Homeschooling: A Family Policy Analysis

Superior Essays
Homeschool Policy
Overview
A family policy is a “policy that aims to protect, promote, and strengthen families by addressing one or more of the five explicit functions families perform: family formation, partner relationships, economic support, childrearing, and caregiving” (Bogenschneider, 2014, p. 57). In this paper, I will be discussing the homeschool policy. With the definition of family policy in mind, I will be talking about how the homeschool policy does protect, promote, and strengthen families in a variety of ways. Homeschooling is one of the several options to choose from when it comes to the education of children. If a parent or guardian is interested in homeschooling their child(ren), then there are certain requirements and
…show more content…
Homeschooling allows the students to have more freedom when it comes to their education. They are able to learn and study what they want as long as it follows the requirements of the state. Also, homeschooling brings the family closer together. Being that the parent is the instructor, the child(ren) is able to see their family for more than just a couple hours a day. This is important, especially when it comes to strengthening the family. Not only does it bring the family together, but it also creates an environment in which the students do not have to do busy work. According to Shaw, “homeschooled children can accomplish in a few hours what takes a typical classroom a week or more to cover” (Shaw, 2016, p. 1). This means less time doing unnecessary work and more time focusing on the information that is essential to know as a citizen. Though there are many ways in which homeschooling is impactful for children and their families, one thing that may be a negative impact is that the children may not get the chance to form relationships outside of the family. It is important for children to make friendships with children the same age outside of the family because this leads to individuality. Even though homeschooling does not provide a great area for forming new relationships with other children, it is still a very successful way to teach …show more content…
I have always cared a lot about children and their education. Thus, making sure that they get some sort of education growing up is something that I care very deeply about. This topic is incredibly important to me because not only have I worked in a public elementary school, but I have also worked with children who are homeschooled. When talking with the children who are homeschooled, they seem to be happier overall, and their life seems to be less complicated than those who attend public school. Being that I have experience with various ways to educate children, it is interesting to see how much children can learn regardless of if they are homeschooled or not. The homeschool policy, however, offers several advantages when it comes to educating children. As I have previously stated, it allows the family to grow closer together. Not only does it strengthen families, but it also protects and promotes families as a whole which is an important part of this family

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Homeschooling Subculture

    • 1728 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Before the advent of compulsory education laws in the United States from 1852-1918 a majority of children were educated by their families or communities. This early type of home education was the norm worldwide until the turn of the century, and is still widely practiced in developing countries. However, in developed countries since the universal adoption of such compulsory education laws home education has been driven into a more deviant subcategory. As a result, the homeschooling community as an identifiable social subcategory and centralized concept was born circa 1965. This was an ironic sociological trend since home education was originally the dominant method of American education which then progressed into a deviant and stigmatized subcategory. This process of community creation fits uncomfortably within Sykes and Matza’s theory of delinquency and techniques of neutralization as a homeschooler would typically “define himself as lacking responsibility for his deviant actions” (Sykes & Matza, 133). Thus this technique of neutralization when employed by the homeschooling community in DC attempts to mitigate the counter-culture aspects of homeschooling as a deviant subgroup, even as homeschooling becomes more mainstream.…

    • 1728 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Another reason people would think homeschooling is better is because homeschooling families do not have to be one income families anymore. One parent or the other could do some other part time job or do an online business.…

    • 439 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Although there are many disadvantages of homeschooling, the advantages of homeschooling for parents and students overcome them. One example would be the perk of having a flexible schedule. This can be extremely helpful, especially if a student may be involved in sports, church activities, and many other extracurriculars. The perk of a flexible schedule also gives some free time for parents as well. Parents would not have to worry about making adjustments to their schedule because of delays and unforeseen circumstances unlike traditional…

    • 1636 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Everywhere in the world schooling has became a necessity to move forward in life. Learning the skills and receiving the education that is necessary to settle down in life. But does it matter how and where you get your education? Many parents believe that homeschooling their children is a benefit to their child and is helping them do better. The counterargument for this is that homeschooling children completely is a mental fall back for the children and does not prepare them for the real world. This debate on one side is a decision made by the parents on how they want their child to get an education, whereas on the other side it is looking at the necessary physical and metal interaction a child needs for their future in this society.…

    • 861 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Homeschooling is a successful form of education, but unfortunately it is disvalued for its uncommon style of teachings. The unique learning experience produces a variety of viewpoints around the role of participation from the parents and the impact of success a student accomplishes being homeschooled. Home education faces the challenge of being credited for its academic success, instead it is stereotyped to be an inefficient form of education and a deprive to a child’s socialization. These perceptions leave the parents less motivated to investigate the credible facts of academic success in homeschooling, sending them in a default direction to public school their child. Despite the non-supporters, homeschooling seems to still be formulating…

    • 1235 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Homeschooling allows youth to discover for themselves instead of simply learning facts. Because the children learn at home, it lowers the student-teacher ratio to the minimum and permits parents to entirely influence their children’s education both spiritually and mentally. By holding the role of teacher, principle, and counselor, the parents retain the privilege to completely decide how they teach their children. Homeschooling cannot be the BEST form of education can it? The answer is simple – it depends on the family’s unique needs and lifestyle. If a single family can depend on a single income and can also afford all the textbooks to teach the students, than yes, homeschooling proposes the best option. A lot of families in America cannot, however, afford such an education forcing them, therefore to accept the publically offered…

