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People are often confused while deciding about their children’s education. Then the battle of homeschooling vs public school comes to mind. Choosing the best for your child becomes uneasy when there are multiple options.
Prefer the education that best satisfies your requirements. When it comes to homeschooling, it has its benefits and drawbacks. It is similar in the case of public schooling too.
Homeschool Vs Public School
A closer analysis of each of the two options will help you decide better.
Homeschooling
In this mode of education, children are taught at home under the guidance of their parents or special tutors. Homeschooling1 provides good education and amplifies the skills of the children.
This is a safe option. More than that, you don’t worry about attendance or waking up early to get your child ready for school. Before choosing to homeschool, do your research.
Learn more about the history of homeschooling2.
6 Advantages of Homeschooling
1. Flexibility
Homeschooling allows you to follow a flexible schedule. You don’t have to worry about waking up early in the morning or reaching school on time. Children can take breaks whenever they want.
You can decide the length of sessions and design your studies in a way that fits you. Also, children get a lot of time for field trips.
2. Learn at Their Own Pace
Some children learn fast, while others take time. Homeschooling allows you to learn at your speed. There is no rush. It helps to grasp everything at ease and without tension.
3. Makes Education More Fun
Homeschooling provides more meaningful learning by assuring that children are learning to expand their knowledge rather than to get good grades.
4. Time For Extracurricular Activities
If children want to pursue some of their favourite hobbies, homeschooling gives them plenty of time for that. Since homeschooling saves so much time children get adequate time for playing, projects, creativity, and real experiences.
5. More Emotional Freedom
There is no competition and comparison when you are homeschooled. Children can appreciate their uniqueness and don’t have to fit in with peer pressure.
With less stress, homeschooling provides a better study environment. You don’t have to worry about bullies, drugs, and other problematic activities.
6. Customized Education
Homeschooling provides tailored education satisfying the needs of the child. This helps to understand a child’s capabilities and grow them into better people. Homeschooled children perform better in standardized tests with better test scores.
6 Disadvantages of Homeschooling
1. Lack Of Well Developed Social Skills
Children who are homeschooled do not have social skills which are acquired by interacting with different kinds of people. To fully develop communication skills3 it is necessary to interact with people who have varied interests and perspectives.
2. Expense
Homeschooling is expensive as you have to purchase the latest curriculum and appoint a home educator. Other costs like computer software and field trips can make homeschooling more expensive.
3. Lack of Facilities
It is not easy to make your home into a well-equipped study environment. For subjects like physics and chemistry, you need various materials and apparatus to perform experiments. These are hard to get all together.
4. Lack of Motivation
Since there is no competition, children might lack the motivation to level up. A positive competitive spirit is not cultivated in homeschooled children.
5. Cooperation From Parents
Devoting time to educate children might even require the parent to resign from their jobs. For full-time monitoring, the parent has to be present with mindfulness. Patience is an important factor to teach positively.
6. Recognition To Achievement is Limited
Homeschooled children do not have special ceremonies to celebrate their achievements. Their family alone cannot make them feel good about their successes.
With fewer awarding options and the lack of a competitive environment4, good work is not often given the right amount of recognition.
Public Schooling
Public schools are institutions that educate children for free. Such schools are funded by taxation. It comprises primary and secondary education.
Private schools also provide education but it is not free. While you choose between homeschooling and public school, if you cannot create a school-like atmosphere at home, it is better to take up public or private school education.
Read more about public schooling.
6 Advantages of Public Schooling
1. More Facilities
Public schooling gives more facilities than a school-at-home mode of education. Students can also enjoy various sports as there are provisions for such activities.
2. Less Expensive
Since public schooling is free, it doesn’t create a huge burden on your head. Students who attend local schools do not have to worry about paying too much amount as fees.
3. Qualified Teachers
Public schools have their methods of recruitment to check on the quality of their teachers. Special pieces of training are provided for them.
4. More Diversity
Children who attend public school meet a lot of diverse people. This gives them exposure and enables them to think from multiple perspectives.
