A Unique “Benefits Of Home Schooling” List
There are far too many articles out there that number the many benefits of home schooling in hopes of convincing cynics that home education is really the way to go. Of course, that's the conservative method of persuasion, one that is (in my humble opinion) far too often used. So humor me as I try to tackle the debate from a different angle.
Rather than busy you with yet another list on the benefits of home schooling, I've decided to give you a few reasons why enrolling your kids in a public or private school is a bad idea, to make you see that nothing beats the [style of home schooling]. Enjoy.
(And try not to take this so seriously.)
Public and private schools up to bat. Here we go.
Strike one: Notice how schools “encourage” interaction by stuffing a whole bunch of kids in a classroom with little room to breathe, kinda like sardines in a can? Brilliant idea. I'm sure a group of immature, hyperactive kids left unsupervised will behave in an orderly manner, sitting straight up in their chairs, hands positioned neatly atop their desks, patiently and eagerly awaiting their teacher to arrive so that they can greet her with a sincere and heartfelt “Good morning”.
And I'm sure when recess comes, they'll all share their food, play nice, and take turns at the water fountain, not even thinking of stealing the skinny kid's lunch money, poking someone in the eye, or pushing someone over to get a drink of water. With such well-developed ethics and values, and so many years of experience under their collective belt, I'm sure they know better. Really, who needs an adult/chaperone/voice of reason? Not them.
Strike two: What's worse than expecting kids to make nice with each other just by cramming them in a classroom? Dividing them by age, then cramming them into their respective classrooms. If setting the stage for anarchy in a single classroom was cake, then trust me, this move is definitely the icing.
Give them enough time, and they should learn to fear, respect, or ridicule their peers according to how old and how big they are. That's a mighty fine lesson in discrimination – one that the style of home schooling can't hope to match up to. Of course, the school forgot to say discrimination was a bad thing, but no harm done, right?
Strike three: You know how kids are promoted to the next grade level at the end of the year, provided they pass every subject? Just thought it was worth mentioning, since I suddenly had this image of a 12-year old prodigy in math and science who's on the verge of harnessing the power of the time-space continuum. Problem is, he's stuck in the second grade because he consistently misspells “continuum” in his English essays.
You know, letting students play to their strengths is one of the benefits of home schooling, but I'm sure this prodigy's school has a good reason for equating spelling with an invention that could very well change the world. Kinda makes you wonder what, though.
We run out of strikes already? Shucks, I was just getting started. That's it then. Not your typical “Benefits of Home Schooling” list, but you get the idea. Rest assured, when it comes to these pitches, home schooling won't strike out.