Many Advantages, Just Not For Me

“Piedmont College is very home school friendly” Cindy Peterson, director of admissions said. “We reach out to the home school community because these students prove to be very self motivated individuals, engaging their professors, and often taking on many leadership roles.” 8 percent of Piedmont’s undergraduates were home schoolers. Although this may not seem like a large percentage, it is higher than most other colleges and universities. Piedmont’s administration strongly supports home schooling, but how do the home schoolers themselves feel about being home schooled?

Stephens County home school student, Ashlan Williams said, “I really like it. I am able to learn at my own pace and study whenever I want. My schedule is very flexible and laid back.” Williams laughed at the claim that home schoolers do not have any friends or a social life. Williams and her siblings are involved in the Currahee Home Educators in Stephens County. This is an organization made up of over 100 families with home schooled children that meet regularly and go on many trips throughout the year. “Even given the opportunity to attend a public school, I would still choose to be home schooled” Williams said.

According to ezinearticles.com, the 5 main advantages of home schooling are having a flexible schedule, receiving individual attention, spending more quality time with family members, not having to worry about peer pressure, and being able to openly teach religion. These advantages strongly support Williams’s feelings.

Although I see the definite advantages of home schooling, I still do not plan to home school my children. Debbie Payne, my mother, said, “A major part of the workforce is dealing and interacting with other people.” Even though home schoolers do have friends, they don’t experience the same day to day interactions with others students as public school students do. Sure the flexible study hours are nice but how is that teaching students time management skills at all? In the real world you are expected to be at work on time, not whenever you feel like getting there. Also, I can’t imagine graduating from high school without the memories of cheerleading for Friday night football games, going to proms and winter formals, and just daily talks around the lunch room table.

Most all of the home school students I meet are very intellectual, but I want my children to be well-rounded individuals in all aspects of life. It is all about what you are striving for individually. I understand that public schooling does have its disadvantages but to me the social interactive skills developed through public schooling outweigh those disadvantages in the long term, big picture called life.