A small group of us gathered to discuss, among other things, the issue of homeschooling. The term itself implies educating our children at home or in places other than a mainstream setting such as a public or private school.
Since it is a big and ever growing phenomenon in the USA as well as in the UK, we decided to look into the issue more closely. The readings prepared for our meeting gave rise to apparent implications that parents choose home schooling for their children because they are dissatisfied with the quality of education in public schools. They also think that the social adjustment of schooled children is of such poor quality that they prefer home-based education involving self-discipline and self-directed learning which creates young people who can adapt to new situations and new people. Moreover, the parents worry about peer pressure resulting in negative behaviour such as smoking, drinking alcohol, and drug taking. Besides, they also want to protect the children from bullying and harassment from other students.
On the other hand, some thorny questions emerged that need to be resolved, such as: How can parents ensure that their children are prepared academically for higher education? How are "home schoolers" assessed to make sure they are getting the basics, the same educational standards that mainstream students must have? How about the children's emotional development? Are they not too isolated from their peers? Are they missing out on the social benefits of being in a large classroom of their peers? As with any debatable issue, the answers to these questions are neither simple nor one-sided.
We must also take into consideration the Polish reality, i.e., parents are not self-confident enough to take the prime responsibility for their children's education. They also feel they are not adequately educated to introduce home schooling to their children. Furthermore, they doubt if they have enough time to spend educating their children. They are simply busy earning a living. Finally, they don't want to find themselves in conflict with the Polish law.
All in all, we perceive home schooling as an excellent complement to formal education. Undoubtedly, young children should be educated at home before the so-called school age so that they can perform better at school. Nowadays we can choose a school for our children in order to avoid such school-related problems as bullying or harassment. Besides, as long as parents are on good terms with their children, they should be able to help them with potential school problems. On the other hand, the Polish schoolgirls and boys are eager to meet their peers at school but dislike the actual lessons. Being aware that they like the social aspect of going to school we, the teachers, should reflect on the techniques we make use of in the classroom as well as the methods that would make formal education more learner-friendly.
In short, we can arrive at a tentative conclusion that no matter where children are educated and by whom, any child can learn because human creatures are born with a natural desire to learn and a deep curiosity about everything they encounter.