Homeschooling versus Traditional Schooling

Many people are in debate about whether children should be home-schooled or traditionally-schooled, and which of the two methods would be better for the child's development. While studying privately means the child will be getting a more focused and tailored education, traditional schools provide children with social and physical advantages that home-schooling does not. In this essay, I will discuss the benefits of both preferences and explain why I believe that children should be made to go into school rather than being restricted to text-book education. Parents who choose to get private tutors for their children tend to believe that they will be getting a better education and will be smarter than publicly educated children. This is because the Suggested change: one-to-oneone-to-one1one to one ratio means that the child is getting all of the teacher's attention, in comparison with public school where the teacher has to divide his/her attention between twenty or thirty different children. For instance, if a tutor Suggested change: seessees2see's that their pupil is struggling with algebra, it would be much easier to identify and address it. Whereas, in public schools the teacher might not know unless it is raised by the student or parent. Even then, it would be difficult to find the time and energy to help the individual student. In this aspect home-schooling might be more advantageous than public schooling. Nevertheless, the other components of child education and development should still be explored. Being taught with other children has numerous advantages that are often overlooked by supporters of home-schooling. One very obvious benefit is social interaction and its importance in dealing with strangers, learning social etiquette, building relationships and much more. Children who are given the opportunity to interact with other children and Suggested change: adults willadults will3adults, will be far more socially advanced than those who are Suggested change: confined toconfined to4secluded to their homes. Furthermore, children who are publicly educated are able to explore and develop more interests than their privately tutored peers. For example, most Suggested change: school-goersschool-goers5school goers will play team games with their class at some point during their school years; through this they might find a new interest or hobby, they will be able to learn new skills, interact and experience competition but most importantly enjoy themselves. Through these interactions they also create relationships that extend beyond the school grounds. These are opportunities that can rarely be described for homeschooled children. The social components and fully experiencing childhood is fundamental to healthy development and must not be overlooked when choosing from the two options. In my opinion, the social advantages gained from public school surpass the academic advantages of home-schooling. This is because while the child will learn better if his/her classes are tailored to his or her need, they may never encounter the social experiences from which they can extract skills or enjoy the atmosphere of being with Suggested change: similar-agedsimilar-aged6similar aged children. The aim of school is to prepare children for adult life and equip them with the skills they may need at that time, Suggested change: regardlessregardless7irregardless of whether they progress into academic disciplines or not. Education gaps can be corrected by parents at home or after school tutoring where Suggested change: necessary; meanwhile, therenecessary; meanwhile, there8necessary, meanwhile there is no substitute for the social benefits of school. In , parents choose which style of teaching best fits their expectations for their children. While some go with home tutoring, others go with traditional schooling; they both come with varying advantages. This essay discussed the main advantage of traditional schooling versus homeschooling in relation to the child’s development. It highlighted the academic benefits of private learning, as well as the social and personal gains of public school education, and explained why I think that traditional methods of schooling are far more advantageous than homeschooling.