Shortcomings and Benefits

In my opinion, homeschooling is a disservice to a child and a burden to parents. Everything relies on the parent to educate and mold their child into the adult they will become. There are two ways to view homeschooling; babysitting and motivating.
The babysitter method of homeschooling is one of laziness. Counselor Jeff Bennett said, “At the bottom end some parents have been babysitters and haven’t been doing their job. These children are years behind in reading and math skills.” When these homeschoolers who were not prepped for the SAT take the test, the scores may uncover the unjust crime committed by the parent. Those parents who simply sign a form stating their child has taken a specific course are committing an ethic crime. In my experience, child services was called on a homeschool family because of a suspected lack of teaching and learning.
However, homeschooling does provide perks, such as more family time and a stronger bond between siblings and parents. Joy Ugi is a successful college student and homeschooler of six years. “Everybody has a different way of homeschooling, but that’s what makes it so great. Many think we are social rejects, but I took classes out of the home such as English, math and Latin. All those who taught me had degrees. I’m sure my parents were scared of not doing a good job, but they felt a fulfillment in taking such a large part in our education. It built a deep relationship between my parents and me. It brought us a lot closer and I think that’s why they chose homeschooling.”
Homeschool programs are taking leaps to help their students socially adapt in society. Many parents consult homeschooling centers such as MAFA, a fine arts academy that assists in a child’s education while providing interaction with those of their own age.
Bennett said, “We have been fortunate at Etowah High School with homeschoolers. Most have been to very good programs- community theaters, recreational leagues-and through those programs have experienced classroom discussion and interaction.”On average, some homeschoolers can adapt quickly to large groups of people. The majority does have social problems and can become frustrated with the difference of one-on-one attention to a college course of 200 students but they do adapt.