| Some people will tell you about the cons of | | | | choice or yours. |
| teaching children at home, but I'm here to | | | | Peer pressure in public schools can be quite |
| represent the pros of homeschooling. Many | | | | overwhelming for certain students, especially in |
| parents don't understand what goes on at their | | | | their teen years. Fitting in and being popular is |
| kids' schools these days. It's not the 1950's | | | | somehow more important than learning at most |
| anymore. Classrooms are being dumbed-down to | | | | schools. And if you happen to be a student with |
| allow the under achievers to move on to higher | | | | some sort of physical trait looked upon as being |
| grade levels to keep the schools' achievement | | | | different or uncool, you're going to suffer the |
| rate high for funding purposes or conversely, to | | | | wrath of the student body. Don't we all |
| avoid being put on a watch list by their state | | | | remember someone like that in our public school |
| education board. Smart students are being | | | | experience? Even if you didn't participate in the |
| penalized in certain cases because they are being | | | | razzing, it was difficult to watch wasn't it? You |
| held back from their full educational potential and | | | | probably wonder like I do at times whatever |
| in certain instances being used to tutor the slower | | | | happened to some of those poor kids. All they did |
| students. This can cause boredom and early | | | | to receive such admonishment was not be able to |
| educational burnout for the gifted student. | | | | afford the latest clothes fashions or had ears that |
| Homeschooling can be tailored to fit your child's | | | | were perceived to stick out too much or maybe |
| abilities and learning styles. Some kids learn better | | | | they had a little weight problem. Even the slightest |
| with quiet study, for example. Not many public | | | | variance from what the popular crowd thought |
| schools afford that kind of quiet. Others learn | | | | was cool would bring this kind of treatment. This |
| better with one-on-one coaching and | | | | is another of the possible pros of homeschooling. |
| encouragement. That's exactly what | | | | It all goes away before it can even start. Your |
| homeschooling is about. Some students get | | | | child won't have to loathe going to school every |
| anxious about riding a school bus for sometimes | | | | day to face this sort of ill treatment. They can |
| hours a day. With homeschooling, there is no | | | | concentrate of the joys of learning and feel good |
| commute. You're already there when you wake | | | | about themselves. |
| up. | | | | There's another point to make. If your child is |
| Another example of the pros of homeschooling is | | | | experiencing this sort of treatment in public school |
| the fact that you can advance the education of | | | | now, take them away from it and homeschool. |
| your child as fast or slow as you need or want. If | | | | There's really no reason not to. Whatever their |
| someone has a learning disability for example, you | | | | age, get them out of that situation before it does |
| can go more slowly and use techniques to teach | | | | permanent damage in the form of hating school, |
| that may not be available in public school. It also | | | | low self-esteem or worse. Allow them to enjoy |
| removes the embarrassment that other school | | | | learning again and relieve the harassment. You'll |
| kids might inflict on a slow learner. On the | | | | both be happier as a result. |
| opposite side of the argument, if your child shows | | | | To me, the pros of homeschooling far outweigh |
| gifted qualities in learning, you can feed them | | | | the cons by a large margin. It's more natural, it |
| information as fast as they can absorb it. You can | | | | relieves the student of enormous peer pressure, |
| offer a broader and deeper base of knowledge | | | | it allows for a more personal teaching style and it |
| on certain subjects if your child wants it. They | | | | presents an opportunity for a gifted student to |
| can begin to become experts in fields of their | | | | excel. What could be better than that? |