Homeschooling is becoming more well known to people across the country, and the average person on the street could probably give a satisfactory answer as to what it actually is. Yet there are people who will ask, "They do what?!" upon hearing of a homeschooling family. The definition of homeschooling is a: "Learning/teaching situation where children spend the majority of the conventional school day in or near their home in lieu of attendance at a conventional institution of education. Parents or guardians are the prime educators of their children" (Martin 2). In other words, homeschooling is simply the "Education of school-aged children at home rather than at school" (Lyman 3). Homeschooling families are taking to heart what The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "The role of the parents in education is of such importance that it is almost impossible to provide an adequate substitute" (536). They truly believe that there is not a valid replacement for themselves, and so they take it upon their shoulders to teach their children at home rather than at school.

The Number of People Homeschooling in the United States

Homeschooling is "One of the fastest growing trends in the United States" (Martin 2). In fact, it is estimated that there are 1.23 million homeschoolers in America alone. This is the approximate equivalent of all the public school children in the states of Wyoming, Vermont, Delaware, N. Dakota, Alaska, S. Dakota, Rhode Island, Montana, and Hawaii combined (Ray 3)! The following chart illustrates this:

The Legality of Homeschooling

As the number of homeschoolers grows, the legality of this form of education is questioned. Do Americans have the right not to send their children to school? Apparently some people do not think so and are trying to convince or force parents to put their children back in school. "Christopher Klicka, an attorney for the…[Home School Legal Defense Association]…, notes that, during the 1990-91 school year, nearly 2,000 homeschoolers with problems sought assistance from his organization. Those problems involved various degrees of harassment, ranging from actual or threatened prosecution to the attempted imposition of restrictions in excess of the law" (Lyman 12). The truth is, however, that "Homeschooling is now legal in all 50 states" (Martin 6). Many new ideas and beliefs get persecuted and homeschooling is not an exception. Whatever the legal problems are though, "The law protects homeschoolers, and always has" (Heidtke 1990).

The Reasons Parents Homeschool

The important question which remains is what makes people want to homeschool in the
first place? Though there are many factors, it is believed that parents mainly do so for religious reasons. LaRue (1991) reported that eighty-six percent of parents surveyed responded that they homeschool for religious reasons. They feel that their children do not obtain moral and ethical training, much less religious values, in American's public schools" (Pearson 1-2). Another main reason is that many people simply do not like public schools. In a Gallup Poll, 45% of Americans said they were unhappy with the public schools (Lyman 2). Negative peer pressure, safety, and drugs are all major concerns for those who have taken their children out of school or who have never put them in school (9). Other reasons for homeschooling are that parents feel it is their business, and not the government's, to raise their children; others simply enjoy being with their children and don't want to give them up (Holt 13). Some homeschoolers feel that "…It's healthier for children to be with adults and with other people of all ages rather than a class of all kids their own age…" (Zugschwerdt 1989). Also, "…Others …would be hard-pressed to say why, exactly, they teach their children at home" (Colfax 37). To sum it up, "…If we truly look at the basic reason [people] homeschool, we'll find that it simply comes down to the fact that no one will ever love [their] children as much as [they] do" (Dickerson 3).

Parental Qualifications for Homeschooling

"According to child development specialists, most children learn nearly half of all they will ever learn by the time they are four or five years old. In view of that, it is remarkable that parents - who have been primarily responsible for their children's growth over those early, learning-crammed years - can be made to feel somehow inadequate to the task of educating them as they grow older" (Colfax 49). While many people claim that parents without credential are not capable of teaching, homeschooling families rely on "family bonds, good communication, and the children's natural desire to learn to offset the lack of a teaching certificate. And they get good results, with homeschooled children doing better on the average academically, in states where universal testing is required, than children in school" (Matrisciano 35). All parents need is a basic education to be able to teach a child. If parents are able to "read with understanding, write with meaning, speak clearly, and add, subtract, multiply, and divide, and if [they] love and respond to [their] children, [they] can be a good teacher" (Moore 9)!
Often parents may be concerned about trying to teach their children things that they themselves know very little about. Yet this should not be a cause of concern, for children are very capable of learning things on their own. A sixteen-year-old homeschooler said, "Most of the things I'm interested in are things that my mom doesn't know anything about, so I just learn them on my own and from other people…Parents don't have to learn things before their kids - just encourage them or learn it with them…" (Sheffer 1). Another option open to parents is to "use formal, prepackaged curricula, and …do what even teachers in schools have been known to do: stay one lesson ahead of the students" (Matrisciano 35).

