In the last 15 years, the topic of home schooling has had an increasing impact on family life. Some parents are very concerned over messages being imparted to children in public school. They feel their authority over their children is being undermined by schools on such topics as sex education, homosexuality, and other LGBTQ issues among students.
If you had spoken to me in the mid-1980s, I would have been staunchly against the idea of home schooling. But given the changes that have emerged with schools in recent years, I am totally sympathetic and understand why families make decisions to home school today. In the next few weeks I would like to address the following themes concerning home schooling and public school education.
- What are the benefits and shortcomings to home schooling?
- What are the benefits and shortcomings of public school?
- Is there any long term research that addresses the impact of home schooling on youth after college?
- Is the best plan to do a combination of both home and public schooling?
If anyone knows of any research studies that have been done on the long-term impact of home schooling, please let me know.
Christ is risen!
The blessing of the Lord be upon you,
The unworthy +Paul
6 Comments on “Home School and Public School: Is one better than the other?”
As I ‘pioneer’ homeschooling mom, and now grandmother to homeschooled grandkids, I would, of course, recommend homeschooling as an option. It is not without its own pitfalls, but then, how could it not be?
I would highly recommend looking at the research meticulously done by Dr. Brian Rey which can be found on his website, https://www.nheri.org/ (National Home Education Research Institute). Dr. Rey has been following home education for probably about 30 years. He is not Orthodox, but is a good man of faith. I met Dr. Rey several times at conferences.
Bishop Paul, I would also be interested in your thoughts regarding parochial schools as another alternative.
Thank you Kathy and Leah for your responses. I checked on the resources you cited Kathy and they do seem to be most helpful. Can you speak at all to issues related to what is required to be a home schooler?
Leah I also received feedback form another person about parochial schools. I will speak on that some in my note this week. +Paul
Hello Bishop Paul,
I was never homeschooled, but I had a few friends who were. Of course, being Christians, as well as homeschooled, one has to expect to deal with a certain amount of ridicule and stereotyping from the secular/non-believing world. Despite that, my friends seemed well adjusted and self-motivated individuals, maybe even more so than some of my public school friends. Their parents were often new to homeschooling themselves, which forced the children at a young age, to learn to take responsbility for their own education through self-study and learning the process along with their parents.
I was in public schools until jr. high and then a non-denominational Christian school for the rest of jr./sr. high school. The education there was fine, but I mostly appreciated the Christian environment- while a bit sheltered- it provided me the opportunity I needed at that point to get extra help from experienced teachers with whom I could better relate on a personal level. I did regret not having the wide variety of interesting and vocationally useful electives that my public school friends had available. I think, during my junior year, I did sign up for some of those electives as a summer school term.
As for resources- I believe my homeschool friends, as well as the Christian school, used BJU Press. I just checked it out and it is an interesting site to explore! They seem to have great support for parents, online courses, networking with other homeschooling families, and assistance with navigating the state legal requirements. The textbooks/materials can be expensive, but a quick Google search turned up websites where used BJU textbooks can be obtained for a fraction of the cost.
I hope you find this information useful!
Oh, I meant to include a link for you.
https://www.bjupress.com/page/Home
Thank you Matthew for sharing your thoughts and resources. +Paul