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