Komarova Victoria. Nizhnevartovsk State University for the Humanities, Nizhnevartovsk, Tyumen Region, Russia
Essay in English with translation. Nomination classic essay

home schooling

Most people can say that home schooling is not the best way of studying. They cause that home education has a negative influence on the development of pupils. But other people think it has a lot of positive features. They consider that all children should receive education at home. Undoubtedly, this suggestion has both advantages and disadvantages.

On the one hand, there are many positive aspects to home schooling. Firstly, it is beneficial for pupils who suffer from "schooling phobia". As a result, they play truant and do not have an opportunity to communicate with other children. Secondly, home education suits gifted pupils, who are bored by everyday lessons. That is why, children have the opportunity to choose an individual curriculum. Finally, they have a flexible schedule and they can study at home at their own pace. And children can study everything more quickly and more effectively.

On the other hand, there are people who are against home schooling, because pupils can have difficulties to study without a direct help of a qualified teather. For this reason, not all students can get education at home. Also, they lack the opportunity to communicate with other children. As a result, students can have any social problem. What is more, it is expensive, it needs a lot of money to hire a teacher. consequently, only some parents can afford to pay for such education.

To summarize, although there are many advantages to home schooling, but certainly there are more essential disadvantages to it. I consider that all children should receive education in ordinary school. Because pupils will have a lot of friends. They will not have any social problems. Also students will feel nice in society. And I can say that home education is not the best way of studies.

Many people may say that home schooling is not the best way to study. They believe that homeschooling has a negative impact on student development. But other people think that such training has many positive features. They believe that all children should be homeschooled. Undoubtedly, there are opinions both for and against.

On the one hand, there are many positive aspects to home schooling. Firstly, it is useful for students who suffer from "school phobia". As a result, they do not go to school and do not have the opportunity to communicate with other children. Secondly, homeschooling is suitable for gifted children who are bored with everyday lessons. Therefore, children have the opportunity to choose individual learning. After all, they have flexible schedules and can homeschool at their own pace. And children can learn the material more quickly and more effectively.

On the other hand, there are people who are against homeschooling because it is difficult for students to learn without the direct help of a qualified teacher. For this reason, not all students can be educated at home. They also have a lack of communication with peers. As a result, students may have communication problems. Moreover, this way of learning is expensive, it takes a lot of money to hire a teacher. Consequently, only some parents can pay for such education.

In summary, while there are many positives to homeschooling, there are significant downsides as well. I believe that all children should be educated in a regular school. Because there the children will make many new friends. They won't have social problems. Also, children will feel natural in society. I can say that home schooling is not the best way of education.

I am sure that I was lucky in life - I studied at a Soviet school. The last few years, schools, however, were already in another state, but at that time the education system had not yet undergone major changes. In my time, secondary school education was compulsory for everyone, there was no trace of home schooling.

Starting from the fifth grade, we passed passing exams, learned tickets, someone wrote cheat sheets, but it was great, no matter who was there, who did not talk about the Soviet period. Please note that we took real normal exams, not tests designed for mentally retarded children. I speak so harshly because that's what I think.

In the 11th grade, when we were going to take final exams, we were told that four exams would be held in the form of tests: algebra, geometry, Russian language and literature, and history. And two with tickets - physics and English. So here it is not a single person in the class prepared for the four exams for which there were tests! And they gave up everything! Even those who studied poorly, passed the tests with 4 (according to a five-point system). That's it.

Soviet education was recognized as the best in the whole world, no, it was necessary to adopt the American testing system. Where the exam will not pass only a complete idiot. Because if you read and taught at least something at school, then according to the proposed answers, you simply have to pass such an exam.

In addition to a good baggage of knowledge, we left school for adulthood with normal ideas about discipline, subordination and with the ability to socialize in society .

But in 1992, such a concept as “education at home” or “family education” (homeschooling) was introduced by law. And the parents faced a choice: send the child to a public school or leave to receive education at home?

There has been a lot of talk and debate about home education since that same 1992. Both parents and teachers did not come to a consensus on this issue. Let's try to understand the advantages and disadvantages of such education. But first, a few words about what forms of homeschooling exist.

