Comparison Of Public School And Home School

Home school and public schools both share the same common interest, to educate our youth. There has been an increase in the popularity of homeschooling your child. Statistics show that there were 2.5 million children being homeschooled in the United States in 2019 ((Brian D. Ray, Ph.D.). The number of home-schooled students has increased recently due to the current events. Whether by choice or not, home school may be normal for today’s society. There are some things that are shared between home school and public school and some things that are not. The major difference between home school and public school is when it comes to social development, schedules, and curriculum.

Public schools give children a platform to socialize with other children their own age. Children can build on their social skills, problem-solving abilities, and are given the opportunity to build relationships. Children tend to learn through relationships and types thrive when learning with others. Their schedules tend to be more structured and planned out. The school day follows 6-7 hours of formal instructions and follows a consistent daily schedule lead by a trained professional. Public schools provide children with routine and consistency. Public schools usually depend on standardized testing to measure their academic standing. Standardized testing may not always be the best way to measure academic growth because not every child is the same. Public schools’ curriculum is geared around doing well on a standardized test, making the curriculum universal across the board. This method may not take into account the needs of individual students but students as a whole (Chen).

Children that are home-schooled do not have as much opportunity to socialize with peers. This may hinder their social development, making it difficult for a home-schooled child to interact in social events. The parent must be extra diligent in creating opportunities for the child to socialize in a diverse setting. A child that is home-schooled has a flexible schedule. Their schedule may look a lot different from a child that goes to public school. Their instructional time is far fewer hours than in public schools. All their time is focused on one student, which is far less time-consuming then instructing a large group of students. Parents can customize a schedule that works best for their children. They can plan their day around their child’s natural rhythm. The curriculum is not always as standardized as public schools and is often based on the child’s individual needs. They may take a naturally occurring event and turn it into a learning opportunity. Promoting thinking freely and creatively.

When it comes to homeschooling or having your child go to public school, it comes to what your child’s individual needs are. What may be beneficial for one child may not be beneficial to another. What works best for the family unit should also be considered, as this is essential for the child to succeed. Homeschooling and public school each bear their own pros and cons. It comes down to which pros out weight the cons for your family.