Home Schools Versus Traditional Schools

Home schools and traditional schools produce educated children. The methods and standards used set these types of schools apart from each other. Each type of school has benefits and shortcomings. The needs of the child in question should be weighed against the opportunities offered by each choice in education and only then should the decision of which kind of schooling is best for the child be made.

Home schools and traditional schools are similar in that they provide the opportunity for socialization. The schools differ in how they provide the socialization. Children who attend traditional schools are forced to socialize with the same children of the same age group every day. Unlike traditionally schooled children, home schooled children get the privilege of socializing with different age groups and a variety of people from many walks of life. The social skills they develop from interacting with many different people will be useful in everyday situations.

Home school and traditional schools are similar in that they educate children. The way that each type of school goes about educating children is quite different. Children are natural learners. Children should not be made to learn using only a textbook like in traditional schools. In addition to a textbook, a home schooled child can learn by participating, living, contributing, and interacting in their environment and society on a daily basis.

Home schools and traditional schools are similar in that both have qualified teachers. They are different in the fact that traditional schoolteachers have formal training and home schoolteachers may not have formal training. However, who is more qualified than a parent to teach his or her own children? A parent knows his or her child better than anyone else. A parent has been his or her child's teacher since the day they brought the child home from the hospital. If a parent can teach his or her child to walk, talk, eat, bathe, etc., then why does a parent suddenly become unqualified to teach his or her child when the child turns five years old? There is no valid reason. A parent can study his or her child to determine his or her child's learning style, then teach his or her child based on that learning style. A parent can give his or her child an advantage by adapting the child's lesson plans to the child's learning style. Traditional schools cannot teach each child's learning style due to class size. Therefore, all the children do not get the benefit of a fully comprehendible education. These children are the ones who are often left behind or have near failing grades for most of their school years. A parent of a home schooled child will never let his or her child get left behind. A parent of a home schooled child will never advance to another lesson without being sure that the child fully comprehends the one he or she is currently working on. A parent can devote more time to his or her child in the areas that are his or her child's weakest. A home schooled child can