Forms of home schooling

Unschooling - an absolute refusal to attend school and the school curriculum in general. Supporters of unschooling are sure that they can independently determine how, how much and what to teach their child. We are sure that no one needs a generally accepted secondary education, as well as state testing and other exams. The saddest consequence of unschooling is that by the age of 16, the child will no longer be able to catch up and learn the necessary minimum of knowledge required for admission to a university, which means that he will not be able to acquire any profession. To my great joy, unschooling is strictly prohibited in Russia.

Home schooling - personal lessons with school teachers at home, writing tests, passing exams, etc. It is issued if the child is not able to attend school on his own, the basis is the doctor's conclusion about the presence of medical contraindications.

Partial home schooling - going to school for several classes a day or a week. Part of inclusive education for children with special needs. It can also be issued only at the conclusion of medical professionals.

external student - Autonomous learning at home with passing exams and tests, without attending school. It can be obtained from the school management, only by agreement with the administration of the educational institution. I must say that not many schools agree to this.

Remote education – learning via the Internet, communicating with teachers via Skype or on the forum, doing homework, tests and exams online. It is also agreed and formalized with the administration of the educational institution.

Pros of homeschooling

Homeschooling, like any other activity, has its pros and cons. First, let's look at the pros.

The pros were called by parents-supporters of home schooling, so:

• The child is engaged when he wants and how he likes.
• There is no pressure from peers, high school students and teachers.
• There is no need to follow unnecessary (???) school rules.
• Monitoring the development of moral and ethical standards in a child.
• The child can live according to the natural biological clock.
• The choice in the study of special subjects: art, foreign languages ​​​​(which one you want, and which are not provided at school), architecture, etc. from childhood.
• Studying at home significantly reduces the risk of getting school injuries, posture problems and vision problems.
• An individual approach to learning helps to educate a personality.
• Preservation of close contact of the child with parents, other people's influence is excluded.
• The opportunity to master the school curriculum in less than 10 years.
• No mandatory vaccinations.

Most of the advantages are quite controversial. For example, about reducing the risk of problems with posture and vision. You might think that at home a child cannot spoil them. Or what about someone else's influence. Children now spend so much time on social networks that it is even easier to fall under the influence of others than at school.

Who said that school rules are unnecessary? What's wrong with following them? I personally don't understand. Will the child's legs fall off if he gets up when the teacher comes in? Or will participation in the New Year's party negatively affect the child? It seems to me that these advantages are complete nonsense. As for vaccinations, this is generally a separate topic, but I will still give it a couple of words.

I am a supporter of a different point of view and I am sure that vaccinations are important and necessary. I argue. Those who believe that vaccinations are unnecessary argue that they are harmful to the health of the child, and mandatory vaccination generally violates his rights. One of my acquaintances, who is against vaccinations, said: “Where did you see smallpox or rubella? I don’t vaccinate my child and everything is fine.” Partly yes, so far so good. And now let's look at the situation from the other side - from the scientific point of view.

When there are many such “literate” mothers, the epidemiological situation will begin to change and “defeated” diseases, such as smallpox or the same rubella, will return again. Only vaccination of the population of more than 70% will be able to guarantee the health of the bulk of people, and especially children . But these mothers do not know about this, or rather do not want to know, it is easier for them to refuse and “save” their child from a harmful vaccination, and let someone else think about the consequences.

According to the World Health Organization experts , the bulk of the arguments of those who refuse to vaccinate their children are not scientifically confirmed and are characterized as a "dangerous and disturbing delusion."

Therefore, I think it is extremely wrong to talk about the absence of vaccinations as one of the advantages of home schooling.

Cons of homeschooling

There are a lot of cons, I must say, and, in my opinion, they are significant, judge for yourself:

• The child does not get the experience of socialization and interaction with the team.
• It requires constant monitoring by parents over the learning process.
• Lack of discipline and the need to work in a certain period of time “from call to call”.
• Lack of experience of conflicts and ways out of them with peers and high school students.
• Parents are not always able to correctly teach exact subjects, systemic thinking.
• Hyper-custody of parents will eventually lead to infantilism or selfishness of the child.
• The child will get used to the image of "not like everyone else", it will be much more difficult for him in adulthood.
• Worldly inexperience and lack of communication at school will affect the beginning of an independent life.
• The imposition of non-traditional views and life values ​​by parents limits the development of the child.
• Difficulties in entering the university and in training in it.

It seems to me that the issue of home schooling should be raised if the child is really unable to attend school for health reasons. Or if the family often moves from city to city (I don’t know for what reason), in the latter case, distance education will, of course, be optimal. Or the family lives in a small village, but a decent school is too far away and there is no way to take a child there every day.

Personal lessons or partial school attendance are necessary for a seriously ill child , with some developmental features (autism, ADHD) or disabilities, an adopted child with severe pedagogical neglect.

Temporary home schooling (for one academic year) - for the period of recovery and rehabilitation after severe injuries, serious illnesses, etc. In some cases, it makes sense to transfer a gifted child with autistic personality traits to an external student. Individual training is definitely not suitable for a sociable and active child, as well as a lazy and incapable of self-discipline.

The need for homeschooling should be determined by several factors - the way of life of the parents and the characteristics of the development (health) of the child. If, for example, the family lives in the city, and mom and dad go to work every day, then what is the point of transferring the child to this form of education? Hiring teachers in all subjects is the question: why then does mom work if all the money will go to pay for such services? For an independent form of education, you still need an adult who will spend several hours with the child, work with him, control the progress of independent tasks. I doubt that parents who have worked all day in the office will be able to do this.

In my opinion, it is possible to transfer a child who shows serious promise in sports to home schooling , for example. That is, the child will go in for sports and simultaneously receive a secondary education, spend more time on training and preparing for competitions. It’s great if in such a family the mother does not work, and can spend her time on the development of her child to the fullest.

Summarize

I am convinced that homeschooling is not suitable for all children and parents. Repeatedly visited forums and read the arguments of supporters of such education. What these adult mothers and fathers write does not fit into my head personally. I will give a few particularly striking examples: “I want to save my son from the school system that grinds his personality”, “As soon as I remember school trips, it immediately becomes bad. Who needs this at all?”, “Who needs these multiplication tables and Mendeleev, are they useful in life?”. I read it and I wanted to cry. What can such parents teach their child at home schooling? I sincerely feel sorry for the children of these parents.

And she also remembered the words from Lomonosov’s biography: “Moved by the desire for knowledge, he comes to Moscow on foot (1731), where he enters the Slavic-Greek-Latin Academy. Thanks to perseverance, he manages to complete the entire 12-year course of study in 5 years. There is only one thought in my head: “It’s good that Lomonosov didn’t have such parents as the participants in homeschooling forums.”

Learning at home is the most ancient form of learning, which originated long before the appearance of the first comprehensive schools. For centuries, homeschooling was the only way to gain knowledge. This was available only to wealthy, wealthy families who were able to pay for the services of a private teacher or parents who had free time and the appropriate knowledge and skills to teach a child at home.

History and stereotypes

In the era of the USSR, schooling at home was possible only for children with disabilities. Children who could not move freely or suffered from any psychological illness were visited daily by school teachers and given individual lessons.

The rest of the schoolchildren went to school to receive secondary education on a general basis. But since 1992, every schoolchild has the right to study without leaving home.

And if earlier homeschooling (or as it is also called, homeschooling) was a forced measure, now education at home has become a fashionable trend - more and more often parents choose this particular way of getting an education for their children.

The reasons why parents transfer their offspring to home education are varied:

• unwillingness to entrust the upbringing of the child to strangers;
• protecting the baby from physical and moral pressure at school;
• the desire to give knowledge to a son or daughter on their own, as they see fit;
• dissatisfaction with the quality and level of school upbringing and education.

Let's figure out what types, pros and cons home schooling has.

What are the forms of homeschooling?

There are several types of homeschooling:

• Home training. Every day, school teachers come to the child's house and individually read the subjects. This form of education is possible with medical advice;
• External study. The student studies disciplines at a pace and mode convenient for him with the help of his parents or on his own, after which he takes exams at school. You can, for example, complete 2 years of the program in one;
• Non-schooling. At the same time, parents do not interfere in the learning process, but only at his request help in certain matters, the child independently receives knowledge in a special style chosen by him.

With any form of homeschooling, the student is required to come to school twice a year and take exams - only in this case he will be able to receive a certificate of completed secondary education.

Before deciding to homeschool their precious child, parents need to carefully weigh all the pros and cons and decide whether this model of education will really benefit their son or daughter.

Pros of home education

• More effective development of the program. The teacher or parent in the course of training understands what the child “floats” in, and what material he has mastered flawlessly. As a result, the student is distinguished by higher academic performance and the quality of knowledge;
• The individual program also allows you to save precious time, as a result there is more time for visiting museums, theaters, exhibitions, etc. A ten-year program can be mastered in a shorter time;
• The opportunity to study subjects that are not read at school, but necessary, according to parents - for example, rare or ancient languages, architecture, art;
• The ability to organize an individual schedule in accordance with the student's biological clock, which avoids unnecessary stress, as a result of which such children get sick less often;
• The absence of conflicts with teachers, peers, older schoolmates (this, as you know, negatively affects the psyche of children);
• A home-schooled child is deprived of the bad influence of peers in unwanted companies;
• The development of an individual way of thinking, without other people's stereotypical influences, the absence of the characteristic of many teams " herd instinct»;
• Education takes place in the traditions familiar to the family, which is especially important if it belongs to any religious community or ethnic minority;
• Extraneous influence on religious views and beliefs, as well as their criticism and ridicule, is excluded;
• Closer contact with parents, close trusting relationship with them.

Cons of homeschooling

• Lack of communication with peers. Many may object: but the baby is not completely removed from society, does not sit within four walls, but communicates with friends, neighbors, goes to shops, visits sports clubs, and other public places. This is true, but in such situations, he chooses only people who are pleasant and attractive to him for communication, without gaining precious experience in resolving conflict situations (which, of course, are inevitable in adulthood);
• Constant parental control and overprotection can lead to infantilism and selfishness;
• A parent who controls a son or daughter must be a very organized and firm person, because he is responsible for his education, upbringing and development. Not every adult is able to competently, professionally and effectively organize the education of children outside of school;
• Unfortunately, parents are not always able to professionally educate, answer all the questions of their son or daughter. This is possible only if the adult has a brilliant knowledge of the school curriculum (and this, you see, is a rare phenomenon), a broad outlook and amazing erudition;
• What 12-15 school teachers can give a child is not able to give one parent, no matter what knowledge, wisdom and experience he may have;
• The child understands that he not like everyone else”, as a result of which, deep down, he feels like a black sheep;
• The lack of experience of communication with peers and teachers is reflected in communication in adulthood. In his own family, he gets used to increased attention, love, feels himself a necessary, important and irreplaceable person, and when he gets to a higher educational institution, to work or to the army, he faces a harsh reality in which he is completely indifferent to others;
• High cost. Teaching aids, textbooks, paying for the services of private teachers (and they are likely to be needed) will cost parents dearly;
• Inability to learn from other people's mistakes. Being 5-6 hours at school, in a team, the student observes other children, analyzes their behavior, divides actions into “white and black”, learns to recognize lies, insincerity, hypocrisy. Adults who oppose homeschooling argue that it is impossible to explain it on the “fingers” at home.

Whether to transfer a son or daughter to home education, of course, is up to the parents to decide. You can, for example, organize a “home school" Not during the school year, but in the last month of the summer holidays and evaluate your own strengths and observe the reaction of the child.

Two or three centuries ago, homeschooling was considered commonplace. But even now, often in different countries of the world, parents think about this method of raising and developing children. Russian legislation also provides for a clause allowing the education of a child at home, both for medical reasons and at the request of the parents. However, you can return to school at any time. What are the advantages and disadvantages of home schooling?

Freedom of learning

There is no other education system that is as flexible and convenient as the home teaching method. You can fully control it, arrange breaks and credit periods at your discretion, choose suitable methods and programs, and change them at any time if necessary. Children can study at a convenient time for them and in the comfort of their own home.

According to experts, in fact, basic knowledge can be covered in six years of study. Much depends on the ability, maturity and interest of the child. Homeschooling is well suited for gifted children who may find it difficult or boring in mainstream schools.

Physical freedom of the child

Most children experienced a real sense of freedom after leaving the school system. Without school hours, strict schedules, social events, homeschooling saves the child more time and energy.

Emotional freedom

Competition, peer pressure, boredom and bullying are just a few of the typical problems faced by students. Homeschooled children can dress, act and think as they please without the need to “fit in” with the general environment and are not afraid of ridicule and bullying. A child, studying at home, can live in the real world, where life will not be dictated by teenage tendencies and temptations to dangerous experiments.

Attention of parents

This is considered one of the most typical benefits of home schooling. In this case, parents see the child more often and pay more attention to him. Adults will have the opportunity to interact more closely with children in order to better understand them and establish contact.

