As time goes on and funds for a higher education continue to rise, parents have mitigated to home-schooling, as opposed to a private or state school. This in many ways can be beneficial for both students and parents, but it can also cause problems in the long run. Public schools have aspects that no amount of home-schooling can recreate. This includes the abundance of people the child has to socialize with everyday, changing certain behaviours and mannerisms to show respect to elders, and the competitive spirit that comes from watching peers achieve higher feats. So while home-schooling lacks these benefits, why is it becoming an increasing trend for guardians?
Is it due to safety reasons? A lack of funds? Each home-schoolled student has their own reasons for this preference. A parent’s role is to decide what’s best for their child’s future. For example, a disabled child has a higher chance of scrutiny from people of their age, they might be deemed as “odd” or “irregular” and therefore shunned from the school’s social circle, a responsible adult may see this and opt to transfer them to home-schooling. Preventative measures are better to be done than letting an innocent child suffer through that. Although, it’s not only disabled children, those who are healthy and happy can also go along with home-schooling. It all boils down to what environment the child feels comfortable learning in. A quiet atmosphere with one-on-one explanations from teachers can benefit more than distracting elements in the classroom, but from those distractions, students can also learn varying things that serve useful in the future.
Public or private institutions hone hundreds if not thousands of students across different grade levels. This means that school is a goldmine to improve social skills. From interacting with different groups of people, contributing in organizations, entering clubs and extracurriculars, you learn to adjust and adapt to individuals through trial and error. Social cues are not something you can master through reading books, it is something you have to experience first-handedly. Home-schooling’s biggest weakness is this very aspect. After spending many years with the same group, environment, and social settings, students with a home-schooling background may find it difficult to interact with new people once they enter the next part of their lives. Through school you gain and break friendships, have occasional flunks here and there, but in the end it is all worth it. You gain a sense of community and unity from these groups, they can act as your pillar and main source of motivation to always strive for what’s best.
In spite of the many strengths that both home-school and public school possess, gaining a headstart towards communication skills is an opportunity that no student should pass up on. That’s why I believe that public school is the best option for students as they can simultaneously study subjects and hone a long-term skill that will continue to serve its purpose in their careers. Unless your child has problems that cannot be easily avoided or ignored, home-schooling can be an option if not encouraged.