Homeschool vs. Traditional

The Difference between Homeschool and Traditional Schools

University of
Instructor
December 9, 2012

Some parents do make the decision to homeschool their children and then you have those who still send their children to catch the school bus in the mornings, which take them to those traditional school settings. There are disadvantages that these children who are being homeschooled undergo. You will find that there are parents who don’t have the credentials to teach subjects sufficiently, then the children are missing out on time with other children their own age, and then children do need those other adults they can go to with problems or issues their having and they lack that.
In traditional schools you will find that the teachers have had to meet certain qualifications in order to be able to teach the subject they will be teaching. For example you may find an elementary school teacher who has obtained their degree in early childhood education or maybe even general studies. But when you look at those parents who are homeschooling their children, many of them only have obtained a high school diploma or degree of equivalence, then some may have a associates degree but none that compare to what these educators in the traditional school settings have. There are in fact forty-one states in the United States that do not have any specific requirements for the parent to meet. And there are nine states that only require the parent to have a high school diploma or GED.
All children need to have interaction with peers that are their own age. In a traditional school a child has that interaction throughout their entire school day. In class while they are learning, on the playground, in the lunch room, or even being transported to and from school on the school bus they are interacting with their peers who are either the same age or close to their age. A child being homeschooled only is able to interact with that parent who is teaching them during the day or even those adults who may be on lunch during their work day or even working, while they are out with the parent running errands during the time they should be in school. Being that the child does not have that competition in things such as spelling bees or even games played in class to assist them in learning the material being presented to them can affect their striving for certain goals that have been set. Then when the child is being homeschooled the daily interaction with others can keep them from being able to interact with others their own age effectively. They lack the skill of sharing because they are not exposed to that at home since it is just them and they get that individual attention which children in traditional schools don’t get.
Then, when a child is being homeschooled they do not have that structure and consistency throughout their school days. When you go to a traditional school there are hours set for a child to be in school no later than or there are consequences such as them being marked tardy and having to possibly be required to make that time up. Throughout, the school day in a homeschool setting you may find that they start later or when the child and parent get up and have themselves together. Which those times may vary on a day to day basis instead of how traditional schools start the same time of day, and even go to lunch at the same time every day. Those being homeschooled are learning in a more relaxed environment and do not have certain times to have their assignments in by as long as they have it by the end of the day or even the next day since the parent is available to them at all times.
Lastly, children have the adults other than their parents that they can turn to for help or advice when needed. You will find that many children are more at ease when able to express themselves to other adult figures that are not their parents. They include school teachers, school counselors, and other mentors that are available to students in those traditional schools that those being homeschooled do not have access to. There may be problems within the home that a child is having and by them never being able to have that interaction with others then they don’t get the chance to address the issue to another trusted adult figure that may be able to help them with their problem. When a child having issues at home is homeschooled it is never exposed to those outside the home so they can get the assistance they need. Then those parents homeschooling may not be able to recognize when their child is having issues with how they learn since they don’t know what the other children the same age are at within their skills in learning.
So when a child is being homeschooled they have these disadvantages that can affect them later even if it may not being affecting them at the present time. A child in homeschool and a child in traditional school setting are exposed to different learning methods and techniques which may be valuable to them as they get older. The characteristics that could have been formed throughout one childhood learning experience have now been missed out on since they were homeschooled and can even cause them to have problems adapting to their environments.

References http://www.hslda.org/laws/Summary_of_Laws.pdf http://www.homeschool-companion.com/pros-and-cons-of-homeschooling.html
http://www.educationbug.org/a/against-homeschool.html

References: http://www.hslda.org/laws/Summary_of_Laws.pdf http://www.homeschool-companion.com/pros-and-cons-of-homeschooling.html http://www.educationbug.org/a/against-homeschool.html