What's Up With Homeschooling? (Part 1)
Tis' Graduation time! I, fortunately and unfortunately, have one more year yet. While I was thinking of my friends graduating this year, I came around to musing on the differences between public and homeschool educations. Many people, upon finding that I'm homeschooled, ask how it works, and what the advantages and disadvantages are, and so on. I therefore decided to have a go at explaining some of this subject. If you are interested in some of how homeschooling works, stay tuned! While I don't know all the ins and outs of the two, here are some things to think about, if you want.
Homeschooling certainly has some big strengths going for it's benefit, but interestingly enough, a lot of homeschooling strengths can turn around and become the biggest cripplers as well. Foremost, the time available. Both education systems have all day. But public education, because of the many students, works with a fairly rigid, linear learning path. There's nothing wrong with that really, the twist is simply that people are not rigid and linear. The point is public schools dump a set course of study within a sort of, column of choice. It works, to a certain degree anyway.
It would certainly be better if I stick to homeschooling, as I don't know enough to make any safe assumptions about public schools. So, the significance of time available to homeschooling, is that it never really ends. While public school is on average, (without extra-curricular activities, correct me if I'm wrong) from about seven to three and with homework after that, homeschooling is more a way of life. One way of looking at it is that literally all your schoolwork, is homework. You are at school all day long.
Education is more than just learning facts. It makes a person better. Not just smarter, better. I don't mean superior to other people, I mean in character. Good education is not just learning a new skill, but teaching an individual knowledge to succeed in life with. I would go so far as to say that it is literally teaching character. It's a strengthening of the mind, so that when the time comes, whatever is needed to know can be picked up quite quickly. It sets people up to not say, "I don't know how to do that, I haven't the skill" but to say, "Though I don't know how to do that, now, there is no reason I can't learn now, because I am capable of it, I just don't have the experience."
It empowers people with confidence, because even though they don't know how, doesn't mean they aren't capable. You don't need to know how to do something to be capable of it. It is so encouraging to know that when I'm standing at a job, unsure of what to do, and I'm thinking, "I can't do this" I simply remember, "No, wait. I can do this, I just don't know how". Take it slowly, and ask anyone around you for help, advice, and directions.
Take it this way. Saying "I can't do this because I don't know how," is like a grown man capable of walking, looking at all the people around him and saying, "I can't walk because I don't how". That man needs a new mindset, a stronger mind. One that says, "I am capable of walking, even though I don't know how". That man will now reach his arm up, grab a railing, a tree branch, or another person, and rapidly learn that he can walk, and quite well at that.
I've just spent a lot of words describing some of what I believe education is all about. This all translates to a big strength for homeschooling. It is much easier to teach character by passing down your collected knowledge, your heritage, through experiences, than it is in a classroom.
Let me be clear that I believe public schools have some advantages over homeschooling. My point here is that in a homeschool setting, it is not necessarily easier to learn a skill and knowledge, but to build a stronger mind.
This is possible mainly due to the fact that there's simply less students for the teacher to work with. Meaning, more time available that can be devoted to personal growth, than to achieving some set grade. This can, and often does, result in a much faster learning rate because students in a homeschooling environment have no reason to hang back. Students that struggle with a particular subject can still advance swiftly in other areas, while taking the time to master the difficult one, instead of squeaking by and never really learning it at all.
I never expected to go on this long about just one aspect, but that I have. I plan to continue this tomorrow, and who knows after that. But in conclusion to this post, one strength of homeschooling is that the time can be used more efficiently, so more can be learned in the same amount available.
Some disadvantages up next.
Homeschooling certainly has some big strengths going for it's benefit, but interestingly enough, a lot of homeschooling strengths can turn around and become the biggest cripplers as well. Foremost, the time available. Both education systems have all day. But public education, because of the many students, works with a fairly rigid, linear learning path. There's nothing wrong with that really, the twist is simply that people are not rigid and linear. The point is public schools dump a set course of study within a sort of, column of choice. It works, to a certain degree anyway.
It would certainly be better if I stick to homeschooling, as I don't know enough to make any safe assumptions about public schools. So, the significance of time available to homeschooling, is that it never really ends. While public school is on average, (without extra-curricular activities, correct me if I'm wrong) from about seven to three and with homework after that, homeschooling is more a way of life. One way of looking at it is that literally all your schoolwork, is homework. You are at school all day long.
Education is more than just learning facts. It makes a person better. Not just smarter, better. I don't mean superior to other people, I mean in character. Good education is not just learning a new skill, but teaching an individual knowledge to succeed in life with. I would go so far as to say that it is literally teaching character. It's a strengthening of the mind, so that when the time comes, whatever is needed to know can be picked up quite quickly. It sets people up to not say, "I don't know how to do that, I haven't the skill" but to say, "Though I don't know how to do that, now, there is no reason I can't learn now, because I am capable of it, I just don't have the experience."
It empowers people with confidence, because even though they don't know how, doesn't mean they aren't capable. You don't need to know how to do something to be capable of it. It is so encouraging to know that when I'm standing at a job, unsure of what to do, and I'm thinking, "I can't do this" I simply remember, "No, wait. I can do this, I just don't know how". Take it slowly, and ask anyone around you for help, advice, and directions.
Take it this way. Saying "I can't do this because I don't know how," is like a grown man capable of walking, looking at all the people around him and saying, "I can't walk because I don't how". That man needs a new mindset, a stronger mind. One that says, "I am capable of walking, even though I don't know how". That man will now reach his arm up, grab a railing, a tree branch, or another person, and rapidly learn that he can walk, and quite well at that.
I've just spent a lot of words describing some of what I believe education is all about. This all translates to a big strength for homeschooling. It is much easier to teach character by passing down your collected knowledge, your heritage, through experiences, than it is in a classroom.
Let me be clear that I believe public schools have some advantages over homeschooling. My point here is that in a homeschool setting, it is not necessarily easier to learn a skill and knowledge, but to build a stronger mind.
This is possible mainly due to the fact that there's simply less students for the teacher to work with. Meaning, more time available that can be devoted to personal growth, than to achieving some set grade. This can, and often does, result in a much faster learning rate because students in a homeschooling environment have no reason to hang back. Students that struggle with a particular subject can still advance swiftly in other areas, while taking the time to master the difficult one, instead of squeaking by and never really learning it at all.
I never expected to go on this long about just one aspect, but that I have. I plan to continue this tomorrow, and who knows after that. But in conclusion to this post, one strength of homeschooling is that the time can be used more efficiently, so more can be learned in the same amount available.
Some disadvantages up next.
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