    • 752 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    In the busy life of today's parents it can be difficult to find the time to stop and think about the important decisions that will have a significant impact on their child's future. Parents not only have to earn a living, but they also have to make certain choices regarding health, wellbeing, and education for their children. Making sure your child is healthy is definitely a priority, but what about their education? Most parents these days have forgotten about the different methods of education and opt to simply send their child to public school. This might be the result of a lack of options. However, there is an alternative for families that take into account the education their child receives and how it will influence their entire adulthood.…

    • 2187 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    History Of Homeschooling

    • 1268 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Additionally, homeschoolers who can think independently will be successful at college level because they feel more mature than other students; they know how to think for themselves (Benefits of Homeschooling, 2015). In the same article, another advantage of homeschooling is that parents can provide a safe learning environment for their children, and they can protect them from teasing, bullying, negative peer pressure, bad influences, and in some cases, bad or even misbehaving…

    • 1268 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Alternate School Option

    • 1152 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Many parents come to a point that they start thinking of the best schooling option to take to help their child achieve academic success. Public school is the most popular option for most parents to choose due to the fact that it is the most common schooling option. Homeschooling normally pops up in this search, but is quickly dismissed due to the beliefs that they have heard. A popular belief is that students are not successful in their studies and have a hard time competing with public school kids in academics, or that homeschooled students are socially hindered. One major doubt for parents is that they are not capable of homeschooling their children successfully. Homeschooling can be an excellent option for parents to help their children succeed. Studies show that many of these popular beliefs are untrue.…

    • 1152 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Homeschooling, also known as home education, involves the education of children at home instead of receiving education at a traditional private or public school. According to Bauman (2011), many students are schooled at home and the number in the United States is growing at 15 to 20 percent per year. It is a system in which parents prefer their children to be educated at home and argue that it is more beneficial for them. There are those who advocate homeschooling, while there are some skeptics about homeschooling as well. Homeschooling is becoming very popular and many see it as being a bad idea due to the fact that teachers in traditional schools are better qualified due to years of training, the child’s socialization skills will be negatively…

    • 1193 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Great Essays

    They can learn by going on vacation with their families, or leaving their house in general. They also may move from place to place because of a parent’s job, which is the main reason those parents decide to homeschool. “[Speaking on behalf of her children] Life is a learning experience, so there’s always something to discover” (Mom Prepares). Public school students very rarely have this opportunity. Being that homeschooled students are more than likely the only students, they have a wide range of possibilities for different ways to learn, one of them being leaving their usual classroom. Because of the number of students in a public school classroom, it is highly impossible for public schooled students to travel to historical places like homeschoolers can. Another advantage that homeschoolers have over public schoolers is the fact that they can graduate by the time they are sixteen, where in most cases, public schooled students must be eighteen. It is said that homeschooled students can graduate two years earlier than public schooled students. This accusation goes to show how much wasted time there is in public school. Things such as time in between classes, fire drills, or even having to wait for other students to finish their work when one student is already finished are all examples of why people who are educated from home get things done more productively.…

    • 1559 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Parents can give their child sole attention whereas a teacher must supervise over twenty children. By using one on one teaching, a student can ask for help at any time instead of waiting for the teacher to have time for to help them. One on one tutoring allows a student to learn at a faster pace and get a stronger, well-rounded because of the accessible help they have from their parents. As a result, home-schooled students have higher grades and national test scores. Standardized testing around the United States have shown that home-schooled students have scored higher than the average student, as home-schooled kids score approximately 1.7 points higher in the ACT and 67 points higher on the SAT (“Home School Statistics” 11). A test of 12,000 American students also placed the home-schooled children sixty-second to ninety-first in the national norms of testing, proving that home-schooled children are not lagging in their education (Lines…

    • 1617 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Homeschooling Good Or Bad

    • 1233 Words
    • 5 Pages

    One of the major problems with homeschooling is that it removes the opportunity for social interaction. Recently, homeschool students have been able to join participate in recreational sports or club activities. However, the ability to do so is at the discretion of the parent. Should the parent decide not to have his or her child participate in social activities, that child is deprived of lessons learned through peer engagement, such as learning to be a good sport, or empathize. This leaves children awkward or unsocial. It is not uncommon for a homeschooled child to feel his or her environment as “restricting, demanding and duty-driven and [. . .] longing for a radically different lifestyle of adventurous exploration and freedom” or “intensely resentful about his situation since he was expected to carry out his parents’ wishes at the expense of his own” when only having interacted with close family members (Van Schalkwyk & Bouwer, 2011, p. 186). In order to prevent this, homeschooled children must have opportunities to mingle with their peers, as mandated by law. Schools and homeschooling parents could work in tandem to ensure engagement for…

    • 1233 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Homeschooling can be beneficial but yet it can be harmful. Offering education is the prime responsibility for the parents where they need to think carefully before deciding their children’s future education. Parents should take careful measurements before deciding whether to homeschool their child or not because at the end, homeschooling is a full time job for the parents. They also need to be committed towards the amount of research, questions and stress that will be created when they decided to homeschool their…

    • 1062 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Education plays an important role in everyone’s future and lives; therefore, parents should make sure that their kids receive a proper education. A majority of parents would choose public school as an education for their kids. However, parents might also choose homeschooling for their kids for certain reasons. Either way, both public schooling and homeschooling have less in common than most people think. In both, students might receive the same education but go through many different physical and social aspects. Although, homeschooling and public schooling have some similarities, they have many drastic differences, and for homeschooling to work, a parent must be conscious of his responsibility in providing a structured and well-rounded education.…

    • 813 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays