English 111 Assignment-Finally!

Eng 111                                                                                                                                                                   Morgan Griffin

Prof. Blaauw-Hara

2012, February 15th                                               Blogging to Change the World

                When considering that which is the best route for a child’s education, one should consider homeschooling. With some top academic records, and great reports on the child-Einstein’s who have appeared in society after being homeschooled, have given on-lookers a wonderful impression of just how awesome homeschooling really is. I am here to tell you, that homeschooling (like everything else) has its pros and its cons.              

                                                                                Jean Anyon’s Work

                Recently, I read a piece of work by Jean Anyon. She’d done some research on the schools and how the different social classes affect them. Basically, that the higher social class had a better version of a public school than that of a lower class. Higher class schools, or the executive elite schools, featured things that enhanced a student’s abilities to learn. They had things like open-ended questions, project-based activities, and a sense of independence. Whereas, the lower class schools pretty much taught the students how to survive in the lower class. Based upon Jean Anyon’s work, I feel the homeschooling is another form of an executive elite school.

                                                                                              Public School                                                                                                                           One of the more popular academic choices that parents tend to choose for their children is public schooling. Sometimes, it is due to the fact that both parents are working and don’t have the time to consider better education alternatives. Others do it to give their child the ability to interact with other kids. The latter really shouldn’t be considered when it comes to education. As documentaries, like PBS’s Waiting for Superman, have featured the growing issue- our public schools are failing. That our students in the public school system are not getting the proper attention they need for their education. The economic crisis is something to be considered, in the education dilemma. If the economy continues to go downhill, then our ‘executive elite schools’ may not be so elite for much longer.                                                                                                                                                                                 

                                                                                                              Homeschooling                                                                                                       Now when it comes to homeschooling, I have a completely different perspective. Even with a crisis, like the economy, homeschooling is a safe route to ensure your child’s education is still safe. My parents considered all of these details before homeschooling me. Another one of their reasons to homeschool, was that they were protecting my siblings and I from hazardous topics that are popular in the school system. Such as drugs, sex, alcohol, bullying, and other things that students go through. The nice thing to factor in, is that the parents themselves ensure that their child is being properly educated. My mother was the one who taught my siblings and I all of our subjects. She sacrificed our happiness, to properly educate us. Unlike the usual public school schedule with hours that go from 8am to 3:15pm, my schedule (at one point) had hours from like 6am to 6pm. Instead of equally balanced time frames for classes, our core subjects had the most focus. Things like art, music, and time to exercise all had short but sweet periods in our schedule. If we didn’t accomplish what we needed to in the core subjects, we wouldn’t move on to the subjects we loved to do until our work was done. It was easy for the teacher, my mother, to see where we were messing up personally and fix the issue right then and there. Higher grades were easier to achieve, and fortunately helped a homeschool student like me to enter college with just enough knowledge to want more and to eagerly be willing to learn.                                                                                                                                                                               Conclusion

Although public school has its benefits, I find those of homeschooling to be better when it comes to considering children’s academic success. Both have their cons, which parents should take into their own perspective as to which of those they can deal with. Through homeschooling the worst can possibly be the lack of research done in it. With much enthusiasm, I support homeschooling. Yet, I know others who think public schooling is the best choice out there (even after considering homeschooling). It really is in your own matter of personal opinion where you choose to place your faith for your child’s education.