Joshua Williams

4/4/2021

PHI 100

Argumentation Essay

A couple days ago, I came across a homeschooling mom interview and the mother talked

about her experience homeschooling her children. She homeschools her two boys and has 9

years of experience. She decided to homeschool due to feeling like her oldest son was too young

to put on a school bus or walk to and from school at the age of 6. She admitted she was being a

little overprotective and she just was not ready to let go. Referring to homeschool she stated,

“Well that year went so well that we have never looked back.”. This was a surprise to me

because personally, I have always heard homeschooling being spoke upon in a negative

connotation. I immediately began to research about homeschooling instead of following popular

opinion. I concluded, although many believe homeschooling negatively effects students, I

believe homeschool is a great option because of the environment, parent choice of pace, and

there is no schedule so the curriculum can be taught in full.

The classroom environment is a highly significant factor that effects student learning. A

sense of comfort in the classroom makes a student feel safe, secure, and valued. This leads to the

increase of a student’s self-esteem. It encourages students to be motivated to engage and be

interested in the learning process. Students will be more comfortable taking more chances in
pursing their academic goals. An article by the name of “Encouragement in the Classroom”

states “A positive environment is one in which students feel a sense of belonging, trust others,

and feel encouraged to tackle challenges, take risks, and ask questions (Bucholz & Sheffler,

2009).” Then, the text goes on to say, “Such an environment provides relevant content, clear

learning goals and feedback, opportunities to build social skills, and strategies to help students

succeed (Weimer, 2009).” (Young, 2021). A warm family environment is the perfect place for a

child to feel that sense of comfort. Also, family is the best foundation for social and value

development. A learning environment must be supportive, it helps the student operate with their

fullest potential. A way to make a supportive learning environment is to make a special school

space. This space will serve as the students at home classroom. Allow the child to appropriately

decorate the classroom with their interest along with relevant content that will assist and

encourage learning. This will give the student a sense of entitlement, they will feel like the

classroom is theirs. What better way to boost a student’s self-esteem?

Secondly, a big pro of homeschooling is parent choice of pace and approach. This allows

for academic flexibility. This way the student can meet their current academic needs now.

Referring to pace, there are three types of students. Students who comprehend with majority of

the class, students who comprehend faster than majority of the class, and students who

comprehend slower than majority of the class. Unlike a school setting, homeschooling allows the

student to move at their own pace. There is no set schedule, and the parent chooses the best

curriculum and approach they feel will benefit the student most. This encourages meaningful

learning. The article “Benefits of Homeschooling” states by meeting current needs now “You

can prioritize a child’s mental, emotional, behavioral, and physical health.” Later in the article it
states “You can help your child learn at the level she is ready for rather than being locked into an

arbitrary grade level. She could even be at one level for reading and a different level for math.

You can homeschool according to a schedule that works best for your child and your family.”

(Media, 2021). Personally, as a parent, I am always curious about what my child is learning and

if it is even necessary. No parent wants their child’s classroom ran by somewhere who is at work

just to get paid rather than being there to invest in and mold their students into formidable

citizens. The knowledge gained through meaningful learning can apply to new learning

situations. This type of learning sticks with students for life because it teaches crucial cognitive

skills that will be useful in the future.

Lastly, to add to my previous premise about academic flexibility, since there is no set

schedule there is time to teach the content schools cut out of their curriculum. This allows more

efficient teaching. According to the reading “Block Scheduling Pros and Cons List” there are

many schools, hundreds to be exact, that are switching the regular 40-50 minuet class periods to

the block scheduling method where classes last at least 90 minutes. One of the reasons for this is

40-50 minutes is not enough time to guarantee every student will comprehend the content being

taught. The text states “With extended class hours, teachers are given the flexibility to facilitate

learning in various ways. It also allows them to cater to students with special or specific learning

needs.” (Regoli, 2015). Many students are not able to comprehend due to water downed lessons.

School teachers revise their lesson plans for many reasons such as limited time, their original

lesson plan not being effective and more. There are even teachers that teach to test. In other

words, the students have acquired the test knowledge and can pass but do not truly comprehend

the content and material. Efficient teaching ensures adequate time for complex teaching activities
to guarantee the student understands. This consist of play relevant to the lesson, the outdoors, the

arts, projects, and real experiments. Homeschool does not limit the curriculum to the duration of

a specific class.

In conclusion, homeschooling is a beneficial option for student education. It does not

magnify weaknesses which could cause a student to lose confidence, instead it focuses on

strength-based learning. Homeschool provides a warm family environment that motivates and

boost student interest and self-esteem. Also, family helps develop a great social and moral

foundation. Next, based off the child, the parent can choose the pace and approach of lessons

which allows academic flexibility. Finally, teachers can teach complete curriculums due to not

having abide by any schedules which improves efficient teaching.

 References

 Geeta VermaFollowHead of School- Pragyanam

GurgaonLike20Comment0ShareLinkedInFacebookTwitter0, Follow, & Geeta

VermaHead of School- Pragyanam GurgaonFollow. (n.d.). The importance of a positive

learning environment. Retrieved May 03, 2021, from

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/importance-positive-learning-environment-geeta-verma

 Homeschooling pros and cons. (2017, November 10). Retrieved May 03, 2021, from

https://www.calverteducation.com/should-i-homeschool/homeschooling-pros-and-cons