Homeschooling is Efficient

Public school children spend a large portion of their time in school. In fact, they are there 1,100 hours out of the year. Yet only twenty percent of that time, 220 hours, are actually spent "on task" (Colfax 46). More than two hours a day are wasted going to and from school, in the homeroom, between classes, and settling down in and leaving class (Clark XXVI). Homeschooling is dramatically more efficient, with three times more time actually spent working. This gives children the extra time needed to pursue other educational interests such as learning to play the violin or studying ornithology (Colfax 46). Children taught at home can work in quiet surroundings, not having to worry about unprepared teachers or waiting for a teacher to deal with bothersome, noisy children (Clark XVII). Homeschooling helps make the best use of one's precious childhood.

Homeschooling Prevents Children From Unnecessary Review

Another benefit of homeschooling is that the child is not re-taught what he already knows. In public school, with a different teacher every year who may not know what has been taught in the past, children may get taught the same things over again. Homeschooling, however, is like getting an education from a personal tutor, saving the kids from having to deal with the frustration of learning so much of the same thing. Parents know intimately what the child has learned since they have worked with their children for the past days, weeks, months, and years. Besides giving a general overview, they can just keep going forward (XVIII).

Homeschooling Gives Children More Personal Attention

Because of the lack of time and large classes, teachers are, quite often, unable to give special attention to certain students. Picture a child, academically ahead of his grade in class, forced by the teacher to do the work that the others are doing. The child may be punished for not doing it and even threatened with having to repeat the grade. He is being punished for knowing more than the others! The other aspect would be the child who is behind the other children in his class. He cannot do the homework and the teacher, for various reasons, is not able to give him special attention. The result is that he gets even further behind (Holt 26-27). Homeschooling, on the other hand, excels at undivided help. The parents, not having to worry about a lot of children, taking attendance, or dealing with administrative details, can give more and faster attention to a child in need of assistance. They can personalize their help to correspond with their children's strengths and weaknesses by spending extra time on difficult subjects and quickly skimming through those which the child has already mastered.

Homeschooling Enables Children to Learn at Their Own Pace

Perhaps one of the most pervasive forms of child abuse is to force a child to go to school before he is ready. (Moore 10). Children mature at different rates, yet too often the public school's context of a "good" child is one who "fits or is able to adapt to curricular stereotypes, learning what is given when it is given" (Colfax 41). If a child is not ready to learn when age-oriented teachers are ready to teach, no learning will take place (44). On the other hand, if some children are fast learners, what "is the point of forcing [them] to do so many minutes, hours, and days of 'school work' if they can learn the material in less than the specified time" (Matrisciano 34)? Parents homeschooling their children are able to speed up or slow down schoolwork, unconstrained with governmentally-approved curriculums or work having to be handed in at a certain time (Colfax 48). They are able to help their children advance at the appropriate speed necessary for them to understand what is being learned. These homeschooled children will grow to be adults who are more confident in their parents' concern for their welfare and education.
On the other hand, this freedom to learn at one's own pace can have negative aspects. If parents don't fully commit themselves to homeschooling, their children may get away with doing very little schoolwork at all. When there is little or no pressure to get an assignment done by a certain time, children may simply keep putting it off. Parents need to oversee their children's learning and use their parental authority to be sure they are actually doing their schoolwork. When parents accept the freedom of homeschooling, it is important that they also accept the responsibility that comes with it.

