Argumentative Debate: Homeschool Vs. Public School

Homeschool vs public school- an insanely controversial debate in which a student’s success and future are put on the line. The schooling years of a person are absolutely detrimental to whether or not that person will grow up to be prosperous and happy in life. Therefore, the method of schooling is an incredibly important topic of debate. Modern homeschooling began with John Holt, an educational theorist, who began having concerns about the mechanical-like characteristics of students who went through the public school system. A large motivator for people wanting to homeschool was having increased religious freedom, as public schools have become more and more secular and worldly. However, it has morphed into so much more than that today. People

First of all, statistically speaking, “The home-educated typically score 15 to 30 percentile points above public-school students on standardized academic achievement tests”(“Research Facts on Homeschooling”). This includes tests such as the SAT, PSAT, ACT, and annual benchmark tests. Because of this reason, many colleges actively seek homeschooled students. Top colleges are scouting homeschoolers, and it’s due to the fact that homeschoolers “go to and succeed at college at an equal or higher rate than the general population”(“Research Facts on Homeschooling”). Also, studies have proved that “Homeschool freshmen in their first semester at college average a 3.37 GPA to the 3.08 of other freshmen, and continue to keep their advantage even into senior year with 3.46 versus 3.16”(“The Homeschooler’s Guide to Getting into College”). Of course, this is a great incentive for colleges to increase the number of homeschoolers who are accepted into their school. Another benefit to homeschooling is increased free time. Even though students are not necessarily taking more elective classes, there is ample amounts of time to explore new passions. Personally, homeschooling has allowed me to discover how much I enjoy cooking and gardening. These hobbies are not only fun, but have made me develop skills that I will take with me into adulthood. Homeschooled students have

The main reason for this is that parents fear their child will not have enough socialization. However, this is not necessarily true. Homeschooling allows for time to get a job, volunteer, attend college classes, join clubs, and participate in organizations. All of these things require teamwork, and cooperation. It also means that students will be sufficiently socialized and they will even get their socialization from a variety of sources. Also, homeschooling is becoming progressively common. This means there are more and more homeschool organizations in which students can join and participate in. They will have the opportunity to interact with people their same age and grade. Another reason for hesitation is financial concerns. When a child is homeschooled, their parents or guardians are responsible for providing the learning material. This can certainly become very pricy. On the other hand, there are numerous resources that are available to homeschoolers that are far less costly. Many school districts offer public homeschools, in which students do not have to pay much at all, but can still work from home. If students are older, they can start to attend college classes at little to no cost since they are still in high school. If those options are not available, parents can invest in low cost resources such as the internet, borrowing/trading textbooks, or buying used books. In lots of cases,