 Home
education is legal in many countries. Countries with the most prevalent home
education movements include Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom,
and the United States. Some countries have highly regulated home education
programs as an extension of the compulsory school system; others, such as
Germany and Brazil, have outlawed it entirely. In other countries, while not
restricted by law, home education is not socially acceptable or considered
undesirable and is virtually non-existent.
Community resources
Home education should not be confined to the home or only one environment.
home educators often take advantage of educational opportunities at museums,
community centers, athletic clubs, after-school programs, churches, science
preserves, parks, and other community resources. Secondary school level students
may take classes at community colleges, which typically have open admission
policies. In many communities, home educating parents and students participate in
community theater, dance, band, symphony, and chorale opportunities.
Groups of home education families often join together to create home education
co-ops. These groups typically meet once a week and provide a classroom
environment. These are family-centered support groups whose members seek to pool
their talents and resources in a collective effort to broaden the scope of their
children's education. They provide a classroom environment where students can do
hands-on and group learning such as performing, science experiments, art
projects, foreign language study, spelling bees, discussions, etc. Parents whose
children take classes serve in volunteer roles to keep costs low and make the
program a success.
Certain states, such as Maine, have laws that permit home
education families to take advantage of public school
resources. In such cases, children can be members of sports
teams, be members of the school band, can take art classes,
and utilize services such as speech therapy while
maintaining their home education lifestyle.
Socialization
Concerns about socialization are often a factor in the
decision to home school. Many home educators believe that
the conditions common in conventional schools, like age
segregation, a low ratio of adults to children, a lack of
contact with the community, and a lack of people in
professions other than teaching or school administration
create an unhealthy social environment. They feel that their
children benefit from coming in contact with people of
diverse ages and backgrounds in a variety of contexts. They
also feel that their children benefit from having some
ability to influence what people they encounter, and in what
contexts they encounter them.
Home educators cite studies which report that home educated students tend to be
more mature than their schooled peers, and some believe this is a result of the
wide range of people with which they have the opportunity to communicate.
Information source: “Homeschooling.” wikipedia.org. Article date: 20 March 2009.
Retrieved: Wikipedia. 22 March 2009 <Homeschooling>.
Information source: “Unschooling.” wikipedia.org. Article date: 19 March 2009.
Retrieved: Wikipedia. 22 March 2009 <Unschooling>. |
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