Home School

Home school or home schooling is the education of children at home, mainly by parents but also by tutors, in place of conventional schooling. Home schooling is a legal option for parents allowing them to choose an alternative learning environment for their children.

Home schooling is not a new concept and before compulsory schooling laws it was the way the vast majority of children where taught, at home by their parents. Centuries ago schools were inaccessible to the general population as the services of a professor was only in the reach of the ultra-wealthy.

Reasons parents opt for home schooling are mainly:

Concern over traditional schooling environments
To provide moral or religious guidance
Unhappiness with academic instruction at traditional schools

Home school may be an option for families in remote areas, can allow for families to travel more and can be an option for families with children who play proffesional sport or who are actors.

Several studies have been done to assess the effectiveness of home schooling and many people have theorized on its effectiveness. Some go so far as to advocate that children learn best at home before the age of 8 and even up to the age of 12. Reasons for this are cited as the fact that children do not develop the tools to cope with rigid school programs until after this age.

Home schools can follow many different methodologies such as Montessori and Whaldorf schooling methods. Home schooling cirriculum generally follow that of traditional schools where the same textbooks, or the textbooks of a standardized cirriculum, are used. Some schools of thought exist where children are encouraged to learn what interests them and not necessarily what is set out for them in a cirriculum. Online activities and websites also assist home schoolers by providing resources, educational games and online tutoring.