In a public school system, various children from different cultural backgrounds are brought together. This makes the students understand and appreciate the diversity.
5. Offers Opportunities for Socializing
Students get so much time to socialize when they are in a public school. They can spend time with their friends and make more connections.
6. Allows More Free Time For Parents
Parents do not have to worry about teaching their children and designing a curriculum for them. They can do their work more freely.
6 Disadvantages of Public Schooling
1. Fixed Schedule
Students are supposed to follow their school calendars. When you think of homeschooling vs public school, flexibility is a major difference. You have to stick to the schedule as it is mandatory.
2. Less Family Time
The major part of the day is spent at school. Therefore, less time is left to spend with family. Projects and homework also take up a lot of time. Parent-child bonding is quite difficult.
3. Fixed Curriculum
Parents cannot choose the curriculum for their children when they are sent to public schools. Schools have a single curriculum for all students. This may not satisfy a child’s requirements.
4. Lack of Individual Attention
Children cannot always get proper attention. There are many students in a single classroom. Therefore, students have to adapt to such an environment. The class size is also an important factor.
5. Safety
One cannot assure complete safety in a public school. The exposure is greater, so there are chances of getting bullied or being engaged in malpractice.
6. Lots of Paperwork
Public school students have a lot of assignments to be completed in a limited time. This stresses out students.
A Close Comparison: Homeschool vs Public School
Now that you have realized the benefits and problems of homeschooling and public schooling, a closer comparison is beneficial. There is no such thing as one size fits all when it comes to education.
- The first thing that you should keep in mind while choosing between homeschool vs public school is flexibility. If both parents are working, it is good to opt for public school education.
- If you are worried about the belief systems and ethical values of your child greatly, homeschooling is an ideal option. You will get adequate time to impart your religious or cultural beliefs.
- According to your geographic location, the quality of education can differ. Sometimes homeschooling will provide a more qualitative education than public school if you are in a remote area.
- If your child requires special care and attention, choose according to your circumstances. Public schools provide therapists and other facilities which may benefit you.
- Public schools give better exposure and help to analyze various cultures. Without a homeschooling community, this is impossible in a school-at-home environment.
- Locational disadvantages often give no room for public schooling. If the amount of time required to travel to school is greater, it is difficult to maintain schedules.
- Public schooling allows students to make study groups. This improves their communication skills and helps them to adapt to different learning procedures. This is not possible in a homeschooling system.
- Homeschooling is not free. You have to check whether you can afford to educate your child on your own. Public schooling, on the other hand, is free and offers so many opportunities when it comes to sports and other activities.
- Children who are interested in sports can perform greatly in a public school environment with advanced facilities. Homeschooled children do not always get a chance to take part in district or state-level competitions.
- There are more chances for socialization in public schools when compared with homeschooling. Social skills are highly required to lead a good life and to excel in professional life.
Key Takeaways
It is crucial to understand the difference between homeschooling and public school to design the ideal education for your child. Just like every option, homeschooling and public schooling have their setbacks. Understand all the factors before you choose.
There are no restrictions for students to get into any college based on their mode of education. Anyone can opt for higher studies if they have the required educational background.
There are many myths associated with homeschooling. Not all are true. Each aspect changes from person to person.
Discover more information.
- Kunzman, Robert, and Milton Gaither. “Homeschooling: A comprehensive survey of the research.” Other Education-the journal of educational alternatives 2.1 (2013): 4-59. ↩︎
- Davis, Aislin. “Evolution of homeschooling.” Distance learning 8.2 (2011): 29. ↩︎
- Gruba, Paul, and Reem Al-Mahmood. “Strategies for communication skills development.” Proceedings of the Sixth Australasian Conference on Computing Education-Volume 30. 2004. ↩︎
- Gneezy, Uri, Muriel Niederle, and Aldo Rustichini. “Performance in competitive environments: Gender differences.” The quarterly journal of economics 118.3 (2003): 1049-1074. ↩︎
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