in the family home, rather than at an institution, such as a public school. Originally, all schooling was done in the family home, or informally within small communities. Very few children ever went to school, or had private tutelage. Children who did have this type of education were considered to be privileged, and were mainly from wealthy families.

Informal education, mainly conducted in the home, was the only way for children to gain an education. In the US, there were books dedicated to home education, such as “Helps To Education in the Homes of Our Country” authored by Warren Burton. Parents were the main teachers of their children, although, where possible, local teachers would assist parents, and take classes. It is said that before schooling was institutionalized, the US was at its height of literacy skills.

The 19th century saw many significant changes to the way education, and schooling was conducted with the introduction of compulsory school attendance laws. It is now considered a human right that children are given an education provided by the government.

Over the years, there has been much controversy over the effectiveness of institutionalized schooling, and some people have even gone as far as saying that the compulsory schooling system is damaging to younger children, especially boys who are slower to mature.

In the early 1970s, Ray and Dorothy Moore, who later become well known home schooling advocates, researched the bearing that early childhood education had on the mental, and, physical development of children between the ages of 8 to 12 years of age. Through these studies, the Moores produced evidence that formal schooling was damaging to children, and a cause for some behavioral problems commonly found in school aged children.

According to these tests, illiterate tribal mothers in Africa had children that were more socially, and emotionally advanced than children in the western world. The Moores believed that this was largely due to the bond between parents, and their children being broken when children were institutionalized in schooling systems.

In some English speaking countries, it is still an option for parents to home school their children rather than to send them to an institutionalized school. There are a wide variety of home schooling methods available to families who choose to home school their children, rather than send them to schools, including methods such as classical education, Waldorf education, and the Montessori method.

Home schooling can also refer to schooling done in a home environment, with supervision by teachers through correspondence schools. While children are schooled at home, they must still complete compulsory educational subjects, and take tests.

One of the main reasons that parents choose to home school their children is that they feel the schools are unable to offer their children the same quality of education, or social environment that can be taught at home.



Thanks to Diane Crawford for contributing this article to our Homeschooling blog:

Homeschool Testing

Interest in home schooling has been growing. In fact, More and more families want to try out this seemingly novel method of teaching and educating children. Home schooling provides many benefits for families as well as the home school students. Some may be new to the concept but it is not that totally new.

The method of trying to educate children at home has its origins at the time when schools were limited in number, with students far outnumbering the capacity of schools, if at all available in the community. It may have been hard to believe, but there were times long ago that most countries were not capable of having the younger population educated. Then it was an absolute necessity for parents to have their children home schooled.

Back then, sometime between the 18th and 19th centuries, home schooling was the primary educational force that has helped advance every child’s learning until he grew up into an adult. During those times, the child’s education was limited to how much their parents can teach them.

That is why during the 19th century, with all the progress going on all over the world, it has been realized that the government should have to take the responsibility of providing education for its growing population. This resulted in the government building more and more schools to accommodate more students. Then compulsory education was established in order to make more students go to the new schools to get their education. This development brought home education to slowly fade away. But all is not lost.

At present, home schooling has brought a bit of resurgence in its appeal of providing more personalized education to children. More and more parents have become fond of the idea of having more control of what their children learn. More and more parents want to be more active in their children’s education. And most of all, more and more parents want to spend some more time to be close to their children and home schooling can afford them to do that.

If you are also interested in knowing more about home schooling, there many articles available for you online that would educate you more on how such a method of teaching can benefit you and your child. These articles would also be able to provide you with the different home schooling methods available that you could try out. Home schooling is one alternative that you can consider if you are looking for other alternatives in educating the young. The benefits and the system being followed by home education might just be the method tailor-made for your circumstances.



Thanks to Low Jeremy for contributing this article to our Homeschooling blog:

Online High School Homeschooling

Can you answer lunar’s question about Homeschooling?:

this is about home schooling, i want to know if ABEKA is advanced than ACE and ALPHA OMEGA materials, for a 4 year old. Also how about the cost?

Homeschooling Math Curriculum

More and more parents are pulling their children from public and private schools to educate them themselves. The reasons vary from religious values to being tired of over crowded public school system that is trying to produce cookie cutter results. The reasons are as varied as the families. For many this seemingly daunting task becomes an epiphany of self education as well. It is a life long journey of self discovery, adventure and pure joy as you watch your children blossom and develop.

