The Linguist

There have been a lot of contradictory reviews regarding the preference of home schooling over public schooling. Studies reveal that some parents prefer to home educate their children as against the conventional education style because of some perceived benefits (Collins and Halverson, 2018).

Some parents are of the view that public schools are a waste of financial resources (Riley, 2015). These parents claim that the social environment of public schools exposes children to certain unhealthy character traits. However, many guardians prefer conventional public schools to home schooling because they believe that the public school follows a systematic approach. The concept of public school and home school is very divergent and they all have their merits and demerits. Hence, it is essential to examine the basic differences between these two options.

In this article, however, the author has provided his views in favour of public schooling and tried to show the merits and demerits of these two approaches.

1. In considering some of the argument against home education, it can be noted that home education could present some challenges for students to socialize and interact with peers. Education in the home could present feelings of isolation 
2. Public schools are considered a better educational medium than home education, as many parents are unable to provide adequate teaching in their home schools (Ray, 2015). Besides academic learning, the child is required to acquire knowledge from extracurricular sources (Lingard et al. 2017). 
3. Public schooling can make a child more responsible and self-dependent than homeschooling (Jackson and Allan, 2017). This is because a task provided by public schools is completed by the student with little assistance from parents.  This makes them more innovative and knowledgeable.
4. In public schooling, students encounter challenges from teachers and from other students. At times conflict may arise between peers. These situations make them resilient and enable children to cope with future challenges (Jackson and Allan, 2017).
5. Children who are engaged in homeschooling have less opportunity of participating in extracurricular activities, games, sports, bands, cultural program; inter school-related activities etc. However, children from public schools can get enough opportunity to attend such social activities (Jackson and Allan, 2017).
6. Public schooling gives more opportunities in education as noted by Collins and Halverson, (2018). Public schools have a variety of teacher from various fields or subjects. These facilities help children evaluate the purpose of the subjects taught in school.
7. Moore, (2016) noted that children who are home educated may get into depression as they have few or no friends with whom they can play or share their feelings. Moreover, they may fall into an awkward situation when they have to be present at a larger organisation or public programs. This may create a barrier to the knowledge growth of children (Jackson and Allan, 2017).
8. The public schools are aware of the alteration in the system of education and periodically update their educational structure by remodelling their syllabus, teaching styles (Moore, 2016). However, in home schools, parents are often unaware of these changes in the education system. Parents may not also idea about the modern teaching styles and they could be teaching their children with older syllabi (Spiegler, 2017). 
9. Teachers from public schools have requisite training about how to teach and handle students. But parents do not have such kind of training in handling their children (Ray, 2015).
10. Teamwork is very much important in every aspect of life. Children, who are from public schools gets proper training regarding teamwork. They are better and efficient in executing tasks and making decisions than kids who are educated at home. (Riley, 2015).
11. In public schools, students get opportunities to explore. Students do participate in orchestra, music, painting, band, sports, drama and many other activities according to their preference (Bhopal and Myers, 2016). By participating in various kinds of activities, children from public schools identify their area of expertise
12. Methods and styles that are followed in homeschooling cannot be reliable. This is because the teacher who is selected to teach in public school has gone through training. During this selection process, the school can be able to know whether the teacher is capable of class management. On the other hand, teaching at home may not require much professional expertise (Ray, 2015).

However, there are some reasons why some individuals may choose home schooling over public schooling. These reasons include;

1. Public schools are bound with rules and regulations and they have a fixed routine which creates a lot of pressure for the children. This creates anxiety for children to go to school due to workloads (Kraftl, 2014). However, in home education, children can learn without much stress. Kraftl, (2014) noted that there is no such pressure on children receiving home education.
2. In public school children interact with so many pupils. Some of these children are from a different cultural background. Should a child be found in the wrong company of friends, their lives get worse, conversely, should they be in the company of good friends who challenge and encourage each other, the child tends to turn out better. Spiegler, (2017), noted that children acquire alcohol drinking habit, drugs addiction or get involved in antisocial behaviour at school due to bad influence from other children. These are the reasons why some parents would not allow their children to be educated in public schools (Moore, 2016).
3. In a public school, a teacher has to handle an entire classroom. Sometimes it is difficult for one teacher to give adequate attention or allocate enough time to children of 30 in a class (Riley, 2015). Therefore, students who are not too intelligent may struggle with lessons. Whereas, in home education, children receive maximum attention and support from their parents (Riley, 2015)
4. Public schools following strict rules in a class environment and for this reason, some students are not able to express their problem to their class teachers (Spiegler, 2017). However, in home schools, as children are very familiar with their parents it is noted that children voice out their concerns.  The home environment is very much comfortable for children and they can easily discuss their problems (Spiegler, 2017). 

In conclusion,  despite the many benefits associated public school, from the above discussion, both of these schooling methods have some strengths and weaknesses. Home schools provide a safe and controlled environment to children, whereas public schools help students to be socially equipped. At the same time, public schools bind students with a lot of rules and regulations, which may force students in bearing extra loads whereas home schooling gives the students an environment where they can learn with joy although this method cannot make them self-sufficient (Ray, 2015). 

Author: Omari Joseph (2019)

Reference list

Bhopal, K. and Myers, M. (2016) Marginal groups in limited times: Gypsy and Traveller parents and home education in England, UK. British Educational Research Journal, 42(1), pp.5-20

Collins, A. and Halverson, R. (2018) Rethinking education in the age of technology: The digital revolution and schooling in America. Teachers College Press.

Jackson, G. and Allan, S. (2017) Fundamental elements in examining a child’s right to education: A study of home education research and regulation in Australia. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 2(3), pp.349-364.

Kraftl, P. (2014) Towards geographies of ‘alternative’education: a case study of UK homeschooling families. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 38(3), pp.436-450.

Lingard, B., Sellar, S., Hogan, A. and Thompson, G. (2017) Commercialisation in public schooling (CIPS).

Moore, L. (2016) Moving across languages, literacies, and schooling traditions. In Navigating Languages, Literacies and Identities (pp. 136-150). Routledge.

Ray, B. (2015) African American homeschool parents’ motivations for homeschooling and their Black children’s academic achievement. Journal of School Choice, 9(1), pp.71-96.

Ray, B. (2015) Research Facts on Home schooling. National home education research institute.

Riley, G. (2015) Differences in competence, autonomy, and relatedness between home educated and traditionally educated young adults. International Social Science Review, 90(2), p.2.

Spiegler, T. (2017) Parents’ motives for home education: The influence of methodological design and social context. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 3(1), pp.57-70.