Which One is Better, Homeschooling or Publicschooling ?

According to www.publicschools.org [1], choosing to educate children in a public school or by homeschooling is a big decision to make. Parents should consider which one would be the best option for their kids by researching both the benefits and the weaknesses of each option before making any decision. This is important because education is the foundation which determines what children will become in the future. Therefore, this essay will explain why public schooling is much better than homeschooling, evidenced by several factors. Homeschooling is a home-based education which allows the children to develop their own potential, while, Wikipedia [2] says a public school is a school funded with tax revenue and administrated by a goverment or govermental agency. There are some factors that are very useful for parents to consider when choosing which one is the best option for education, namely: socialization, skill development, financial aspects and flexibility factors. Each of them will be discussed in more detail to make it clear that public schools are more effective for education than homeschooling. Socialization Each child needs to socialize with their peers. In the public schools, there is a largeare a big number of students who come from various cultures and different family backgrounds. This situation exposes children to social interaction which will help them to develop their social skills and to learn the proper way to communicate with others. Interaction with peers from different social groups will give the children a valuable experience to learn about living in communities. Otherwise, according to Aastha Dogra [3], a home-schooled student might find difficulty to mingle with other children of his age, because studying at home limits their oppurtunity to make friends. Its possible for them to meet friends from many groups outside the family, like: religious groups, sport groups, music groups, etc. But, it is less good than if they study in public schools, because they do not meet their friends as often as in the public schools. Besides that, the number of friends that they meet in the public schools is much greater than these kinds of groups. Furthermore, they also can be isolated from the social environment so that they will be less prepared to for uncertainty andin complications in the real world. Skill Development Another weakness of homeschooling is that it does not instill the spirit of competition in children. Aastha Dogra [3] believes that this is a serious negative effect of homeschooling. A public school is a typical learning environment that can train children to compete in a respectful and fair

way. For example: in a public school, a child has to compete with the other students to get the best rank in the class or to get the first place in another competiton in their school. This, makes the child strong enough to face challenges and accept rejection and even failure, when the child grows up. Besides that, the writer from the website writefix.com, claims that the children who study in public schools will learn to function outside their family. [4] They will not only depend on their parents to help them with their problems. Financial Aspects In the article from the website ehow.com [5], the writerAlthea Thompson says some aspects of homeschooling can create a financial burden. For example, in a family with two working parents, homeschooling will reduce family income due to the need for at least one parent to be present in the home daily. Belfield's study found that the average homeschooling parent was a college-educated woman with an income of $38,000 per year. [6] This means that the family income will reduced by about $38,000 per year. Or, for some parents who can not teach their kids, they will need to bring in a tutor and pay more for the private lessons. In additon, homeschooling can increase the expense in purchasing school supplies. Parents need to buy a pre-made curriculum for them to follow atin high price. Obviously, the cost for giving homeschooling education to children is much greater than if the children study in public schools. Flexibility One main reason why some parents choose a homeschooling is because of its flexibility. From the website writefix.com [4], the writer explains that homeschooling has flexible timing, location and content being taught to children. It is a benefit for some parents who have jobs, which ask them to change the location of jobs so often. The parents also can follow the interests of their children when teaching. From these factors above, public schools come to the top because most of these factors are benefits forof public schools. From socialization, and skill development, to financial aspects, public schools are the best choice. Public schools encourage childrens social interaction and skill development. Public schools also have lower costs than homeschooling. But, public schooling is not as flexible as homeschooling. Homeschooling has its own advantage due to its flexibility, because parents can match every situation when they teach their children. Therefore, we can conclude that homeschooling is not a good choice for education. Public schools are still the best option for most children because they are be a proven way of preparing children to face challenges, problems, and uncertainty, in the real world.

Sources : [1] Retrieved September 27, 2012, from http://www.publicschools.org/public-school-vshomeschool/ [2] [3] Retrieved October 20, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_school Retrieved September 28, 2012, http://www.buzzle.com/articles/advantages-anddisadvantages-of-homeschooling.html [4] [5] Retrieved September 27, 2012, from http://writefix.com/?page_id=1701\ Retrieved October 20, 2012, from http://www.ehow.com/info_8301309_financial-effectshome-schooling.html [6] Retreved November 02, 2012, from http://www.wahm.com/articles/the-cost-burdens-ofhomeschooling.html