Individual attention is another salient benefit of homeschooling. For instance, if Lisa needs more time to learn Math, then she can reduce the time for her English lessons. There are no fixed hours of learning per subject. This means that a child has the advantage of assigning more number of hours to the subject that seems tough WITHOUT any additional pressure. The amount of time needed to learn each subject will depend on the abilities and interests of the child.

The schooling of the child becomes an extended family activity. Parents get involved in every step of the learning procedure. Field trips and experiments become family activities. Thus, the child receives more quality time with his parents. The entire family shares games, chores and projects. Family closeness becomes the focus here. The child is also free of any negative peer pressure while making choices and decisions.

Competition is limited when it comes to homeschooling. The child does not need to prove his ability with regards to other children. His confidence remains intact. Since parents have a deep understanding of their child, they can plan the learning program to pique the child’s interest. It is also possible to intersperse difficult tasks with fun activities. A tough hour with Algebra can be followed by a trip to the nearest museum. Learning becomes fun. Parents can also tailor the curriculum to suit the learning style of the child. Some children learn through reading, while others need to write, and still others need to see objects in action.

Homeschooling allows parents to take control over the moral and religious learning of the child. Parents have the flexibility to incorporate their beliefs and ideologies into the child’s curriculum. There is no confusion in the child’s mind either because there is no variation between what is being taught and what is being practiced.

Lastly, more and more parents are getting disillusioned with the public school system. They believe that their children are being pushed too hard or too little. Other worrying issues pertaining to discipline and ethics also make the school system less welcome. Many repudiate the educational philosophy of grouping children solely on the basis of their age. Some parents themselves have unhappy memories of their own public school experience that motivates them to opt for homeschooling when it comes to their own children.

Homeschooling is the best way to teach a child if you have the time, the ability and the interest to follow through with his education. After all, nobody can understand or appreciate your child more than yourself.

Once your kids begin their educational life outside of the public school, there will be a transition time for them; as there would be a transition time for anyone undergoing change in their life and their routines. If this is about to become your homeschooling scenario you should understand that the time after the public school, yet before you begin homeschooling is a good time to help your child through this period and prepare for their upcoming new educational experience. It’s important to use this time to help your child understand that learning and their education can take place with their home and their family unit.

Even once your homeschooling year begins it’s important to understand that your child will probably still need some time to adjust to the new routine and the new freedoms of education at home. Early on, let your child dip their toe into the water of homeschooling before jumping in. Remember, aside from the teachings, the lessons, and the learning, this will indeed be quite a different environment for your child as opposed the the bells, the crowded halls, and all the noise and distractions they have become accustom to in their previous learning environment. So, some decompression time may well be in order for them.

During this time, don’t worry about setting expectations too high, or feel as though if you don’t get started ‘doing’ something you will soon fall behind schedule. Remember, flexibility and scheduling is one of the great benefits to homeschooling. Relax. Besides, I truly believe you’ll soon find that once you do get into the rhythm of your schedule, you’ll find that with the individual attention that your child receives with each subject, they’ll soon not only make up for any early lost time, but they’ll probably surpass what you even had scheduled initially!

Use the transition or decompression time to talk with your child about what it is that they are really interested in and what they like to learn about and dream about. Talk to them about setting little and longer term goals and how by reaching each little goal one at a time they are on their way to realizing their dream. Let them know that they will be able to learn and study subject matter that they are interested in much greater detail than they have ever been able to before. Get their mind jump started on all the great projects and subject that you will cover with them in your new homeschooling environment. If you do this, you’ll find that your kids will make it through the transition from traditional education to homeschool education excited and energized about these wonderful possibilities to learning.

There are four important reasons why parents opt for home studying for their children, a) social reasons, b) academic reasons, c) family reasons, and d) religious reasons.

Social Reasons

By joining the community cycle, parents fee that their children are more comfortable in dealing with different kinds of people. They feel that their kids have a lesser tendency of becoming dependent with peers. By introducing the kids more to church and community programs, these home-schooled kids do not feel self conscious and recognized, as kids are easier to talk to.

