Disadvantages of Homeschooling Essay

Is it a bad thing that homeschooled kids may be different than public school kids? Some people say that homeschooled children are smart and polite. On the other hand, there is a different opinion that home-educated children are lazy, old-fashioned, naive and do not have a good education. Homeschooling is the education of children at home by parents who have numerous reasons for it; for example, better test results, religious reasons, and living in isolated rural areas. Robert Paul Reyes in his article â€Å"Home Schooling; Not a Good Idea† explains, â€Å"The proponents of home schooling say it gives parents control of their children’s curriculum and protects them from the violence, sex, drugs, and other social ills that beset the public school system†(1). Homeschooling is a legal choice for parents to teach their children, but I am against home education for everyone. There are many important reasons for anti-homeschooling including lack of social skills, unqualified teacher-parents, and a lack of knowledge and education for special needs children. One reason against homeschooling is that children are unprepared socially in real life by studying at home. Some parents do not like public schools. They state, that it is enough for kids to communicate only with family members (Reyes 1). However, children who study at home during their informative years will find it extremely difficult to live in the real world. These kids do not experience other cultures and do not have communicational skills. â€Å"How can a young person learn to appreciate other cultures if he or she doesn’t live among them? (Scaccia 2) For example, my neighbor, a girl 23 years old, was homeschooled as a child, and then worked in a store. She absolutely does not have social skills. She cannot hold a job, because she cannot work with customers or on a team with other employees. Thit is why studying in public school children can learn basic manners, teamwork, and respect for others. The second reason for anti- homeschooling is that a parent cannot teach a child in every subject as well as an educated teacher. † Not everyone is qualified to be a teacher. A lot of parents can’t balance a checkbook or find Iraq on a map — let alone teach their young Algebra & Geography. Just because you love little Johnny does not qualify you to be his teacher†¦ My mom and dad loved me, but it was a 6th grade teacher that instilled in me a love of reading and writing. † (Reyes 1) Some people think that there are many books to teach their children at home, and it is not a problem if parents are not highly educated. According to Tamara Eaton,† Here’s your chance to learn right along with your children! There are tremendous resources available to help us teach our own children. Studies have proven time and again that the success of homeschooling is not dependent upon the level of the parents’ education. †(2) The truth is that parents cannot be good and have knowledge in Math, History, Grammar, and Music at the same time. Moreover, parent-teachers often do not have time and energy to teach kids, because there is a lot of work at home; such as, housecleaning and preparing food. Finally, homeschooling is bad for special needs children, because homeschooling parents don’t have special knowledge. According to Jesse Scaccia, â€Å"Homeschooling of these children is tricky, because a lot of special knowledge is needed. It is certainly quite safe to leave the education of these children to the experts. Special education teachers have been trained with the necessary skills to handle and teach special needs children. †(4) I met a family who has a disabled child. The child cannot walk, sit, or talk. In three years, this child studying in a public school can understand and explain many things by pointing with one finger. Often, parents decide to keep their disabled children at home all the time. That is why these kids cannot communicate with other children and feel isolated. What kind of future is for these children without well-educated specialists? In conclusion, some parents want to homeschool their children, because they wish to save their kids from bad things that happen in the public schools. Religion and living in isolated areas are also the reasons for home education. However, homeschooling is not for everyone, because homeschooled children get very little socialization to other cultures and have communication problems. Moreover, many parents are not qualified to be the teachers, especially in different areas; such as, History, Geography, Algebra, and foreign language. Also, keeping disabled children at home all the time is a terrible mistake. These children can get special education and services in the public schools by interacting with other kids. The only important and main key in a child’s success at a happy life is parental involvement. Parents must always educate their children and teach them to behave well, but the child can also be learning these lessons by teachers and their school peers.