Does Homeschool Better a Child's Learning More Than Public School?

 

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Have you ever wondered if homeschooling would work better than public school? Public schooling helps children adapt to a semi strict schedule from a young age. It also helps children to learn how to socialize with others their age. Homeschooling however, has a flexible schedule that mostly involves the children to be taught by their parents or an older sibling. Both homeschooling and public schooling teach the same materials. Most parents enroll their children in public school so they don’t have to worry about teaching their children multiple sets of material throughout the day. There are some parents, however, that don’t enroll their children in public school and decide it’s best to teach them at home. Homeschooling isn’t all that different from public school. Parents get the material from the district and decide what schedule would benefit their child most. Unlike homeschooling, public schooling involves activities that have the children socializing and set on a schedule for each activity. Some parents believe that their child learns more in public school and gains a broad set of skills early on in life due to their interactions with multiple skilled adults. There are other parents however, that believe their child would learn best in a quiet and less ruckus filled place that lets them take multiple breaks throughout the day. Parents that enroll their kids in public school tend to think negatively of parents that homeschool their kids. They believe that the homeschooled children won’t have the same social and intellectual skills that public schooled kids do.  

Summary of Source #1

Some parents and some teachers are on the side of public school being better. Brielle Vassel wrote an article called, “Public School vs. Homeschool: What’s the Best Choice?” In this article she interviews students and some teachers about what they think is better for students. She has a section about public schooling and a section on homeschooling. In the article a school counselor points out that, “You could end up spending over $1,000 or more on curriculum alone.” The same counselor adds that public school teaches the children routine and how to socialize with their peers. In the same article Brielle Vassel asks students if they think homeschooling is better than public schooling. One student states that, “Homeschool is good because you can learn whatever you want and you can decide how long your day is.” 

Summary of Source #2

Another side of this is parents who think homeschooling is better. Daniel O’Connor published an article called, “Homeschool vs. Public School: A Personal Reflection.”  In this article he states that even though he and his wife were both enrolled in public school he wants to have his kids homeschooled. He gives a couple reasons as to why he prefers homeschool for his children instead of public school. His reasons being that there would be more family time, anywhere can be turned into a classroom, and nurturing talent. O’Connor does mention that even though he would like to homeschool his kids he doesn’t regret going to public school. O’Connor mentions having an eventful experience in public school. He also mentions that, “...my list of pros for homeschooling has grown with every conversation that I’ve had with homeschooling parents.” He also explains why he is supporting the homeschooling community.

Advantages of Public School

Many teachers will tell you that it is better to enroll your kid in public school. In the article, “Public School vs. Homeschool: What’s the Best Choice?” Brielle Vassel interviews school employees to see what their opinion is on the subject. One of the school counselors argues that public school has a positive impact on children. It allows for children to be social, able to interact with their peers, and to create a routine. The counselor also argues that public school is much cheaper than homeschooling. Since in public school you wouldn’t have to spend money on the curriculum it would essentially be cheaper. Public schooling would also ease a parent's stress considering they wouldn’t have the pressure of fully educating their children on what everyone else is learning. This aspect often helps a parent decide on whether homeschooling or public schooling would benefit not only their child, but also them. Some parents might worry that the public school schedule is extremely strict, but it isn't. In public school children have a thought out routined schedule. They have snack time, recess, and lunch scheduled out. This in turn can help motivate students to get through class once they realize that they have little breaks in between their learning. Children enrolled in public school are also involved in a lot of physical activity. They have a pe class once a week and after lunch they often have recess. Recess helps students run around outdoors and interact with their peers all while having fun. This helps students release all their energy so that they aren’t moving around and being disruptive during class. Snack time is often little fruits or vegetables in a small bag given to the teachers to share with the students. The teachers can decide if they want to distribute these snacks before lunch or after recess.

