Home Schooling

"School at home isn't always easy, but, whenever problems have arisen, we have tried to treat them not as interruptions of our education, but as parts of it, in facing problems and working with them, we have learned more about ourselves and each other and the world."

Donn Reed
The Home School Source Book

Home schooling is any formal education of children that takes place within the home. Parents/guardians who teach their own children are referred to as 'home schoolers'. They take full responsibility for the education of their children rather than relying on public or private school systems. Home schooling requires the full support of at least one parent and it is a full time job.

Home schoolers are able to structure a curriculum to what they feel is most appropriate for their children. They are also able to maintain added control over the teaching of morals and values while giving more one-on-one attention. Although socialization through home schooling may not take place in the same manner as in public schools, home schooled children can develop their social skills by being actively involved in local community groups.

A home school is generally structured around an educational philosophy or religious belief.28 There are three main groups of home schoolers supporting home education.

The first group are those home schoolers who believe in intrinsic motivation where learning should be child-centered rather than based on a structured curriculum that supports child competition and forced study. John Holt was a founding advocate of such home schoolers and wrote a number of books and other materials on the subject.

Another group of home schoolers seek added control over the teaching of value-based religious beliefs. They understand the education of children to be the moral right of parents. Dr. Raymond Moore, a founding advocate of Christian-based home schooling has written material that is used by many religious based home schoolers.

The third group of home schoolers is less fundamental in their beliefs supporting home schooling. They draw on a variety of home school guidance material and philosophies. Such home schoolers include parents who have children requiring special care services, who feel the public education system is inadequate due to public education cuts, and others who belong to families that face frequent moves.29