Have you ever asked yourself “How important is an education?” or “How essential it is in a person’s life?” Education is having the ability to obtain everyday knowledge and having the ability to grow towards higher goals.
In today’s society there are two major types of education, public schooling and homeschooling. I believe that public schools provide a student with better education than homeschooling ever could.
Public schools provide qualified teachers, suitable learning facilities and proper social interactions between students.
In order for teachers to teach in California they need to have received a credential, which takes many years of schooling in order to be qualified to work with students.
For parents who chose to homeschool their children, they are only required to have a high school diploma.
One could question if these parents have the knowledge of the material.
Parents feel that they can provide the best education for their children because they know how the child excels and believe that they are able to tend to the child’s needs in a more efficient way.
On the contrary, public schools provide tutors that are on campus to help students with their studies.
Public schools also provide resources for special needs children, giving families access to the proper classes that their children may need.
Homeschools can provide “special needs services, (but if) a student (does) not fit neatly into the system (they) can fall through the cracks,” according to the book “The Unofficial Guide to Homeschooling” by Kathy Ishizuka.
Public schools also provide organizations such as band and sports teams, which teach a student the ability to learn teamwork and how to get along with their peers.
It also provides interaction between teachers and students, providing students with an essential part of communication and experience of how to interact in different situations.
Homeschooled students only interact with their parents and/or siblings that they see on a day to day basis. This does not allow a child to learn and practice social behaviors and cope outside of the home with others their age.
I had the opportunity of knowing a student that was homeschooled until her first year of college and she felt very overwhelmed by all the new experiences.
She said that people did not like her because she was quiet and because she did not know how to interact with other students. This was a difficult change for her and she even struggled in her classes.
She was too shy to ask her professor questions. She said that homeschooling socially dwarfed her for the real world.
I believe that parents who homeschool their children do not know the proper curriculum for teaching.
Public schools have to follow a curriculum, and know the needs of the children. Since education is a very important part of children’s lives, it is best to leave the teaching to the teachers in public schools.
Jacqueline Espinoza contributed to this report
