The Home School Advantage

Home schooling has become a popular option for some families. Though there are disadvantages, the fact that more families are opting for home schools has helped to negate some of those obstacles. One of the disadvantages for the child is social interaction. Though there may be siblings who are also in the home, a child learns many important behavioral traits from spending time with his peers. Because more families are home schooling, many are forming groups to provide interaction time for those children. Some groups of home school families are forming groups, similar to a parent and teacher organization. Using these groups as a starting point, home schoolers sometimes gather for field trips, events or simply a “recess” with others who are home schooled. Home schooling is not a decision that affects only the child. Instead, it becomes a family project and usually the entire family is involved, at least to some degree. While study times are much more flexible, daily school is necessary for several reasons. In most states, a child who is to be home schooled must register with the local school district, and the person who will act as the teacher is required to submit a written statement,

including a schedule of the times the child will be involved in school activities. One of the major advantages is the ability of the “teacher” to stay with a particular concept until the child has a complete grasp of it. The teacher also has the power to spend little time on concepts that the child fully grasps. Children with health issues will also find some advantages in the home school. For example, a child who takes breathing treatments several times during the day needn’t be removed from class for the treatment. Instead, treatments become a routine of the school day. Similarly, dieting needs and other health issues can be taken care of with a minimum of fuss for the child.