Addressing Objections to Homeschooling #3
Objection #3: Academic Achievement
Something I was a little concerned about when we first considered homeschooling was academic achievement. Would homeschooling give our kids a good education? Would I be up to the rigours of teaching, especially since I’m not a trained teacher?
There will naturally be a range of different homeschooling styles, some of which will focus more on academic success, and others which prioritise experiences and following the child’s interests.
One thing is certain – every parent wants what is best for their child. After all, who cares more about the growth and success of a child than his/her mother and father? All homeschooling parents want their kids to do well – otherwise they wouldn’t sacrifice their own time and money for their education.
Knowledge Gaps
Of course there will be gaps in their knowledge though. Even if kids go to school there will be gaps. Primary teachers may avoid their least favourite subject (often maths) and favour the ones they’re more comfortable with. To mitigate this problem at home, I find it helpful to have my kids follow a programme or curriculum for e.g. Maths, plus I also track their learning against Cambridge learning objectives. This gives me something to aim at and work towards, rather than haphazardly picking topics to study. Having a programme they can get on with reduces the burden on me and lessens the anxiety that I might not be covering enough.
Primary Education
From what I’ve heard about what goes on in many Auckland primary schools, I don’t think it’s particularly difficult to keep up with educational standards. With the current trend of Modern Learning Environments (MLEs) it seems to me as if many schools are actually trying to imitate a home environment! But with ratios of 1:30 or higher, compared with 1:3 or 4 or 5 at home.
Academic excellence in the primary years, if that’s what the parents value, seems to be just as attainable at home as at school. In fact, I would suggest that learning at home is more likely to produce kids who love learning and know how to learn for themselves.
Discipline
However it can be hard to instill discipline at home. Something my teacher husband has noticed with homeschooling kids entering his school is their great general knowledge and enthusiasm for learning. Unfortunately this is often paired with a lack of ability to set out work properly and produce the volume of work required.
Perhaps this is because homeschoolers tend to spend less time on school work, which means that kids aren’t used to writing as much. I guess it’s easier for parents to gauge what their kids know without requiring assignments etc. It can also be difficult to have your own children repeat work, since they will kick up a fuss and moan and throw tantrums.. Something most would never do in front of their peers at school!
High School Education
While I don’t yet have high school aged kids, I’ve read studies that show that academic outcomes at the end of official schooling tend to either favour homeschooling students, or place them at a similar level to public schools. Either way it seems that they aren’t disadvantaged by being home educated.
In conclusion..
Teaching your children at home enables you to teach your kids what you believe is important. So if you don’t care about neat handwriting, it’s no big deal. If you are concerned about their academic achievement, you can ensure they get the resources they need. The power is in your hands! Academic achievement is as important as you want it to be.
Links for the other posts in this series:
