Why Is Homeschooling Better Than Traditional Schooling

David O. McKay once said, “The home is the first and most effective place to learn the lessons of life: truth, honor, virtue, self-control, the value of education, honest work, and the purpose and privilege of life. Nothing can take the place of home in rearing and teaching children, and no other success can compensate for failure in the home” (Homeschool). Many parents put a lot of effort into getting the best education for their kids, such as sending them to private schools, public schools, online schools, or tutoring. One cannot deny that education has taken various forms throughout history, and one of the most successful of its components has been homeschooling. Homeschooling provides student-centered education that is adaptive to the student's needs for efficient and practical learning and life-centered life skills.

The homeschooling movement began in the 1970s when John Holt, an educational theorist and supporter of school reform, argued that formal schools’ focus on rote learning created an oppressive classroom environment designed to make children compliant employees rather than independent and brilliant future leaders and workers (Coalition). Raymond Moore supported Holt’s argument and viewpoint, causing parents to follow his method called "unschooling". Many others advocated the movement since they believed children needed a firm academic, psychological, and moral grounding from the ages of six to fourteen years old, which traditional schooling did not provide. In the 1980s, homeschooling gained widespread acceptance among evangelical and fundamentalist Christians who viewed public schools as "Satanic hothouses" (Coalition). Their approval led to legal battles with public school officials who felt threatened by the growing number of homeschoolers. A secular homeschooling group leader referred to this period as the "look over your shoulder time" since they believed it is best to separate religion from traditional school subjects (Coalition).

Homeschoolers had to fight for their legal recognition. An influential person that took place in the movement was Michael Farris, a homeschooled parent and attorney. He founded the Home School Legal Defense Association in 1983, engaging in legal efforts on homeschoolers' behalf and changing state laws that eliminated the last remaining holdout that classified homeschooling as illegal, resulting in most states legalizing homeschooling, and creating a patchwork of regulations across the country by 1989. From the 1870s until now, homeschooling and evolved from a focus on liberating children from the constraints of traditional school and allowing them to pursue their interests, it is now used as a means of launching them into government or industry with the goal of transforming the United States of America into a Christian nation. The ideology often involves teaching religious values instead of educational ones, which could include extreme beliefs such as restricting women’s right to education. Thus, the public has viewed homeschooling as a viable alternative to public and private education for the last fifty years (Sampath, Shantanu).

Regardless, modern people believe homeschooled children lack fundamental social skills, academic knowledge, and experience necessary to function in higher education and society. The misinformed stereotype is that homeschoolers wake up at 9 am, study until 4 pm, and are locked away with little interaction with the outside world (Romanowski, Michael). However, statistics prove that homeschooled students do better than traditionally schooled students in the area of socialization and score 15 to 30 percentile points above public school students on standardized tests. In agreeance, Olive Belfield highlights how it is impressive that homeschooled students score 80.5 points higher on the verbal SAT test by average score. Evidently, there are lots of misconceptions about homeschooled students, despite the fact that they are striving academically better than students at public schools (García, J.A).

Although homeschooling provides many benefits, one cannot disregard the historical impacts of traditional schooling. Public education has been a foundation for the society for over a hundred years, and it consists of three sections, which are primary, middle, and secondary schools. It was first recognized by the Puritans in the 17th century when they determined that education was necessary for teaching basic academic skills, as well as, core religious values. According to the Applied Research Center, the Puritans initially created public education to educate their children about the Calvinist religion. Due to public education’s purpose, time, philosophy, and goals, it became widespread by the 18th century, and several systems were created, such as private, public, religious, and boy-and-girl schools. Government funding and ministerial control dominated most of these educational institutions (Chen, Grace).

Even though traditional education is widely used within modern society, it is no dispute that individuals are blind to the truth that traditional education is not all as good as many believe. As an illustration, the false promise of traditional education is offering diversity, exposing students to different cultures, and making them feel safe with physical differences. The truth is that schools are deceiving parents and guardians about multicultural education and ethnic school composition. Quantitative research examines the relationship between multicultural education and perceived ethnic discrimination among secondary school students in Belgium. It found that a more multicultural policy or higher concentration of non-Belgian students was related to increased reports of peer discrimination. There is also the attention to multicultural teaching from teachers decreased reports of teacher discrimination. Even though one lie is mentioned, one could imagine the other lies that are hidden within the school and how it is not worth risking sending one's child to an unreliable school.

On top of that, methods used in public and private schools are not fit for all students, causing peer pressure, bullying, and other kinds of harm. The teacher-centered methodology is the most conventional approach. It is based on the idea that the teacher has the main responsibility in the learning environment. Teachers are actively in charge of the classroom and direct all activities, while students passively absorb the information. The method highlights the importance of the teacher's role as it helps them be in control of student behavior through direct instruction. However, it is poor at promoting analytical thinking and problem-solving skills since students have limited opportunities to make choices and use their creativity (List).

