Homeschooling was not highly considered before the Pandemic.
If you have noticed like almost a decade ago, when children were going to regular schools, there was always one set of students who used to study through home school. While I was completing school, I often wondered why there were students who studied from home and what’s the difference.
Well, the reasons might just be many. Generally, I’ve noticed that this particular set of students had difficulty getting admission into colleges or get jobs in the future.
Children who did homeschooling lack the skill to socialize and would not perceive the outer world with ease. And when one day, the grown-up has to face the society with poor social skills, will definitely have difficulty to even live a proper life. There are high chances that students can turn out to become more like an introvert and not speak out even when necessary, and may end up in a situation where they do not deserve to be. Many children who attended public school also have issues of introvertedness, but may not lack social skills for essentials as they grow along with their schoolmates and mingle along.
Coming to their IQ levels, the relationship between intelligence and education is one that scientists have been studying for years now, but some studies show that children who have done homeschooling have better IQ levels as their learning is centric to one-on-one instructions which would be an added benefit as the student will want to speak up when s/he doesn’t understand something. In a traditional classroom, this is not always possible. Teachers don’t have the time to focus on each student’s needs and questions. That way, the student will not be able to learn the material in full. Whereas, homeschooling is an advantage as the student can master the material faster. Also, in the classroom, some students might get bored, and there is a high chance of not being able to pay attention throughout the class, especially if the teacher is exaggerating on one particular topic and the student is familiar with it.
The ambience also matters when it comes to studying well. Some children like it to be a quiet and pleasant environment to study while some like to sit on a basketball court and study in the noise. Some like to listen to songs while studying while some like to walk around and read. Some like to read silently while some like to read aloud. All these factors vary on individuals comfort levels. Similarly, if the student does not like public school maybe because of their peers, fear of teachers, etc which will definitely not allow them to perform better. For such students, homeschooling is more flexible, informal and within their comfort zone (which might later be a big disadvantage when it comes to their adjusting skills). If children feel more at ease while learning, their performance levels will rise, as well as their interest in the material they are learning. As in regular schools, the system of punishment and reward is used, but in homeschooling, that whole system of punishment is eliminated.
But unfortunately, this homeschooling education was equivalent to being uneducated back then in many places. Now, during the Pandemic, we see that all schools, colleges, universities are shut and all are to be taught at home itself. Although the convenience of individual attention is not that great, all of them are learning seated in their own comfort and luxury. There is no boundary between the bedroom and classroom nowadays. But, since the learning pattern has changed, and the pandemic has been taking a toll on everyone the interest in studies has become only because it has to be completed not because they are actually interested to do something or learn something new. Although now students can venture out to understand what they actually want to do or study in the future, they are upskilling themselves more than just their regular curriculum, which is an advantage. But the students should not neglect the curriculum as well.
Do my readers agree with the factors given earlier? Do comment and share your views.