Mart Gold

According to the National Center For Education Statistics, almost 1.1 million children underwent home schooling in 2005 alone. That’s a lot of children. Once upon a time, homeschooling used to be an extreme statement – something like a declaration of independence.

It was the right-wing Christians who pushed for homeschooling in the 1980’s and legalized it in every State. But nowadays the typical homeschooling pupil is not religiously motivated.

Later surveys indicate that parents are quite fed up with the public school system where a lot of the learning is superficial and compulsory. They are also concerned about the negative environment in school, ranging from drugs and abuse to negative peer pressure.

As a result, we have a surprising mixture of people who form the homeschooling world of today. They cut across all religious creeds and all regional borders. Their main aim is providing meaningful and productive learning through a means that strengthens the bond between the various members of the family.

These families all have one main thing in common – a long enduring commitment to the sanctity of childhood. The children of these families are given a primary position. Many believe, and, I think, rightly so, that home schooling allows parents to bring up their kids in a more natural and nurturing environment.

Public schools can make a child nervous, diffident and downright mean. Children who get their education at home are protected from these damaging, negative influences until they attain an age where they can deal with them.

Home-schooling draws the whole family into the quasi religious job of teaching. Everyone has a role to play. Both the parents together form a bond with the children. Any experience can be turned into an learning experience. Both the parents are aware of exactly what is going on in their child’s education.

Parents also have a greater say over the type of religious and moral values that the child is learning. Even watching a movie together can become a learning experience. Journeys to the libraries, zoos, museums and other places become educational experiences as well as recreational ones.

A home-schooling family is usually dependent on the income of one earning member. That means that quite often outgoings have to be curtailed and proper planning of expenditure is necessary. This helps to bring the family members together and everybody gets involved in the process of not spending money.

Just having a parent at home to supervise, to nurture and to care for the children brings with it a lot of love and caring. Even the husband chips in and there just is no room for boredom.

Yes OK, problems still do sometimes occur, and there will be many misgivings in your mind, but when you know that your kids can always rely on you, and your kids know it too, then homeschooling becomes a very rewarding experience.

If you are practicing Home Schooling then please visit our site at Home Schooling Information

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