Is Homeschooling Better Than Traditional Schooling?

     According to Wang(2021), there are about 8245 students homeschooling in Taiwan now. That means more and more parents consider homeschooling to ensure they can provide the complete company to their children because compare to traditional schools, homeschooling can provide flexible schedule and more time to accompany their children. Therefore, considering a number of benefits, parents should choose homeschooling for their children.

  The primary reason why homeschooling is the better choice is that homeschooling has more flexibilities. They do not have to force themselves to adapt to the rigid schedule in schools so that students can have more options on the time they want to spend on each subject. Homeschooling can allow students to spend less time on subjects they have comprehended and more time on topics they do not understand. Therefore, they can have more time to pursue their personal interests and more freedom to discover their hobbies. Parents can also customize the approach of teaching to fit the children the most. According to Li (2005), customized education can stimulate children’s self-learning and self-discipline. Because the instructor is their own parents, children may have more courage to show their curiosity and creativity. The happier the children are when learning, the more knowledge they can gain during the process.

     The second reason why homeschooling is the better choice is that parents can have more time to accompany their children. It takes almost nine hours in traditional education in Taiwan. Except for bedtime, children spend more time in school than home on weekdays. Parents barely have time communicating with their children. According to Li(2019), the lack of interaction often leads to strangeness or even fight between the parents and children. However, homeschooling can increase interaction with the parents and their children dramatically. Not only can parents be closed to their children more during the process, but also children can get to understand their parents more. Children grow up only once. Most of the parents do not want to miss any stage in children’s life. Besides, most ways of teaching in traditional school are lecturing, which is teachers stand on the stage and the students sit on their seat. However, homeschooling can take many ways of learning, including field trips, group recreation games, or interesting competitions. These new ways of teaching can not only make children enjoy in the learning process but also create the strong relationship between the parents and the children.

    Though there are plenty of benefits of homeschooling, some may argue that homeschooling cause parents to have more responsibilities and burdens. According to a report by the U.S. Census Bureau in March 2021, parents who are homeschooling their children spend an average of 3.1 hours per day on teaching and related activities. Yes, homeschooling makes parents a teacher, a tutor, a curriculum researcher, and principal, etc. However, providing the best education for children is the most important responsibility of parents. Children’s life is built on the education they receive in the childhood. We can say that if the children can get the education which fits them the most, they can have healthier and more complete life. This deserves parents to put a little more effort on children’s education. Besides, parents can also gain a lot of fun in the process. The benefits from homeschooling are much more than the harms.

     Given the flexible schedules and the participation from parents in the growth path of children, homeschooling is obviously the better choice than the tradition schooling. Hence, governments should make policies to encourage homeschooling, such as subsidy money or holding lectures to promote homeschooling. If every child can gain the benefits from homeschooling, they can grow up as a better person, and this can create a better society so that everyone can gain benefits from this.

 

 

 

References

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Wang, W-J(王文吉[a1] ), 中國時報(2021, March 14). 台灣掀起自學風　5年人數成長近3倍: 生活: CTWANT. Retrieved April 15, 2023, from https://www.ctwant.com/article/107183

Li, Y-K(李盈穎),[a2]  商業週刊, 942期, (2005, December). 在家教狀元https://www.businessweekly.com.tw/Archive/MagindexContent?issueNumber=942

Li, N-M那美李. (2019, July 11). 兒子，我們為什麼變得如此疏離？. 親子天下. Retrieved April 22, 2023, from https://www.parenting.com.tw/article/5079798

U.S. Census Bureau. (2021, March 3). Amid the Pandemic, U.S. Parents Around the World Adjust to Their New Roles. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/03/parenting-during-the-pandemic.html

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