Advantages of Homeschool

 

There will be some parents that try to convince you that homeschooling is better and more beneficial than public school. In the article, “Homeschool vs. Public School: A Personal Reflection” Daniel O’Connor states that he will be homeschooling his future children even though he himself and his wife were enrolled in public school. O’Connor mentions that after speaking with multiple parents of homeschooled kids he gathered that these were the best reasons for homeschooling: family time, anywhere has the ability to be a classroom, and nurturing talent. O’Connor states, “Homeschooling grants parents the opportunity to participate in the student’s academic journey in a way that public and private school parents cannot.” This means that he doesn’t want to limit his “family time” to just the weekends and holidays; instead he wants to be able to incorporate this while educating his future child. O’Connor uses his cousin as an example to better explain why homeschooling is better for children. With him saying that anywhere can be used as a classroom he is stating that children can also learn outside of a classroom. He gives an example of,  “Parents can make lessons come to life by using “field trips” more regularly…”. He explains that children learn better in unique ways that give the children a sort of freedom when learning instead of a child developing a mindset of only having to learn in order to pass state testing. 

Points of Agreement

While O’Connor and Vassel disagree on many things, they also state multiple ideas that are similar in both articles. For example they both agree on how some parents decide on homeschooling in order to spend time with their children. They also agree on the fact that, “ In public school, parents can not choose what is being taught in the classroom.” Both Vassel and O’Connor mention how homeschooling allows for the children to experience a more flexible schedule. 

Points of Disagreement 

 

There are many similarities and differences between public school and homeschool. The main difference between the two articles is that in the article, “Homeschool vs. Public School: A Personal Reflection” O’Connor doesn’t hate the idea of public school he just thinks that for his future children he would prefer homeschool. In comparison to the article, “Public School vs. Homeschool: What’s the Best Choice?” Vassel points out that the teachers in public school don’t have the best opinion on homeschooling children. Both O’Connor and Vassel agree that homeschooling gives the parents a better chance to interact with their kids' schooling. However, Vassel’s argument differs from O’Connor because in her article she states that, “It is important to have time around peers.” Vassel’s take is mostly trying to state how homeschooling affects the way children interact with their peers. Since they aren’t used to spending a lot of time interacting with peers, homeschooled children have a difficult time interacting with others. O’Connor approaches the argument by not having a negative or set opinion on home school and public school. He states how he’s “read stories from students . . . whose journey would be a lot different if he wasn’t homeschooled.” With this O’Connor points that he himself doesn’t regret being enrolled in public school and how he wouldn't have preferred that his parents homeschooled him when he was younger. O’Connor and Vassel are both concerned about children' s education. While O’Connor emphasises how homeschooling gives children a broader chance to “pursue options that don’t require higher education” and be able to spend more time on stuff that they are really passionate about. Vassel emphasises how it is better if children are accustomed to a semistrict routine. 

Strengths and Weaknesses in Homeschooling

 

Both arguments have their own strengths and weaknesses. O’Connor presents strong points about homeschooling. He mentions how the first few years of homeschooling you can take your children on field trips related to the stuff they are learning. With this he implies that, “[p]arents can make lessons come to life” which helps children stay focused and want to continue the lesson. O’Connor also mentions how school isn’t for everyone, but that it is still important for children to get some kind of education. While O’Connor makes some solid points that benefit homeschooling, he fails to point out the negative effects that public school has that would make parents want to choose homeschooling. 

Strengths and Weaknesses of Public School

Vassel presents some solid points that would make a parent second guess not enrolling their child in public school. She incorporates not only the teachers perspective on homeschooling, but the students perspective as well. Vassel asks a counselor about the cost difference between homeschooling and public schooling to which the counselor states, “You could end up spending over $1,000 or more on curriculum alone.” With this in mind a parent might consider public schooling to be the cheaper option not only in lessons, but in extracurricular activities as well. Vassel however fails to give multiple solid reasons as to why a parent should enroll their children in public school instead of homeschooling.

Conclusion/Compromise

 

Both of these articles give solid points on what they believe is the better option when it comes to schooling. However, Vassel and O’Connor both have strengths and weaknesses in their points when trying to convince parents on what they should choose. They end their articles with statements that mention how ultimately the decision of what schooling works better for children is up to the parents. They have to see what schooling works best with their needs and their schedule. The parents have to see both the pros and the cons of homeschooling and public schooling to fully understand what they want to commit their time and money into. 

By: Dalila Cazarez

Work Cited

O’Connor, Daniel. “Homeschool vs. Public School: A Personal Reflection.” HSDLA Online Academy, academy.hslda.org/homeschool-vs-public-school-a-personal-reflection/. 

Vassel, Brielle. “Public School vs. Homeschool: What’s the Best Choice?” LHS today, 5 March 2024. lhstoday.org/50448/features/public-school-vs-homeschool-whats-the-best-choice/.