The difference between Homeschooling and normal schools??

Question

I want to know the difference between homeschools and noraml ( private and public)schools. Also the merits and shorcomings for each of them. :D

Answer 1

Primary difference is location: homeschooling is at home, other schools are elsewhere. ;) Although some people do have private schools that they run that are actually a part of their home.

Anyhow, in homeschooling, the parent chooses the curriculum and style of instruction, as well as does the assessing and teaching. Because there are usually many fewer children at home than in school ;) the child gets more assistance and can progress more rapidly, or at least get that day's work done in a fraction of the time. I used to teach and I remember well my time in school as a student. For those of us who finished fairly quickly, there was a lot of time just sitting doing nothing. Oh, sure, maybe we had a book with us we could read, but I already spent 1-2 hours a day reading, so I didn't really need to spend more time during the day. It would have been nice to have been able to move onto the next subject once done. That's what homeschooling allows. It gives the child more time if needed, but also eliminates a lot of the wasted time in school. It's really sad that kids spend about 6.5 hours a day in school, a large block of time, yet so much of that time is just wasted time.

There are also other differences, like who the kids hang out with, what they get to do, how much free time they have.

Merits: public school meets the needs of the general public, which is good because not everybody can afford private schools or are willing or able to take on homeschooling; private schools can have specific focuses and the kids usually spend more time on task and less time in school, at least, that's with our private schools here; homeschools allow the children to be children, to grow up without constant bombardment of negative stuff around them and to have an education that meets their abilities.

Shortcomings: public schools are increasingly having to cover a lot more stuff to a lot more kids with a lot more problems--this makes it very difficult in some schools to really have the kids learn what they are supposed to; public schools are essentially homes where kids grow up with many siblings the same age and have them as primary behaviour models; private schools can be expensive and some aren't any better educationally nor socially than public schools; homeschooling requires that you make the effort to be involved in the community in some way plus you have to deal with people who are clueless yet try to convince you that their limited experience or lack of experience is fact and that you shouldn't homeschool your children.

Answer 2

My sister home schooled her 2 daughters. I didn't. Hers had the wonderful opportunity of being able to be in musicals, learn multiple instruments, and have time together learning a thousand things my 2 didn't. HOWEVER, I didn't home school because I needed to work; I also don't think I would have been as effective as my sister. She really did a superlative job. But they both chose to go to "regular" school - one is in a public high school, the other is in a Charter School - once they hit 7th grade.

So my answer is that (shortcomings section) some parents make WONDERFUL homeschool teachers, some do not. (If I had had a brain, I would have asked my sister to home school mine! Looking back, the distance we lived apart shouldn't have mattered - maybe my 2 would have done better in school. They are both "teacher-oriented" in that if they like the teacher of a subject, they do well, if not, they don't work hard at all.)

The benefits are immeasurable for the right child with the right teacher. (Other kids do better in a more structured environment, but it still could be an alternative school, like a Charter School, or Montessori or that type.)

If I knew then what I know now, I'd pick an alternative school or homeschooling. We have lots of private and prep schools in this area, (Northeast Massachusetts) but I still think my sister did better than all of them.

Answer 3

Well I would say that the homeschool situation is better than public school for developing academics. There is definitely more attention able to be given at home than the public schools. Although I do think many private schools rival the attention given at home and at home and offer something homeschools cannot -social interaction.

I know that many homeschoolers join groups of other homeschoolers to go on trips and perform plays to get that social interaction in but in my opinion it is still a very narrow view of the bigger social structure that is present in the world.

I mean when someone grows up and begins to work in let's say a corporation, the people that He/she works with will not be hand chosen. He/She will have to work with very many different personalities and if they have been homeschooled, they may have never encountered these types of personalities before and may experience quite a bit of trouble getting along.

Unfortunately I have known many homeschoolers who went to college, went crazy, and ended up with nothing to show for it because they had been so sheltered that when they were "free" they went for it.

So homeschooling can prevent children from having to experience alot of negativity in their life but some is necessary to be a successful adult. So my recommendation is private school. Then you can choose the enviornment that reinforces what your family stands for, get the high quality academics (Gifted, Advanced Placement, etc. - which cannot be offered at home), and still have your children experience some "real life".

Answer 4

Ok, with homeschooling, you have are schooled at home and generally by one or both of your parents. You have a more relaxed shedule. In "normal" schools, you get taught by a bunch of different people. You stay in the same building all day, and you are around a lot of immature, attention-wanting creeps. There are also tons of nice people, but I'm just saying...
People that go do school generally think that homeschoolers aren't exposed to the 'real world'. But, how is a building full of hyper kids the 'real world'? Whereas homeschoolers have their lessons in the grocery store, the soccer field, the piano teacher's house, etc! THAT, my friend, is the real world.

If you want more detailed information, contact me via my profile page. I can't write anymore at the moment.

Answer 5

Home schooling is superior, followed by private schools, the public schools are too involved with multi culturalism, multi lingual and other non-educational political programs.

Answer 6

Home school is normal.My child gets more one-on-one attention and we can spend more time on the subjects he is struggling in.