Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 3:52 pm
I've been reading these boards for a while now and finally decided to post. I actually have taught in public school and private school and am now starting to homeschool my preschoolers.
Frankly, I think all 3 have their own sets of pros and cons--- and those are going to differ from family to family. For example, families in large communities will experience very different situations from those in smaller, rural communities. Also, each family has to decide for itself just what things are really important in education and what things can be sacrificed.
I think no matter what, you'll find that you must generalize if you intend to apply pros and cons to schooling; there will always, always be exceptions.
That said, from my own personal experience with all 3 types of schooling, I'd say the following pros and cons tend to stick out to me with regard to the schools in my area:
Public:
Pros - Variety of social activities provided; Opportunities to deal with a variety of different teaching styles and to learn to adapt to varying expectations; Sense of community
Cons - Exposure to negative socialization greater; High student-teacher ratio; Inability to tailor subjects to student's abilities
Private:
Pros - Generally smaller student-teacher ratios; Opportunities to deal with a variety of different teaching styles and to adapt ot varying expectations; Variety of social activities generally provided, though fewer often than public schools; Sense of community; Scripture-based curricula often applied; Spiritual guidance often available
Cons - Exposure to negative socialization still exists, though to a slightly lesser degree than public schools; Student-teacher ratios higher than homeschool; Financial hardship for many; Secondary teachers often spread too thin in terms of subjects, thus dividing their time and attention
Homeschool:
Pros - Superior student-teacher ratio; Insulation from some of the more negative socialization issues, though there is certainly not absolute protection from them all; Curriculum driven by the student and teacher rather than the curriculum doing the driving; Sense of community possible, provided parents are conscious to provide it; Socialization opportunities available and varied, provided the parents and student seek them and are able to find them in their area
Cons - Financially burdensome to many; Can create family issues (however, for many families, homeschooling brings them closer); Can result in lack of socialization if parents and student make little effort to find activities outside the home; Time consuming, even if the time is worth it in the end
Those are from my own personal experiences. I realize that these are not even applicable points to the person next door to me, let alone to all of you.
We're homeschooling because we wanted a classical education with emphasis on reading, writing, rhetoric, and math/physics. Since I'm certified to teach and we live in a large community with several co-ops in the area, we weren't too concerned about my ability to teach or our ability to ensure our kids are properly socialized. Thankfully, finances are also not a concern.
I guess I just think that people need to look at the things that will affect their child's education - time, money, physical location, emotional issues - and then take a good look at what's available to them.
Thanks to the OP for the interesting post. It allowed me the opportunity to revisit my decision to homeschool.
Frankly, I think all 3 have their own sets of pros and cons--- and those are going to differ from family to family. For example, families in large communities will experience very different situations from those in smaller, rural communities. Also, each family has to decide for itself just what things are really important in education and what things can be sacrificed.
I think no matter what, you'll find that you must generalize if you intend to apply pros and cons to schooling; there will always, always be exceptions.
That said, from my own personal experience with all 3 types of schooling, I'd say the following pros and cons tend to stick out to me with regard to the schools in my area:
Public:
Pros - Variety of social activities provided; Opportunities to deal with a variety of different teaching styles and to learn to adapt to varying expectations; Sense of community
Cons - Exposure to negative socialization greater; High student-teacher ratio; Inability to tailor subjects to student's abilities
Private:
Pros - Generally smaller student-teacher ratios; Opportunities to deal with a variety of different teaching styles and to adapt ot varying expectations; Variety of social activities generally provided, though fewer often than public schools; Sense of community; Scripture-based curricula often applied; Spiritual guidance often available
Cons - Exposure to negative socialization still exists, though to a slightly lesser degree than public schools; Student-teacher ratios higher than homeschool; Financial hardship for many; Secondary teachers often spread too thin in terms of subjects, thus dividing their time and attention
Homeschool:
Pros - Superior student-teacher ratio; Insulation from some of the more negative socialization issues, though there is certainly not absolute protection from them all; Curriculum driven by the student and teacher rather than the curriculum doing the driving; Sense of community possible, provided parents are conscious to provide it; Socialization opportunities available and varied, provided the parents and student seek them and are able to find them in their area
Cons - Financially burdensome to many; Can create family issues (however, for many families, homeschooling brings them closer); Can result in lack of socialization if parents and student make little effort to find activities outside the home; Time consuming, even if the time is worth it in the end
Those are from my own personal experiences. I realize that these are not even applicable points to the person next door to me, let alone to all of you.
We're homeschooling because we wanted a classical education with emphasis on reading, writing, rhetoric, and math/physics. Since I'm certified to teach and we live in a large community with several co-ops in the area, we weren't too concerned about my ability to teach or our ability to ensure our kids are properly socialized. Thankfully, finances are also not a concern.
I guess I just think that people need to look at the things that will affect their child's education - time, money, physical location, emotional issues - and then take a good look at what's available to them.
Thanks to the OP for the interesting post. It allowed me the opportunity to revisit my decision to homeschool.