Homeschooling Fosters Positive Socialization

"If there were no other reason for wanting to keep kids out of school, the social life would be reason enough…it is mean-spirited,…exclusive, status-seeking, and snobbish" (Holt 44-45). "The assumption is that the socialization process at public schools is normal and good," says Stephen Moitozo. "I'll tell you what normal isn't. It isn't the same kids in the same room doing the same thing at the same rate in the same way to achieve the same results because they're the same age" (Allis 7). A homeschooler who had previously gone to public school described the social life there as "being cooped up with twenty-five other kids your age, having to wear the most up-to-date clothes, [and] people not speaking to you because you don't have the latest toy" (Sheffer 2).
Socialization not only occurs in public schools, but wherever people congregate. "What…parents need to consider is what kind of socialization do [they] want for their children? Do [they] want [their] children socializing with classmates who are involved in the drug culture, in the free sex culture, in the "Me First" culture" (Clark 291-292)? Homeschooling parents have seen the harm that this type of interaction could do and have chosen to protect their children from it. Yet these homeschooled children are "seldom, if ever, socially isolated. Indeed, precisely because they have more opportunities to interact with a wide range of people, they tend to become more socially competent and socially responsible at an earlier age than most of their conventionally schooled peers" (Colfax 101). Ben, A Ferris State University student who had previously been homeschooled, commented that "…being around adults [as a homeschooler] didn't hurt me because I think I matured quicker and have less difficulty interacting with adults." Jennie Chancey, a graduated homeschooler, said: "…It was really homeschool 'socializing' that helped me get where I am today! Mom and Dad encouraged us to talk with both older and younger people, and…I quickly felt at home getting to know people…I had no problems relating to the people who called me on the job to get statistics, set up interviews, or just chat about education. Homeschooling prepared me for this" (Duffy 37).
Some aspects of public education are missed by homeschoolers, such as getting onto a school's sports team or playing in the band. Yet, "Most homeschooled kids are routinely 'making social contacts' with other homeschoolers and with their friends, neighbors, and relatives. They get involved at the Y, in
their churches, in community music and theater groups, in adult education classes, in family businesses, and in apprenticeships" (Matrisciano 35). Scotty, a local homeschooled senior, commented on his personal experiences with socialization:
The image of a home taught student is that of someone locked in his or her home to learn, work and live. This has never been the case for me though. I have participated in summer basketball programs, played on a basketball team, counseled at summer camps, been involved in 4-H horse events, given resentations to nearly 500 people of all ages through the course of two years, and gone on several student trips, with both homeschooled and public schooled students. Due to all these different experiences I've had, I feel comfortable communicating with people of all ages and walks of life. Homeschooling has never hurt me socially; it has only ever helped by allowing me these opportunities. The "real world" is not composed of people all the same age, but of different ages and backgrounds. Homeschoolers are effectively preparing themselves for adulthood by frequently socializing with all types of people.

Homeschooling Discourages Peer Dependence

Peer pressure, which is closely-linked to the socialization issue, is another reason why homeschooling is being advocated all over the world. Peer pressure often does little to foster intellectual growth and desirable social values (Colfax 101). In fact, peer groups can have many very powerful and harmful effects. They can cause a child to think that corrupt behavior, such as smoking or drug and alcohol use, is acceptable and even correct. "Of course, children who spend almost all their time in groups of other people their own age, shut out of society's serious work and concerns, with almost no contact with any adults, except child-watchers, are going to feel what 'all the other kids' are doing is the right, the best, the only thing to do" (Holt 49-50). Homeschooled children, on the other hand, model themselves on their parents, and not some "cool goof" who in turn models himself on some other peer. The net result of this respecting of one's parents is mature children who will "…benefit the community because they aren't shaped by peers but by parents who teach their children about the current problems in society" (Clark XXI). When a firm foundation has been laid by the parents, the children will grow into responsible adults who have been taught how to discern right from wrong.
Not all peer influence is negative, however. Groups and activities such as Boy Scouts, 4-H, and singing in the choir can encourage positive traits such as leadership and healthy competition. Homeschooling parents have greater freedom to choose what they will allow their children to become involved in and the ability to ensure that their children do not become too dependent on their peers.

