Do you believe homeschooling is a good option to prepare your children for the adult world?3/29/2021
Asked to answer on Quora.com
Yes, for several reasons: It focuses on real learning as opposed to preparing for exams. So much of the school work is done in the service of exam preparation. It makes it seem that the only reason for learning anything is to take an exam. This often deadens learning for students. It preserves curiosity. Closely connected to the first point, homeschooling leaves room for students to remain curious. All kids begin with a vibrant sense of curiosity about the world. Homeschooling does little to crush this. Homeschooling emphasizes that one of the most important reasons to learn is for its own sake. Or, as the physicist Richard Feynman put it, for "the pleasure of finding things out." It allows for flexibility. If a homeschooled child is really into doing some writing you don’t have to stop and say “Time for math now, put away your writing.” No, you can go with the flow and allow kids to dig deeper into subjects or activities. It connects learning with life. Learning can occur in the classroom, but school sometimes gives the impression that learning can only occur in the classroom and that is not true. Homeschooling allows opportunities for learning wherever they appear in life: at the grocery, driving in the car, exploring nature, going to the bank, the post office, or anywhere. It is social in a real-world way. One big question people often ask about homeschooled kids is “What about socialization?” As if school is the place for this. But, school socialization is, like much of school, artificial. Where else in real life will you only socialize with people your age? Homeschooling presents opportunities to socialize in the real world with a wide variety of people, younger and older than you. Homeschooling allows for flexible education in general. Finally, homeschooling recognizes that people are different and learn in different ways. There’s no reason to think that every six years must be able to do the same things or know the same things. Some kids learn things faster and others slower. People have different preferences, aptitudes, and goals. Homeschooling accommodates those by allowing individual families the flexibility to provide learning for their kids in the best way for them. Comments are closed.
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