Improving family relationships

This positive aspect is emphasized and appreciated by the majority of families who have chosen to homeschool their children instead of the traditional one. This decision helps to strengthen ties between all family members. Teenagers can greatly benefit from this type of interaction. The crisis of transitional age is much easier to solve with home schooling.

Revealing Good Characteristics

Thanks to the provision of comfortable home conditions, parents will be able to personally observe the growth and development of their children. These moments are priceless. Parents become witnesses to the achievements and successes of their child, when, as in school, they often learn about this from teachers.

No negative impact

At school, a child often has to cope with various types of pressure from teachers and peers. Especially dangerous is the negative influence of classmates, which is minimized during home schooling.

broad outlook

Learning at home is not limited to the walls of a room or building. At any convenient time, a child with parents can go to the street, to the forest, to a museum, theater or other educational and recreational activities that are rarely organized at school.

Emphasis on children's personality and abilities

With home schooling, there are more opportunities to pay attention to the development of the personality and certain abilities of the child. Parents and tutors can choose a training program based on the individual characteristics of the children, and not just on the general education program.

Flexibility

If children have a chronic disease, then homeschooling is the most beneficial solution for them. Periods of exacerbation of the disease, visits to doctors, treatment procedures take a lot of time, because of which the child often misses school. But at home, the lesson schedule can be easily adjusted and adjusted to fit it.

Failure to comply with the national curriculum

The first disadvantage of home school programs is that, no matter how well designed, they are unlikely to fit into a recognized curriculum with accreditation and examinations. Moreover, if parents are not properly qualified to teach, it will be difficult for them to provide their children with a proper education.

Restrictions

Home schooling can limit the work and leisure time of a child's parents. It is good if one of the adults has the opportunity to constantly be next to the child, but such cases are rare. The rest of the parents will have to plan their schedule in such a way as to allocate sufficient time for home lessons with the child, or spend money on the services of a tutor.

Problems of socialization

Homeschooled children are deprived of the usual school experiences and activities. They are less likely to be in crowded and loud noise environments. Because of this, such children can sometimes experience discomfort and inconvenience in the crowd and when establishing friendly contacts with other people.

Load on parents

With home schooling, parents have a huge responsibility and a lot of worries: it is necessary to plan a schedule, prepare a lesson, purchase textbooks, etc. If parents teach lessons, they need to carefully prepare for them in order to be able to answer additional questions from children.

Financial restrictions

When one of the parents is engaged only in homeschooling the child, the other is forced to earn at least two in order to feed the family and provide everything necessary for the education and upbringing of the child.

No less costly situation will be when hiring a tutor. In addition, it is necessary to allocate expenses for teaching materials, books, computer software, stationery, etc. Conducting some chemistry and physics classes at home can be difficult.

Life outside the standard

Like any activity that challenges the way of life, homeschooling can encourage children to live outside social norms. If it is supposed to educate the child only at home and away from the rest of society, then it is better to prefer traditional home education.

Loss of schoolwork

Some of the school activities (team sports, graduation, school balls, theatrical performances, etc.) children at home schooling may miss. Building friendships with other people through shared activities and interests is a social advantage of the regular school. Children's creativity can be formed and developed through dance, theater, music and art.

Many schools are now well equipped with large gyms, swimming pools, auditoriums and stages. Children in a regular school, unlike those who study at home, always have access to school facilities and modern equipment, including an art studio and a science laboratory.

Limited exposure with adults

In addition to their parents, homeschooled children do not have the opportunity to communicate with other teachers and adults. And this is an important condition for the formation of social and communication skills. As a result, "home" children may have difficulty communicating with teachers at the university or work colleagues.

Each type of training has its own advantages and disadvantages. Before making a choice, you need to carefully weigh everything and try to make the right decision that suits both parents and children. Here are some helpful tips for parents:

• you need to formally attach to any educational institution and agree with him on the home form of education,
• explain to the child the rules and conditions of homeschooling,
• organize a special place for classes,
• together with the child to purchase the necessary stationery and textbooks,
• create a schedule and lesson plans for the day, week, month and year, keep a progress log or reports on topics learned,
• objectively evaluate the work of the child, but without unnecessary criticism and transition to personalities, praise him more for his efforts,
• make time for rest
• try to keep the child interested in learning.