Many people all over the world question whether homeschooling a child is a better option than sending them to public schools. Homeschooling is not the best option for your child. The percent of students that do better in public schools is higher than students that are home schooled. Kids that are taught in public schools tend to be more outgoing than a child who is home schooled and often only around a parent and/or siblings. Students have a better advantage with a teacher-student viewpoint than they would a parent-student viewpoint.  Students also tend to learn and focus more efficiently with hands-on experience and the classroom setting is usually easier to access this kind of practice.

According to nmu.ed, “There are only about 50 percent of the home schooled student’s parents who have attended college”. The average high school student is encouraged daily (in most schools) to think about college and what they want their future career to look like. If only 50 percent of home schooled student’s parents have attended college then half of the children that are being taught this way may not be as encouraged to go to college once they graduate from high school. They won’t get that extra boost the other young adults their age are getting because they aren’t around someone with a college education. These students also may not be as educated about the topic of college in a general concept. Some parents may just want their child/children to graduate and receive a high school diploma and be done with the school and educational systems overall. 

In Barrington’s article she states “ they may not have the same level of social interaction as they would in public schools”. Homeschooling causes limited access to a lot of different things those children can do. They don’t have access to sports that are played in public schools with teams and the social interaction that occurs from being around each player. They don’t have access to the interactions that occur during lunch or recess amongst all the students or even simply in a classroom. They even don’t have access to the help other students can give.  Homeschooling is typically a one on one setting or a parent, you, and your siblings and because of this they usually aren’t as welcome to interact with others as openly as a public school kid would. The child/children can oftentimes become shy because they aren’t used to being around others.

According to “Build Your Future”, “A study found that students who didn’t engage in hands-on learning were 1.5 times more likely to fail a course than students who did”. Students who obtain a public education tend to be more successful because they get to have more hands-on activities and share opinions in a classroom. Home schooled students may not have access to all the resources a public school might have so it could be difficult for a child to get that hands-on experience. Hands-on learning is just one more boost for a student to be able to understand the lesson that is being taught. 

Have you ever heard your parents say “I wasn’t taught that when I was in school”? According to “Freedom Sprout”, “I learned how to balance a checkbook in school and what the word budget meant. That was it. I’ve since written less than 20 checks in my life, and I’ve learned that budgeting is highly personal (hence, “personal” finance). These are some things I know now that I wish they had taught me in high school”. The education system changes every year adding new things to the list of requirements a student should be taught before they graduate. Oftentimes when a child goes to ask a parent for help on their school work the parent or parents don’t know how to do it. Since the parents may not be much help the student is then forced to go to their teacher for help.

Imagine sitting at home, your teacher has assigned you an essay that’s due in the morning but instead of doing it you watch your television. According to “Kentwood Prep School”, “A Structured Class Means Less Distraction”. When in a classroom setting all students are focusing on the same thing and this causes the students to be less distracted. In a home setting kids have access to toys, tv’s, games, and/or maybe even friends/siblings. As a result of having these things most kids tend to become distracted and don’t feel motivated to do their school work at home. The student might also feel like they don’t have to do the schoolwork because they aren’t in an actual school building. 

Some may argue that homeschooling a student is the better option because they get to choose whether or not they want to incorporate religion into their daily lessons. According to “Public School Review”, “The family might have different religious beliefs than those taught (or not taught) in school. Homeschooling allows you to choose whether to incorporate religion” (Public School Review). Parents might believe that a child should (or should not) be taught a certain religion in schools. According to “Religion In Schools”, “The First Amendment of the United States Constitution protects a student’s rights to freedom of religion and freedom of expression. Students who choose to express their religious beliefs at school are permitted to: Express these beliefs at school, in homework, and in school assignments.” Because of the First Amendment, students have the choice to decide whether they want to express religion or not. Most schools are not taught based on religious topics. They teach the basic math, science, English and history classes but some are solely based on religion and if a parent feels they want their child to be taught more about these topics they may send them to a religious school. 

In conclusion, the traditional public school system is a superior option compared to homeschooling. Students are often more likely to succeed. They are more likely to remain focused on their schoolwork. They are more likely to socialize and interact with other people. The percentage of students in public schools is higher than ones that are home schooled. They get another helping factor when it comes to hands-on activities. The majority of the time a teacher can help a student better than a parent can. There are many reasons why public schooling is a better choice than homeschooling.