| Home schooling vs. public schooling, this is what the | | | | found that eighth grade students whose parents |
| parents must decide. When we consign our children | | | | spend $199 or less on their home education score, on |
| to public schools, we feel satisfied that they are | | | | the average, in the 80th percentile. Eighth grade |
| receiving 'quality education'. But, are we really getting | | | | students whose parents spend $400 to $599 on their |
| our money's worth? More importantly, are the | | | | home education also score on the average, in the |
| children gaining anything from this kind of a learning | | | | 80th percentile! Once the parents spend over $600, |
| procedure? | | | | the students do slightly better, scoring in the 83rd |
| As the failure of public education becomes more | | | | percentile. |
| obvious, more parents are chaffing at the restriction | | | | The message is loud and clear. More money does not |
| of freethinking afforded our children in public schools. | | | | mean a better education. There is no positive |
| I refer to free thinkers as those who embrace | | | | correlation between money spent on education and |
| individual responsibilities and ideas; those who practice | | | | student performance. Public school advocates could |
| time-tested rules and morals without restrictions | | | | refocus their emphasis if they learned this lesson. |
| imposed by the public school system. Hence, there is | | | | Loving and caring parents are what matters. Money |
| a movement afoot for parents to take more | | | | can never replace simple, hard work. |
| responsibility for their children's education. | | | | On average, home-schooled students in grades one |
| The home school movement has brought about | | | | to four performed one grade level above their |
| many superior, efficient, and exciting teaching | | | | age-level public/private school peers on achievement |
| approaches. Most of you reading this were taught in | | | | tests. Students who had been home schooled their |
| a public school using the traditional textbook method. | | | | entire academic life had higher scholastic achievement |
| The home school movement has brought about | | | | test scores than students who had also attended |
| many superior, efficient, and exciting teaching | | | | other educational programs. |
| approaches. Blot out all your preconceived ideas of | | | | Home school and the public school system can |
| how you think school should be and your previous | | | | comfortably and successfully co-exist. And in the |
| experience of education. | | | | best-case scenarios, these two entities actually |
| Find out how you and your children like to learn. Real | | | | become benefactors of each other's time and talents. |
| effectiveness is developed over time by improving a | | | | As home schooled, having the respect of a local |
| few steps at a time. All children have different gift | | | | educational community is an essential factor in this |
| and talents. Read the Parable About the Animal | | | | co-existing equation and is readily achieved by |
| School to put this into focus. Browse through the | | | | following three very basic, yet vital, steps. |
| different teaching approaches on this site to find the | | | | Parents new to home schooling often have a |
| method that fit your family. | | | | thousand of questions to ask. It has been accepted |
| Scholastic education aside, what about moral | | | | that parents have an inherent right to determine the |
| education? Public schools are teaching high schoolers | | | | pros and cons of home schooling. |
| proper condom usage, while staying away from such | | | | There is little long-standing knowledge among regular |
| alternatives as chastity. Pro-homosexuality and | | | | school goers because most things are learnt for the |
| anti-gun sentiments are being hurrahed in schools, yet | | | | exam. There is no correlation of facts with life. The |
| prayer is banned. | | | | child may know a lot, but understands very little. This |
| With recent tragic events, many parents and schools | | | | is where the home schoolers beat the regular school |
| are being forced to take a closer look at our present | | | | goers. Ultimately, home schoolers emerge more |
| schooling structure. Everyone is looking for reasons | | | | adept at facing the outside world. |
| as to why our children are either part of, or in a | | | | The bottom line on this home schooling vs. public |
| defensive position of this social chaos. The result of | | | | schools issue is who do you want your children to be |
| this chaos? Gangs, guns, drugs, a high rate of | | | | molded by? You or some gun-toting, drug testing, |
| teen-pregnancy and even terrorism. | | | | bureaucratic soldier working for the state? |
| The 1998 study by Dr. Rudner of 20,760 students, | | | | |