In Ontario, in the past number of years, many parents have opted for homeschooling, instead of the traditional public school systems. This can be attributed to many different factors, however, each home educating family has its own unique reason(s).
For families that have children with certain disabilities, home education is a better choice and in some cases, the only choice. According to The Ontario Federation of Teaching Parents, homeschooling has become a way of life for approximately 20,000 children in Ontario.
Support for Homeschooling
Educating children from home can be fun and exciting but still be a big challenge for parents to implement. Where do parents begin? What resources are there available?
There are many affordable resources and support for this type of education system. Most communities have local support forums and information on resources, such as The Ontario Federation of Teaching Parents. Used book stores can be a good source of learning material. Local libraries are a good source of information and help on this subject. Then there is the power of the internet.
Likewise, many of the provincial, municipal, or district school boards have specific help in place for parents who choose to home school their children. One support offered is that of online e-learning, such as the Ontario Independent Learning Center.
Negative Effects of Home Education
Like anything else, there are cons to homeschooling, such as:
- Homeschooling can be difficult to incorporate into a daily routine.
- The family is usually reduced to a single income.
- As the facilitator(s), parents may find the need to take a refresher course to be able to teach the lessons.
- There is a likelihood that parents will need to hire the use of private tutors.
- For certain levels of learning that require visual aids, such as museums, parents will need to organize and provide regular field trips.
- In the later stages of homeschooling, the pre-teen and teenage years, the lack of social structures and interaction, which are inherent to homeschooling, can present social problems. A good "after school" program of interactive activities like sports, can help in this particular situation.
Positive Effects of Home Education
The choice to teach children from home can be difficult to manage. However, there can be many positive impacts and rewards to this choice:
- Parents get to set the pace for their children’s education, based on each child's learning curve. The children get more individualized attention verses a large classroom setting.
- Parents can choose to work with their children on a per subject basis instead of multiple subjects at a time. This can allow the children to focus, take the time to really understand the subject material and commit what they’ve learned to memory, before moving on to the next subject.
- With the power of the internet, research for children can be fun at home. They can feel more comfortable and safe in their own familiar settings, while parents have more control over internet access.
- In today’s busy world, the added pleasure of more one-on-one time with children provides a greater sense of "family" and commitment.
- Another benefit of homeschooling is parents having a stronger influence and direct involvement in their children’s education. What they learn can be as important as how they learn.
In the current public school system, all children must follow the Ontario Ministry of Education’s set curriculum. With homeschooling, this is not the case. Parents can decide to evaluate what areas their children need more focus on and build from there.
Parents can still follow the Ministry's guidelines, however, the way that it is followed can make a difference for the children. Parents are able to create a custom curriculum more suited to the children’s needs, while also incorporating their family history and its place in the world.
Making an Informed Choice of Home Education
Homeschooling children as an alternative education can provide many wonderful memories and benefits; however, before choosing to do so, parents should take into consideration the different aspects involved in home education and the impacts those aspects can have.
Parents are urged to speak with their local school boards, community centers and any local or regional resources available to them, including online parenting and homeschooling forums to find out as much information as possible. This will help in the decision process.
References of Interest
Ontario Ministry of Education
The Ontario Federation of Teaching Parents
Ontario Independent Learning Center
Canadian Home Education
Home School Curriculum
 |
