Elective home education is a form of education whereby parents homeschool their children in place of the traditional school system, by providing the materials, tools and environment necessary for their learning. It includes a variety of educational approaches, from a formal curriculum to unstructured activities, and from religious material to purely secular instruction. Elective home education has become increasingly popular in recent years, and for many parents it is seen as an attractive alternative to standard school education.
This article will provide an overview of elective home education, exploring some of its advantages, disadvantages and key considerations for parents who are considering this option.
Overview of Elective Home Education
Elective home education is an education option where parents assume the role of “teacher” and manually guide their children in their education. It is also referred to as homeschooling and is becoming increasingly popular across the United States and other countries.
Parents can decide to homeschool their children based on several reasons, such as being unsatisfied with the traditional school system, wanting to customize the curriculum to meet their child’s needs, or wanting to provide additional religious instruction. This form of learning can take various forms. Some parents create a strict curriculum that is aligned with their state’s education directives, while others prefer an approach that focuses much more on individual projects and topics of their child’s interest.
Some homeschoolers are completely registered as private schools and follow the same educational standards as public schools, whereas others choose an entirely independent approach, where the parents largely design their own curricula and coursework.
Advantages of Elective Home Education
Elective home education comes with a number of potential benefits and advantages. One of the most frequently-cited benefits is the ability to customize learning to the specific interest and needs of their child. Due to the intimate nature of the home-school-environment, parents can easily assess their child’s aptitude and design the most appropriate curriculum for their child – thus allowing them to “skip” topics that their child isn’t yet ready for and focus on other areas that need more attention.
The home environment can also serve as an ideal learning environment, since it can be set up to be flexible and accommodate any learning style. For example, children in a home-schooling environment may have more free range to move around, speak out and interact with objects as they learn, which may be hard to achieve in a crowded classroom environment.
Additionally, the intimate setting allows students to ask any questions they may have and get immediate feedback. The home-schooling setting may also offer a more relaxed atmosphere than traditional schools.
Since students are not competing with real or perceived peers, they may feel less of the pressure to conform and perform. They may also experience less of the distraction and disruption that sometimes occur in a traditional school setting.
Disadvantages of Elective Home Education
Although elective home education has many advantages, there are also some potential disadvantages and considerations that parents must consider before making the decision to homeschool their child. One of the primary concerns for parents is that their child may lack the social and team-building skills that would normally be developed in a traditional school setting.
Additionally, since more parental involvement is typically required from elective home education, the parent may not have the necessary qualifications or the willingness to serve as the primary educator for the child. Another fretful issue for some parents is that their child may not receive the same level of peer and conversational interaction that a traditional school setting can produce, or expose them to diverse student populations. Additionally, parents may struggle to provide an adequately-stocked library and a technology-support classroom that can usually be found in public and private schools.
Lastly, it is important to realize that elective home education often requires a long-term commitment, and that parents who decide to homeschool their children must be dedicated to seeing it through no matter the challenges and obstacles.
Key Considerations for Elective Home Education
When considering elective home education, it is important that parents keep in mind several key considerations. Firstly, what is the child’s current scholastic ability, and what level of education is needed?
Are there any additional accommodations, such as special needs classrooms or additional instruction, needed for the child? Additionally, parents should consider their lifestyle, since home-schooling requires a great deal of commitment and dedication from the educating parent. It is also important to assess what resources are available, such as programs, books, and activities that can be used to develop the child’s urban education and help with their studies.
Another important factor to consider when deciding whether or not to homeschool is the state regulations concerning elective home education, since regulations may vary by state. Finally, it is important that families evaluate their financial situation, since most elective home education programs come with costs associated with curricula, instructional materials and/or supplementary activities.
Conclusion
Elective home education can be an attractive alternative to sending children to traditional school, as it provides parents with the opportunity to customize educational plans to their children’s interests, needs and learning styles. However, parents must be aware of the potential drawbacks associated with countries home education, including lack of social interaction, additional financial costs and lack of qualified parent educators.
It is thus important for parents to consider all possible resources and assessment tools, as well as abiding by local governmental regulations, as they make the decision to take their children’s education into their own hands.