Homeschooling Vs Public School

[ritu 1]

I have often come across parents look worried about their child's future, as to what kind of education would be suitable for the child, even when the child is very young. So, I would say the planning has to start from a very early age, what kind of school the child should got to.

 

In recent years two of the most popular choices that we get to choose from are homeschooling and public school. In another article on this forum I had gone through the various advantages and disadvantages of the various types of schooling, but I guess the interests or inclination of the child and the requirements of the family have not been paid much attention to, it looks more like a generalized opinion. Now, let us study the same concept with homeschooling and public schools in a different light.

 

The curriculum:

It is considered that in homeschooling the curriculum is flexible while in public schools it is pre-set. What actually has to be taken care of while determining the curriculum is firstly the interest of the child which is possible with homeschooling and secondly what prospective it has in the future, so that the child derives benefit from the study, that may be found in public schools.

 

Social interaction:

Whether the child goes for homeschooling or in public school, we always want his social group to be of a manner which would help the child grow into a decent human being. Allowing the child to mix with children with favourable traits and restricting the child in case it goes the wrong way is the responsibility of the authority concerned,both in home or public schools. Also letting the child learn from unpleasant instances may be a good idea.

 

Quality of teachers:

Mostly the public schools hire teachers that are professionally qualified to impart education, yet we often hear cases of disturbance in schools. Actually what makes the difference is the approach of the teacher and not the qualification, of course if you are professionally qualified, it adds to your service. In homeschooling. the lack of professional expertise limits the growth of the teacher.

 

So, what we see from the above presentation, is not homeschooling vs public school, but homeschooling at the very early stage monitored by parents +public school at a later stage monitored by teachers.Do put in you opinions and even if you have something to add.

[k_nitin_r 8]

Ritu,I've been wondering if you know whether home schooling is a possibility in India. I know many other countries have home schooling as an option for children, but I believe one of the documents that has to be presented for admission into another school is a transfer certificate from the previous school, when mentions what grade level the student was in or has completed at the time of the transfer. I also believe that transfers are not possible between different school boards except at the end of the year. The difference between the time at which different boards end is perhaps something that can be a bit of a problem, though most schools are more than willing to let the student catch up after joining in the middle of a school year.Home schooling is a great way to ensure that students in India get to learn about liberal art subjects. There is not enough emphasis in the Indian education system on art, except when the students take up a bachelor's degree in art. When students do not know what to expect from a course, why would they want to opt for a degree program in that subject? Public schools in India do not seem to teach much about the Indian culture. The most I have seen is in the Hindi and History courses at schools, but that is very limited. Little is mentioned about social norms and practices, about spiritual philosophies, and about the country side.I believe that creating a more diverse set of subjects earlier in the education path would ensure that students get to know what they want to pursue rather than simply take up the options that others before them have taken. Simply because the neighbour's kid went on to become a successful engineer does not mean that your own kid has to take up engineering to develop a successful career. He or she can become just as adept at his or her trade and demonstrate just as much success.Our education system also does not seem to embrace diversity - we see very few people who return to universities and colleges for an advanced degree if they have been able to make do with the degree that they have earned. It may have been because they do not see a need for it and there is little that they can do with an advanced degree at the work place. Also, there are limited opportunities for those with a research degree to really make a difference because the social norm in India is to finish college as quickly as one can and get employed within just about any multi national corporation that is willing to pay big bucks for them.Social interaction in schools and colleges in India is pretty much limited to dealing with peers and often a hostile environment is present in these institutions of learning, which goes on to affect the culture of the individuals that go through these institutions for an education. Ethics and politeness aren't something that are taught within our education system and you will see that the average person does not exhibit these qualities as the people from a few centuries ago did - the difference between the two ages is that the earlier age had a focus on philosophy as well as on professional trade whereas the current age focuses entirely on professional education for academic achievement. I believe we may be able to bring about a change in our education system by introducing the study of ethical case studies earlier on in the education system, as a continuity for the Moral Science courses, to create a sense of values within the individuals who do decide to take to a newer curriculum.Although home schooling would appear to be the best choice for some parents, not all parents are well-equipped with the knowledge to impart to a child. I am not saying that the teachers of today have all that it takes, but there is a system that can be moulded to ensure that the teachers are trained in newer subjects and that the schools are prepared to impart the values, skills, and knowledge that the student needs in order to gain an expertise over the basic concepts, a familiarity with concepts of intermediate difficulty, and an awareness of certain concepts that are too advanced to include within the educational curriculum.

[enigma79 0]

very well said Nitin !I don't think India is ready for home-schooling their children yet. There is so much unworthy stress on the big Names of the educational institutes kids pass out from, whether to get an admission in a good college or to get a good job, that parents can't afford to send their kids out Without those labels of big names. We are still a quantitative education system, than a qualitative.

[ritu 1]

Nitin, you are probably right in saying that the pattern of the material should be revised and transformed into a realistic and constructive one, but the difference that we as Indians are actually looking for can only occur when the teachers are not just trained or awarded a certificate of being trained,but should take pride in understanding the child's interests and capability of grasping whatever is being taught.This is what you can say is actually lacking in India. Even if the pattern of the study is altered, that would be generalised, I mean even if I as a kid is not interested in spiritual or civic studies I would have to go for it. Practically it isn't feasible to groom the courses according to individual requirements, so what I was talking about is the collaborated effort of the parents and the teachers to make the existing system helpful to the child. The parents are closest to the child and know him the best, If they don't have it in them, they need to learn themselves first and then equip the child with homeschooling. The teachers ,as they handle a comparatively larger lot, can dedicate their time qualitatively to enrich what is already instilled in the child. Though the topic sounds like there would be a comparison between the two forms,it is actually a joint venture that has to take place.