Homeschooling Encourages Transmission of Parental Values to Children

People of all different races, backgrounds, and religions have chosen to homeschool their children. Homeschoolers reside in the country, city, suburbs, and small towns (Lyman 9). All these parents have one thing in common: they want to control the content of what their children are learning so that they are not "filled, labeled, crated, and shipped out" according to some authority's work order (Colfax 38). Homeschooling gives children a much greater chance of retaining their parents' values because of all the time they are spending with them. It "allows families to incorporate their personal religious beliefs and values into all areas of the curriculum" (Martin 3). For example, if the family is Christian, they can have their handwriting practice revolve around the Scriptures, and incorporate the Bible into their reading (4). Environmentalists can personally teach their children to respect and care for nature, and secularists may simply want to teach their children to work hard and achieve academic excellence. Homeschooling permits everyone, regardless of the values they have, to effectively convey them to their children.
Although homeschooling allows the freedom to easily impart values to susceptible children, this freedom like many others can be abused. If parents are transferring values which are harmful to society to their children, homeschooling could be the worst thing for the children. For homeschooling to succeed, parents need to constantly work to teach what is best for their children and society.
Positive homeschooling is exemplified by Scotty's comments on his formation by his parents. "I know that my parents have taught me extremely good values that, had I not been homeschooled, would have been difficult to teach. In this sense my values and morals have been a benefit of homeschooling…As far as [the impact on] society, I believe that everyone immediately impacts society with his or her beliefs, morals, and values, therefore I believe I do benefit society…." America's social well-being depends on the children of today, and if these children do not have basic moral values, America cannot survive. As long as homeschooling parents strive to teach their children positive values and morals, the homeschool movement will play a vital role in assuring our country's bright future.

(See below for conclusions, abstract, and works cited)

Conclusions

After researching homeschooling, the following conclusions were reached:
1. Homeschooling is Legal.
A) "Homeschooling is now legal in all 50 states" (Martin 6).
B) "The law protects homeschoolers, and always has" (Heidtke 1990).
2. Parents are Qualified to Homeschool Their Own Children.
A) Parents teach their children right from the beginning.
B) Parents take advantage of "family bonds, good communication, and the children's natural desire to learn to offset the lack of a teaching certificate. And they get good results, with homeschooled children doing better on the average academically, in states where universal testing s required, than children in school" (Matrisciano 35).
C) If parents are able to "read with understanding, write with meaning, speak clearly, and add, subtract, multiply, and divide, and if [they] love and respond to [their] children, [they] can be a good teacher" (Moore 9)!
D) "…Parents don't have to learn things before their kids - just encourage them or learn it with them…" (Sheffer 1).
E) Parents also can "use formal, prepackaged curricula, and …do what even teachers in schools have been known to do: stay one lesson ahead of the students" (Matrisciano 35).

3. Homeschooling is Efficient.
A) Public school students spend approximately 1,100 hours in school a year. Yet only twenty percent of that time, 220 hours, is actually spent "on task" (Colfax 46).
B) Homeschooling is dramatically more efficient, with three times more time actually spent working, and ample time left for other activities (Colfax 46).
C) Children taught at home can work in quiet surroundings, not having to worry about unprepared teachers or waiting for a teacher to deal with bothersome, noisy children (Clark XVII).

