Education is important, no one can deny that. Be it formal or informal, the necessity can't be disregarded. This is why I find it appalling when people say things like school is a scam. Obviously, such people don't understand what formal education means and the need for it. All thanks to it, we can read and write and even be efficient here on Hive. School or schooling has provided the medium to get this education and the value it provides.
Now, while it's common to send children to school to get educated, there's a system that offers a substitute for that known as homeschooling. As the name suggests, children are schooled at home. They learn what they would learn in school at home under the tutelage of the parents. In many ways, we could look at it and abruptly disapprove of the option. But what could be the reasons parents choose this option over traditional schools?
With the advantages of traditional schooling, why would some parents choose homeschooling over it? Can we say it's a lack of money for tuition? Maybe, or not. One reason I know which isn't common in some of our parts of our world is due to the unconventional things being taught in traditional schools, controlled by the government. Conventional, basic and factual knowledge is considered a social construct, so children are taught something else.
Protecting the fragile minds of these young ones from getting warped has made some parents take the uneasy decision of homeschooling their children. What does this mean for such parents? They have to study the curriculum themselves, learn how to dish out the knowledge to the child(ren), and measure and ascertain their level of understanding. Of course, this is a huge strain on the parents as they have this extra duty to do aside from their work or job.
We see then the advantages of traditional schooling. Parents can have more time and energy to expend on their work while they help with the children's homework rather than the full schooling process. Aside from that, school isn't just a place for educational purposes, though that's the main reason, but it also provides the opportunity for socialisation and meeting new people, mostly of different backgrounds and statuses. That way, a child has more exposure.
In that vein, it allows learning with peers. Sometimes, healthy competition is involved that benefits the children. They get to see their friends and just learn with them which is something. The relationships gained and built from school can be lifelong, impactful and helpful. Also, a teacher who has been trained to do this work of teaching is expected to do a better job than parents inexperienced in it. Well, we can say that they can learn too.
For the sake of the children and even the parents, traditional schooling is a good option. From the aforementioned points, it's clear what advantages it has. However, if parents want to protect the minds of their children, whom they love from getting warped by some of the disturbing things being taught to them means choosing homeschooling, it's up to them and not a bad option. In some parts of our world this isn't a concern, so maybe employing both won't be bad.
Image is AI generated.