The catalogue, Growing Without Schooling publisher Pat Farenga wrote: “Group experiences are a big part of education, and home schoolers have plenty of them. They write to us about how they form or join writing clubs, book discussion groups and local home-schooling groups. Home schoolers also take part in school sports teams and music groups (in nearby public schools), as well as in the many public and private group activities our communities provide. These young people can and do experience other people and cultures without going to school.”

The home-school setting deviates the child’s attention from alcohol, premarital sex, drugs, violence and gangsters that could destroy his future. And since home-schooled children are free from peer pressure, they are more likely to have more friends from the church and community activities. Some communities created a special group for home-schooled children where field trips, social recreations and team building games are organized. This builds respect and opens channels for communication.

Academic Reasons

Parents believe that the less students handled by the teacher, the more focus is provided each of the learners. They thought that the personal tutoring of teachers is the most fruitful way of helping the kids learn successfully. The most famous home-schooled personalities of all time are: Thomas Edison, Charles Dickens, Winston Churchill, Agatha Christie, Florence Nightingale, Woodrow Wilson, Woodrow Brothers, and Benjamin Franklin. One parent got more of his children’s academic training in home schooling through the process of exchanging skills with other home schooled children. Being an English degree holder, he teaches three of his colleague’s sons, while his colleague teaches his kids math.

Although home schooling is, as derived from its own name “home”, this special education also developed into a more organized and planned instrument of teaching. One example is the High Plains Christian Home Educators that was established in Colorado Springs who has its own administrator who sees to it that all 200 of their home-schooled children are given enough classes. Unlike a normal school setting, home based studying allows each of the subject areas to be taught separately making the approach cross disciplined.

Each of the students is given their own set of action plans so they can have the freedom to continue their passion. Quality time is provided for each so that more focus can be attributed to their learning success.

Family Reasons

Parents of home-schooled children feel their presence felt by their kids. Family relationship is strengthened and ties are intact. A child’s self esteem are more boosted because of the parents’ full support. Based on the American League of Research Studies, kids that are home schooled are mo re loving and confident.

Religious Reasons

Schools in the US have kept away from any religious and political issues for fear of influence from the two, this is because many organized civil liberties even brought the issue of religious illegality in courts.

For that same reason, parents find teaching their children at home a worry free place for spiritual and religious growth. Religion can be inculcated as much as the parents would want to bring the whole belief to their kids in home schooling and they believe that it’s impact can greatly affect the spirituality of their developing children.

For other people, architecture schools are part of a political mission. You wouldn’t believe how many visionaries there are at an average architectural school. At the one I go to, they probably make up half the class. Some of them want to design buildings with the idea of providing beautiful and affordable housing to the poor, others to change the way we see space as a society.

For me, going to architecture school was part of a much more down to earth experience. As a matter of fact, you could say that I always had an interest in buildings. I grew up on a farm, in one of the last communities in this country that still practices barn raising. For me, architecture school was not the realization of a lifelong abstract dream, but rather a way to build on my early, hands on experiences with communal buildings.

I feel like this gives me a much clearer vision than many people in architecture schools nowadays. Your typical architecture school student has his or her head in the clouds. In some ways, this is a good thing. It is good to have a vision to unify your buildings. There are many things that buildings have to be. They have to be functional, structurally sound, and comfortable to occupy. They don’t necessarily have to be beautiful. When they are beautiful, however, it is like a wonderful luxury for the city around. Although not everyone understands an architect’s vision, they can tell whether or not he has one.

On the other hand, if you enroll in a school of architecture without any hands-on experience, you can lose track of the purpose behind what you are doing. Architecture is, after all, about providing spaces for people to live and work. Architecture school can teach you many things, but unless you go in with this understanding, you will never build with both elegance and practicality.

Either way, if it is really the best of the learners that is at their supporters and detractors hearts; why not consider what the learner really needs in order to achieve learning success whether in the public and private educational system or through homeschooling.

