Homeschool, or home school, is an activity to send children to a full-time location. This understanding may not seem too much because while all people send their children to public schools, how come there are people who send their children to school at home. Isn’t that the same as not going to school. This kind of thinking happens because there is an ahistorical process (cut off from history) that forgets that the school used to start at home. It was only after the teacher became a particular profession that the school began to switch to a building called school.
Now, homeschooling feels a comeback especially in the United States. This change occurs because the world of education has evolved in the last century, namely the centrality of educational institutions in the hands of the state. Homeschool is a reaction to evolution.
If categorized, the reasons for doing homeschool can be written like this:
- The school does not teach true faith for my child. Frankly, it is not uncommon to be the main proposition of parents to go home to their children. At least 80% of homeschool activists in America are this group. They have Evangelical and Fundamentalist Christian followers who don’t want their children to be taught science that is contrary to the holy book.
- Schools as educational institutions are dilapidated. Lots of bullying at school. Teachers also cannot educate well, making children stressful. Not to mention if the school likes brawls and is prone to crime. For Indonesia’s problems, it can be great that they send their children to school because of this argument, because they are disappointed with educational institutions here.
- Do not agree with the philosophy of education applied in schools. About 10% of homeschooling activists in America have this view. They choose to send their children to the location to stay at school, with an educational approach they like.
- Parents want to take full responsibility for their children’s education. This reason can actually be different explanations from the three arguments above.
There are a number of objections to going to school at a residential location that people usually ask:
- Parents are not professional teachers, how can they educate their children.
- Children will not be able to socialize because they don’t associate with their peers in school.
- Don’t know what curriculum to use.
- The cost of buying a book is bigger because you cannot borrow a book from school.
I seek to clarify the four objections above.
First, all older people are actually teachers for younger ones. There are no people who cannot teach. All people who can read can teach different people to read. Likewise with counting and others. But what about the sciences that are difficult like physics and chemistry? Here lies the misunderstanding. Homeschooling does not mean parents train children, but parents learn together with children. So there is no obligation that parents must master the lesson. If there are obstacles in mastering the material, help can be traced later.
Secondly, schools in residential locations do not mean that the child must be locked up at home. Children can still be free to play with neighbors, or even be educated in other non-formal schools like music schools or sports schools.
Third, now, with information technology facilities, access to the curriculum can be obtained easily. Groups of parents who are homeschooling have started to appear.
Fourth, the cost for homeschooling can actually be lower, because it does not have to cost building costs, uniforms, transport fees and snacks. Indeed, buying a book in the beginning will look great, but if it is broken down annually it will be much cheaper than the total school fee.
What is noteworthy is that homeschooling requires great responsibility from parents for the growth of their children. This is a commitment that is not easy, besides for city people. Therefore, before concluding to run homeschool I can provide a number of these suggestions:
- Are you sure that you will prioritize our time and energy for your child’s education?
- Look for as much information as possible before deciding. If you can even chat with people who have run it.
- Check with your regional Education Office whether your child can get a formal diploma or similarities and how, because this is related to the continuation of our children’s studies at a higher level.
- Don’t force children to homeschool, give understanding to him. If he prefers formal school, leave it alone. Unless the child is older, you can give more little consideration to your child, because he can be invited to talk and debate if necessary.