There are varying opinions on the topic of homeschooling versus public schooling, and people are voicing their opinions about the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Dana Wood is a mother of 10 and has years of experience with homeschooling her own children. She feels that homeschooling is the best option for her and her family because of the time she has to be with her children.

“I feel that public school takes away from families being able to spend time together. My family and I are able to take vacations when it is convenient for us. We don’t have to wait for summer vacation. Also, with the moral decay in society, I am able to keep a better eye on my kids and what they are thinking and doing better than I would if they went to public school,” Wood said.

On the other hand, Mike Rowell, a freshman studying math education, was homeschooled during his junior year of high school. Although he had time to spend with his family, he felt some aspects of life were missing.

“I didn’t have the whole student-teacher part of learning. I also really liked sports and I wasn’t able to be involved with that. There wasn’t any social aspect to my homeschooling,” Rowell said.

Other people also have concerns about the social side of being homeschooled.

“I think social life would probably be the biggest set-back. I think that often, children who are homeschooled feel isolated because they don’t share common experiences with other kids,” said Kierra Thompson, a freshman studying art, who was previously homeschooled. “Personally, I want to home school my children when they are little and get them involved in extra-curricular activities,” Thompson said. 

Different parents have different ways of letting their children learn in their homeschooling experience. Rowell said that he basically had to do all of the learning by himself.

“I just got up whenever I wanted to. I would go running on my own and then do homework. It was really unstructured. I just had to make sure I got my homework done at some point in the day. I felt like I knew most of the material I was learning. I just wanted to get the homework done as fast as possible so I could do other things,” Rowell said.

However, Wood said that curriculums can make learning a very positive experience for both the parent and the student. If there is a subject that the parent isn’t strong in, the parent has the opportunity to learn with the child through the help of the curriculum. 

“There are so many different curriculums. The parent needs to be a mentor, not a teacher. If you allow the child, he/she can work through whatever they don’t know. I am not a math-oriented person, but my kids teach themselves. The parents can find a curriculum that works for them and their child,” Wood said.

Wood said that the best advice she could give to parents who are homeschooling their children for the first time would be to not try to teach the child everything there is to learn out in the world. She said to set goals and enjoy the ride.

“I think that there are some people who would never like homeschooling, but for me it really works,” Wood said.