by Carol Flett

Created on: September 20, 2010

Picture this: You meet a family in a grocery store, and you start talking to the mom. The children clustered around the shopping cart look you in the eyes, and not only follow the conversation, but take part in it as well. Their participation is natural and uninhibited. This is typical of a homeschool family. You see other children in the store, mostly in groups of two to four all the same age, very seldom with an adult. These children are not interested in talking to you. They are typical classroom students. Now think of the difference between the two groups. Which of these children do you think will be best prepared for the real world of their future?

The Homeschooled family has had many advantages over their peers in the preparation for the real world. They have been prepared by both training and experience. They have not only been verbally taught what to expect of the world but have also been given far more of a chance to taste life first hand. They have learned to face every new opportunity with the eagerness of youth.

Their peers have not been so blessed. The classroom situation is not a slice of the real world, but rather a world in itself where all the inhabitants are segregated by age. This segregation permeates their lives for twelve of their most formative years. They have seldom ventured past the boundaries of age. Even at home they may become distant from their siblings, choosing rather to ignore them in favour of friends from their class at school.

When these students graduate from the classroom, the real world is filled with people older or younger than them, but very few of the same age. These students have not been prepared to interact with most of the human race, and may find themselves unable to cope.

The homeschool family, on the other hand, has had no age limitations. They have learned to interact with people of any age. They have never known artificial age segregation except possibly for an hour or two at clubs and Sunday School. They are as conversant with an adult as they are with someone their own age. They have developed working relationships with siblings, whether older or younger and have learned respect for their parents as teachers and as confidants.

Homeschoolers are better prepared in other ways as well. A student in a regular classroom reads textbooks, listens to a teacher, and writes exams, but is seldom exposed to real life situations. A homeschooled student reads, and listens, and then often experiences life first hand by

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>