There are as many styles of home schooling as their families that are doing it. Many choose a traditional, classic way of teaching their children. Purchasing and or creating curriculum and setting schedules and dead lines. There are subject experts that many will use as an example to set up their educational program such Charlotte Mason. Many have chosen a realatively new method referred to as unschooling. This is a living aproach to educating your child(ren). Using their environment and world around them as the classroom. This is more of a lifestyle that allows children to explore and absorb knowledge naturally.

Whatever the reason or method the growing number causes some concerns for the public school system. While some states make it realatively easy to home schools others fear releasing the education of children to their parents. One of the many arguments for homeschooling is that parents know their children better than their teachers and other education professional do. Parents can created a positive learning environment with one on one education and personalized curriculums. Colleges and universities are accomadating these larger numbers of home schoolers, realizing that many may not have sat for standard testing that they require. Children who have been home schooled tend to excel in higher education more so than children who have been through the public school system. Their education has been broader and they do not feel the need to treat college as an escape. They value their education as it has been part of their life as a whole, not just a portion of their day spent away from family and rushing from class to class.

Families sometimes struggle with the decision to home school. They worry about their children learning the “right” things and socialization. Children are natural learners, every thing is new for them, and each child learns differently. Home schooling provides the atmosphere and tools for life long learning skills. Socialization does not have to be limited to a classroom of their peers. The ability to talk to any one, any where intelligently is of more value in life.

Once a family decides to home school they typically run into unsupportive reactions from family and friends, often times these well meaning people do not initially see the benefits. In most local areas and often times through discussion boards such as Yahoo Groups, home schooling families find support. A very important factor for parents. Like minds to bounce ideas off of and who enjoy sharing this educational, life journey.

It is daunting and there are always concerns about what and how your child(ren) are learning. Something to keep in mind when chosing this journey with your children. We have been home schooling since they took their first breath. We have taught them to sit, walk, crawl, talk, eat and so much more. Why should it stop because they reach a certain age? Children are still the worlds greatest resource and the love and respect necessary to create future leaders and well adjusted citizens rests with the parents.



Thanks to Tammy Curry for contributing this article to our Homeschooling blog:

Christian Based Homeschooling

A recent survey indicated that nearly 30% of American parents are seriously considering homeschooling their children rather than sending them to school. Home schooling is a different way of education for many parents. It allows children to be educated at home free from the daily school assignments and pressure. It also allows more bonding time between the child and the parent fostering closer relationships.

There are 4 main reasons why you should homeschool your child.

They are

1) Academic Results

One of the reasons parents are hesitant to adopt homeschooling is because they are afraid their child’s academic results will suffer. However studies have shown that children who are homeschooling have the same and if not better academic results than those going to traditional schools.

You could also say some of the world’s most famous people were homeschooled. Examples include Benjamin Franklin, Florence Nightingale, Winston Churchill and Thomas Edison. Their achievements do not compare less than those who went to school.

Home Schooling allow the parent to cater the study schedule according to the needs of the child. In school, since a teacher has to teach 40 to 50 students at a time, it is quite impossible to cater a specific teaching schedule for each child.

2) Social Reasons

Another important reason why you should homeschool your child is because traditional school do not deal with this aspect of education. Teaching your child to be comfortable with dealing with people.

By introducing your child to church programs and other volunteering programs to help others, it educates the child’s moral values which are just as important as academic results.

Homeschooling also shields the child from bad habits due to peer influence. Examples are smoking, alcoholism, gambling, sex, drugs and violence etc

3) Family Bonding

Since homeschooling allows more time between your child and parents, the family relationship is strengthened and there is more family bonding. The child self-confidence and self-esteem improves. Studies have also shown that homeschooled children values family ties and kinship more.

4) Religious Reasons

Schools have always kept away from religious issues due to its sensitive nature in our country. The schools typically has a neutral stand regarding religion and spirituality. Therefore, most schools do not have any kind of religious education

Homeschooling does not have that limitation. Parents can pass on their religious values to their children. This has a great impact on the spiritual development of the child.



Thanks to Ricky Lim for contributing this article to our Homeschooling blog:

Christian Based Homeschooling