Taking the side of homeschooling, it is important to evaluate and identify the needs of the children, their interest, the learning methods that best stimulates their curiosity and inquisitiveness. This is the only key to a quality homeschool education – addressing what the homeschooled kid needs.

In homeschooling children, the instructors may be in the form of the parents or a tutor should be able to commit a time for learning. And homeschooling, with all the preparations, will really take up much time. A child will have to be given a strict time schedule for learning, and time for playing as well.

Homeschooled children are criticized to be less sociable individuals. Indeed, socialization is a major factor in developing the personality of a child. Having this in mind, instructors should give attention to the child getting together with other children apart from the home.

All children grow at their own pace. Let kids be kids. Understand that they are experiencing the world for the first time. Get involved and be interested in what interests the child. If it is in the arts and crafts field, then focus on that. Not only will it help the instructor foster rapport with the child, but this will also stimulate and motivate the child to learn new things. Give the child some room to grow and develop on his own with proper guidance.

The effort of homeschooling children will never be too much. It is constant striving to address the children’s needs and this will greatly vary as you go along. Children grow and develop, and sooner or later will be interested in new things. And when this time comes, the instructor should always be ready to cater to the children’s requirement for learning.

Wikipedia states that “Home education, also called homeschooling or home school, is an educational alternative in which children are educated at home by their parents, in contrast to the compulsory attendance which takes place in an institution with a campus such as a public school or private school.”

Around the world Homeschooling has been increasing quite substantially over the last 4 years. In 2003, in the United States, approximately 1.1 million children were Home Schooled, up 29% from 850,000 in 1999. Recent figures show that Homeschooling in other Western Countries are also continuing to grow. For example, an estimated 50,000 children are considered “home-educated” in the United Kingdom; Australia – 26,500; and in Canada (as at 2001) it was estimated that 80,000 children were educated at home with the numbers continuing to increase.

Most home education advocates have individual motivations to home-educate. Academic and social results of home education are varied and are the source of vibrant debate. Some feel that they can more effectively tailor a student’s academic program to suit an individual strengths and weaknesses, especially children who are gifted or have learning disabilities. Others are religious parents who see non-religious education as contrary to their moral or religious systems. Still others feel that the negative social pressures of schools, such as bullying, drugs, school violence, and other school-related problems, are impacting negatively to a child’s development. Many parents simply like the idea of teaching their own children rather than letting someone else do so.

A common concern voiced about home-educated children is they lack the social interaction with students and society that a school environment provides. Many home-education families address these concerns by joining numerous organizations, including home-education cooperatives, independent study programs and specialized enrichment groups for physical education, art, music, and debate. Most are also active in community groups. Home-educated children generally socialize with other children the same way that school children do: outside of school, via personal visits and through sports teams, clubs, and religious groups.

The academic effectiveness of homeschooling is largely a settled issue. “Numerous studies have confirmed the academic integrity of home education programs, demonstrating that on average, home-educated students outperform their publicly-run school peers by 30 to 37 percentile points across all subjects.” The performance gaps between minorities and gender that plague publicly-run schools are virtually non-existent amongst home-educated students.

Notable home-educated individuals
• Thomas Edison, United States, scientist and inventor
• Alexander Graham Bell, Scotland, Inventor (Telephone, Hydrofoil)
• Dakota Fanning, United States, actress
• Hilary Duff, United States, Actress/Singer
• Charles Evans Hughes, United States, Governor of New York, United States Secretary of State, and Chief Justice of the United States
• Frankie Muniz, United States, Actor
• Rosa Parks, United States, civil rights activist
• Susan La Flesche Picotte, United States, first American Indian woman physician
• Woodrow Wilson, United States, the only United States President to hold a Ph.D.
• George Washington, United States, First United States President
• Abraham Lincoln, United States, President during American Civil War

“Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything learnt in school” – Albert Einstein (1879-1955)