‘Better’ can imply an assortment of things, but it includes as many deficiencies as it does positives. The omission of bullying or peer pressure are two major features of public school that many home schooling parents aim to remove from their child’s life. But the positive side is as equally important. It has been well studied that an improved education can be achieved by home schooling over public or even the modern private schools.

And the research undertaken largely agrees: home schooling is superior for education in the vast majority of cases.

There are numerous individual achievement stories. Winning student of the 1997 National Spelling Bee contest was home schooled. Four sisters went on to achieve Master’s degrees from an Ivy League university after being home schooled.

But cases like this might be dismissed, declaring that these students, and their parents, were unusual. Also the numbers indicate that the typical home schooled pupil is within the 60-70th percentile by 12 years of age. From this, on average, they are a grade in front of their public school peers.

The figures for the elder children are often even more notable. After the average home schooled pupil reaches the equivalent to 8th grade, he or she will likely be four grades ahead of their peers. That’s to a great extent due to the poor results of some public schools as it is great results of home schooling. The figures are based upon research not purely by home school supporters, buy also by the U.S. Department of Education itself.

Although, as most home schooling tutors are aware, nothing good will come easy. Parents can feel the effects of burnout, especially when first beginning with the home schooling. As with any new assignment, it will need time to gain the knowledge require to instruct a child everything needed to develop suitably.

In accordance with a well established home school philosophy children are natural sponges for soaking up knowledge. But many home schooling tutors will feel the need to study the curriculum options, guide children, define goals, and several other duties.

But are the results from home schooling worth the effort? If the desired outcome is a keen minded, well-adjusted student ready to begin life’s challenges, for many parents that will be a simple question to respond to.

Darren Lintern writes extensively for www.andallabout.com, a popular informational website that provides helpful tips, advice, and resources on many home schooling topics including Home Schooling Programs [http://www.home-schooling.andallabout.com/Articles/If_Im_Teaching_My_Child_Why_Do_I_Need_a_Home_Schooling_Program.php], and Home Schooling Curriculum [http://www.home-schooling.andallabout.com/Articles/How_to_Plan_a_Home_Schooling_Curriculum.php].

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Yes, home schooling does cost money but a child can be home schooled for as little as $1000 a year. Unless a family is truly poor this is not a large sum considering that comes out to about $3 a day. We spend more than that on our lunches at work.

So what about home schooling as far as it’s benefits? Is it worth it? Do kids learn better? Are they smarter when they finish? Is there anything about home schooling that is bad?

Statistics show that students who are home schooled have better grades and actually learn more than students who go to public or private schools. Of course many people argue these statistics saying they are skewed and inaccurate and some say they are outright lies.

Why the battle?

Because the one truth that can’t be argued is that home schooling is eating into public and private schools’ pocket books. The growth rate for home schooling has been rising about 15 to 25% per year of late. This is about 20% of the students outside the government school system when you look at the raw numbers mentioned above. Another 250,000 children are expected to enter home schooling in the coming year.

The number of home schooling students do present a threat to government schooling, as they are finding that you don’t have to hire super qualified teachers to get a good education for your child. And the truth is, an average family only spends about 10% of the per pupil cost that public schools spend on each child, which refutes the theory that you need to spend a lot of money to educate a child.

This does pose a significant economic threat to public schools since their school budgets depend on attendance. It is estimated that over $7 billion has been lost to public schools because of the number of children who are being home schooled.

Home schooling families are also a very powerful force in government. When a bill was introduced that all home school instructors be certified the home school community made such a loud noise that the bill was defeated by a vote of 424-1 when it came up in the house.

In an attempt to battle back, defenders of the public school system are fighting with every legal resource at their disposal. One of their tactics is the undermining and co-opting of the home schooling movement by establishing government home schooling programs which try to lure families by offering them free resources. Yes, the battle goes on and it won’t be ending any time soon.

In the next article we’ll go over exactly how home schooling works and how students earn their diplomas.

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Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Home School
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Home school families tend to be middle class Christian people that live in semi rural areas. They also tend to have made some sacrifices, mom may have given up a job to stay at home and accept the responsibility of educating her children. Aside from the fact that they are already paying school taxes and not receiving any benefit, homeschooling is expensive. There are books, curriculum, field trips, school supplies, etc, that all must be begged borrowed or stolen. Unfortunately what I see happen is that technology, such as computers, is often neglected. This could be because of financial constraints, a desire to go back to simpler times, or the parent’s lack of knowledge, but whatever the case kids need technological experience to compete in the new world.

Kids today are plugged in, wired, internet savvy, and bombarded with enough to make and adults head spin. While I believe that kids need their fair share of dirt and sunshine I also believe that it is important to go with changing times instead of fight them.

Give the kids what they need. Healthy doses of exercise and plenty of technology. Too much of any one thing is harmful, so ration and be the gate keeper, supervise their use of the internet. Get home school software that allows children to have access to more aspects of their own education. Take advantage of software language programs, websites geared towards learning. Allow kids to experiment with computers and you will e amazed at what they are capable of. Give responsibility and you will be pleasantly surprised at what your child gives in return.

Bill Gates through some luck breaks and turns of fate had almost unlimited access to cutting edge technology that was so far ahead of its time that by the time he was in high school he was one of only a handful of people in the world that was adapt at computer programming. I am not saying that every child will grow up to be a Bill Gates, but the potential is certainly there and giving children full access to as much technology as possible will ensure that we have forward thinkers tomorrow.

More on http://www.Homeschoolsoftwareguide.com

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The main focus of Saxon homeschool curriculum is helping students establish a strong foundation, and learn the concepts they need to live successful, productive lives. While Saxon offers programs for public schools, private schools, and large groups, its most popular program is its personal distance-learning course.

Saxon has expanded its offerings from math courses to other disciplines. Saxon home school curriculum now includes primary, middle and high school mathematics, as well as phonics, grammar, writing and science.

The home school phonics program is designed to assist children who struggle with reading and spelling. This course covers consonants, vowels, decoding, spelling, and reading comprehension. For grammar and writing, the curriculum uses a book produced by Stephen Hake, which is designed in the Saxon Math model of incremental development and continual review.

Saxon physics is designed for both average and gifted students. The topics are practiced every day, and gradually increase in complexity. It gives children time to become comfortable and master the concepts taught in each lesson.

The main difference between Saxon homeschool curriculum and other programs are in the arrangement and delivery of lessons. Saxon does not rely on rote memorization, nor does it encourage a “take it or leave it” chronological system of education. Instead, it presents concepts systematically throughout the year in a manner that allows for maximum understanding and mastery.

Saxon promotes hands-on learning. Because it relies on manipulatives and a multisensory approach to learning, children are left with a firm grasp of the concepts. Its straightforward approach to academics makes it a fine option among secular home school programs. Its unique approach makes home instruction easy for parents, and makes learning easy for children.

To read reviews of Saxon that were written by other homeschoolers, visit Saxon Homeschool Curriculum Reviews.

You may reprint this article by giving credit to the author. To post this article on your website or blog, provide a live link to http://www.successful-homeschooling.com.

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