4. Homeschooling Enables Children to Learn at Their Own Pace.
A) It is common knowledge that children mature at different rates, yet too often the public school's context of a "good" child is one who "fits or is able to adapt to curricular stereotypes, learning what is given when it is given" (Colfax 41).
B) If a child is not ready to learn when age-oriented teachers are ready to teach, no learning will take place (44).
C) Parents homeschooling their children are able to speed up or slow down schoolwork, unconstrained with governmentally-approved curriculums or work having to be handed in at a certain time (Colfax 48).
5. Homeschooling Fosters Positive Socialization.
A) "If there were no other reason for wanting to keep kids out of school, the social life would be reason enough…it is mean-spirited,…exclusive, status-seeking, and snobbish" (Holt 44-45).
B) Homeschooled parents have chosen to protect their children from negative socialization, but their children are "seldom, if ever, socially isolated. Indeed, precisely because they have more opportunities to interact with a wide range of people, they tend to become more socially competent and socially responsible at an earlier age than most of their conventionally schooled peers" (Colfax 101).
6. Homeschooling Discourages Peer Dependence.
A) Peer pressure often does little to foster intellectual growth and desirable social values (Colfax 101).
B) Homeschooled children, on the other hand, model themselves on their parents, and not some "cool goof" who in turn models himself on some other peer.
C) The net result of this respecting of one's parents is mature children who will "…benefit the community because they aren't shaped by peers but by parents who teach their children about the current problems in society" (Clark XXI).
7. Homeschooling Encourages Transmission of Parental Values to Children.
A) Because of all the time homeschooled children spend with their parents, it is
much more likely that the children will retain their parents' values.
B) Homeschooling "allows families to incorporate their personal religious beliefs and values into all areas of the curriculum" (Martin 3).

Abstract

"Homeschooling: The Best Form of Education" gives a basic background of homeschooling and discusses the reasons why many people believe that homeschooling is the best form of education. The main topics in the paper are the following: the legality of homeschooling, parental qualifications for teaching their children, the efficiency of homeschooling, the freedom to work at one's own pace, socialization, peer pressure, and the transmission of parental values to their children. The paper does not claim that homeschooling works for everyone, but it shows that the benefits greatly outweigh any negative aspects of this form of education.
I had written a short paper on homeschooling in my sophomore year of high school, so I already had a good idea as to what I wanted my paper to address. As my parents own a multitude of books on homeschooling, it was a simple task to find sources for my paper. The only problems I encountered were finding the correct format to use for citing material from the ERIC system, and getting enough information on parental values to include in my paper.
There were several different approaches I could have taken with my paper on homeschooling. I could have researched into the statistics which compare homeschool students' academic achievements with public school students' achievements. Or I could have written a paper telling parents how to teach their children at home.

Works Cited

Allis, Sam. "Schooling Kids at Home." Time Magazine 22 Oct. 1990.

Catechism of the Catholic Church. Boston, Massachusetts: St. Paul Books and Media, 1994.

Clark, Mary Kay. Catholic Homeschooling. Front Royal, Virginia: Seton Home
Study School Press, 1993.

Colfax, David and Micki. Homeschooling for Excellence. New York, NY: Warner
Books, Inc., 1988.

Dickerson, Ann. "Why Should I Homeschool?" Seton Home Study School
Newsletter July 1998: 3.

Duffy, Matthew. Hot House Transplants. Westminster, CA: Grove Publishing, 1997.

Heidtke, Linda. "Homeschooling: A Growing Trend in the Education of Our
Children." Wet Set Gazette 1 Sep. 1990.

Holt, John. Teach Your Own. New York, NY: Dell Publishing Co., Inc., 1981.

Lyman, Isabel. Homeschooling. Back to the Future? ERIC, 1998. ED 415 325.

Martin, Margaret. Homeschooling: Parents' Reactions. ERIC, 1997. ED 415 984.

Matrisciano, Jamie. "Learning in the Home." The Kennebec Journal 25 May 1989.

Moore, Dr. Raymond and Dorothy. The Successful Homeschool Family Handbook.
Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1994.

Pearson, Richard C. Homeschooling: What Educators Should Know. ERIC, 1996.
ED 402 135.

Ray, Brian. "Homeschooling Statistics and Reports." HSLDA (1997): p. 3. Online.
Internet. 11 Feb. 1999. Available: [http://hlsda.org/nationalcenter/statsand
reports/ray1997/03.stm].

Sheffer, Susannah. "Skippin' School." ParentGuide News 1 Jan. 1991.

Zugschwerdt, Steve. "Teaching Their Own." The Sun 7 Sep. 1989.