Another famous method is inquiry-based learning, which focuses on the engagement of students by making real-world connections through exploration and high-level questioning. Out of all methods, inquiry-based learning is favored the most since it encourages students to try various methods to find possible answers in any situation. Moreover, unlike drill and rote learning, which make students repeat answers with little critical thinking, students learn to seek their own answers and develop strong research skills. Nonetheless, many students feel that they are rather forced to participate rather than encouraged for the motive of not being afraid to fail, but it leads them to be embarrassed for not being quick thinkers or getting the question correct, causing them to feel academic and peer pressure, a high level of anxiety, and a loss of motivation. (García)

Within the educational movement of homeschooling, the most popular homeschooling methodology is classical education. Classical education is based on the philosophical assumption that the brain develops three distinct cognitive states, which are grammar, logic, and rhetoric. The three distinct cognitive states are called the trivium, meaning three-way and it states that there are three periods of age, which are grades 1-4, grades 5-8, and grades 9–12. It trains students in grades 1-4 with original classical works, then with simple yet distinctly original works in grades 5–8. Lastly, in Grades 9–12, students are given the freedom to pursue particular elective interests like music, art, medicine, and sport after acknowledging and experiencing the wide range of subjects (Farenga, Patrick).

In the grammar stage, or grades 1-4, students spend four years memorizing the rules of phonics, grammar, poetry, mathematics, stories of literature and history, scientific facts, and so on. Many assume that the method seems like drill and rote learning, but researchers have found that children enjoy memorization and that it comes naturally to them. Then, when children have the ability to think more abstractly, they go on to the next stage of learning, which is the logic stage. In this period, students will focus on improving their analytical and inquisitive skills by analyzing the cause and effect of something. For example, a third grader would start to wonder why Joe Biden is the president of the United States and what characteristics make him a good or bad president, then understand why some people think he is a bad or good figure. Through their curiosity, parents take the chance to help them connect the dots themselves, allowing them to learn logic and apply it to all subjects.

In the final stage of classical education, the rhetorical state (grades 9–12), also known as the poetic state, is when the student builds on the previous two states of knowledge and logic. During this time, students are usually self-centered, misunderstood, and seeking independence. Students who study rhetoric also have a strong urge to express themselves. In the rhetorical stage, they apply grammar and logic rules to articulate clearly and convincingly. They also start focusing on specific interests such as math, literature, science, and art, preparing them for the next stage, which would be adulthood.

The Charlotte Mason method, on the other hand, was developed by a British educator named Charlotte Mason. Charlotte Mason believed that children would be able to learn faster if they could relate to a "real-life" type character in a classic literature book. She reasoned that by the age of thirteen, a child absorbs a lot from his or her environment and should be taught by life rather than dry facts from a textbook. For example, spending time outdoors learning from nature offers more than reading about nature from a science textbook, and because of this logic and reasoning, many homeschooling parents use the method (Farenga).

A similar method is Montessori, which was created by another pioneer named Maria Montessori. Unlike Charlotte Mason, she had prior teaching experience and concluded that the best method is to use carefully selected materials for structured learning and a prepared environment as a learning catalyst. Based on her observations and experiments, she concludes that young children are most interested when they are exposed to sensory stimulation and have the freedom to explore, discover, and pursue their interests. Furthermore, she emphasizes the importance of allowing children to learn at their own pace without interruption and that the purpose of education should be understood more in terms of psychological assistance to the child than in terms of teaching, allowing them to be independent adults (Farenga).

Traditional schooling has many flaws, which homeschooling solves. The first argument is that students are receiving effective learning since class sizes are larger, resulting in less individualized attention. Classes are geared toward mid-learning, which may cause more advanced students to lose interest and less advanced students to feel academic pressure. Negative social issues, poor physical and mental health, and the development of social skills can all be the result of a student not receiving the necessary attention. A study shows how the influence of academic pressure on adolescents causes them to have an inappropriate learning attitude, poor interpersonal relationships, and bad living habits (Jiang, Mao-Min et al), and if their behaviors persist, it can even lead them to drink, commit violence, and commit crimes during their adulthood.

Moreover, statistics show how access to learning materials and classroom technology is limited, and textbooks are often outdated and worn out. Now that individuals are living in the 21st century, many public and private institutions attempt to add technology to the classroom, but there are a number of challenges that educators face. First, one must address access constraints, such as insufficient equipment or a slow internet connection. Then, inadequate training related to technology presents a challenge since teachers need effective professional development to use it properly. Finally, support barriers like technical and administrative or peer support can also limit the integration of technology. On the other hand, homeschooled students would not need to face any of those problems since they would have full access to the wifi and device alone with professional guidance from textbooks or online sources (Rise, Crimson).

In conclusion, homeschooling offers numerous benefits and is an ideal environment for learning and acquiring knowledge. It promotes academic growth and allows for social interaction, flexible scheduling, and a customized learning atmosphere that many forget to acknowledge. Homeschooled students are more self-assured and can ask questions without fear of bullying or receiving pressure, allowing them to foster growth in a healthier way than traditionally educated students. As long as parents ensure their children receive adequate educational experiences, homeschooling is an excellent alternative to traditional schooling. By putting forth our own effort to homeschool children, our future generation can have a brighter future.

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