Home Schooling is Not the Best Option Essay example -- Argumentative P

Home Schooling is Not the Best Option For those of us who have never been exposed into the world of home schooling, it carries a certain mystique. We might envision a family alternating between algebra and Bible study, keeping a safe distance from the rampant worldliness in schools. Or perhaps we see children sitting around the kitchen table practicing spelling while mother supervises. Despite these traditional images, home schooling is growing and gaining respect. This is due in part to high profile success stories like home schoolers finishing first, second and third in the 2000 Scripps - Howard National Spelling Bee or the Colfax family in California who sent three sons to Harvard. However, home schooling raises many questions including issues of academics, socialization, and religion. Thus, despite the significant growth and special cases where home schooling is deemed necessary, I propose that it is not the strongest alternative for a child's education. The idea and practice of home schooling are not new. For centuries children have learned outside of formals school settings, even when schools were readily available. It was not until the 1950s that the contemporary home schooling movement began as a liberal, not conservative, alternative to public school (Lines 1/8). According to Patricia Lines, a senior research analyst for the U.S. Department of Education, schools were too rigidly conservative for a handful of families in the fifties and sixties who instead pursued the liberal philosophy that the best learning takes place without an established curriculum, and that the child should pursue his or her own interests with the support and encouragement of parents and other adults (2/8). Then, in the 1980s many conse... ...ek 5 Oct. 1998: 64-71. Kleiner, Carolyn, and Mary Lord. "Home School Comes of Age." U.S. News and World Report 16 Oct. 2000: 52-55. Paulson, Amanda. "Where the School Is." Christian Science Monitor 10 Oct. 2000: 18-22. Rakestraw, Jennie, and Donald Rakestraw. "Home Schooling: A Question of Quality, an Issue of Rights." Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Childhood and Society. Eds. Robert and Diana DelCampo. Guilford, CN: Dushkin Publishing Group, 1995. 274-281. Rudner, Lawerence M. Abstract. "The Scholastic Acievement of Home School Students in 1998." Education Policy Analysis Archives. 7.8 (1999). Date Accessed 22 Nov 2000. http://olam.ed.asu.edu/epaa/abs7.html. "Frequently Asked Questions About Homeschooling." Home School Legal Defense Association. www.hslda.org 16 Nov 2000. http://www.hslda.org/media/faqs/index.stm.