Reasons to Homeschool: Manners – A Homeschool Phenomena?
By Mimi Rothschild
Though there are many reasons to homeschool, there is one that is making its way to the top of the charts and fast becoming one of the main reasons to homeschool your child instead of placing her in public school: manners.
Does that sound like a silly reason to decide to homeschool your child? See for yourself. Walk down the halls of your local high school in between classes, or even your local middle school. How do the students treat each other or the teachers? How do the teachers treat the students? In our society and in our schools, manners are quickly becoming a mythology, one that many parents are trying to resurrect in the homeschool setting.
One of the biggest arguments you will hear from those critical of homeschool will invariably include the word “socialization.” What is socialization: the ability to interact in a meaningful way with peers, to function in society. Somehow it has become the norm to be rude to others, to talk down and make fun of those who are different, to use bad language, and in general, disrespect those in authority. Even in public schools where there may be some credit given to respect elders, or at least of teachers, it seems that manners have gone the way of primetime television and have embraced a much more vulgar way of life.
To homeschool your child is not to deprive him of his right to be rude. Certainly, that is always an option. But what is wrong with offering him some balance? Through homeschool, children can learn manners: respect for each other, themselves, and elders. They learn honesty and a more creative use of language than common curse words that manage to work as noun, verb, and adjective simultaneously. By no means will your children miss out on the opportunity of learning about this way of life. It is everywhere. By homeschooling, you give them the chance to think for themselves and make their own decisions about how they would like to live rather than letting them be socialized by the masses.
Homeschool is by no means a retreat deep in the woods meant to keep your children from being affected by the world. It is offering children the chance to experience the diversity that is so richly cherished in academic settings and in the world at large. Choosing a life that is outside the so-called “mainstream” gives your children the chance to learn first hand that everything in life is a choice, whether it's the manners we use on a day-to-day basis, the faith and values we live by, or the dreams we shoot for. There is no need to be like everyone else. When did individuality stop being valuable?
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mimi Rothschild is a homeschooling parent, children's rights activist, author, and Founder and C.E.O. of online education company Learning by Grace, Inc. Rothschild and her husband of twenty-eight years reside in suburban Philadelphia with their eight children.
Feeling that “our current system of education has broken its promise,” Rothschild co-founded Learning By Grace, Inc. to provide families with Internet-based multimedia education to PreK-12 children all over the world.
In addition to her twenty years of experience as a homeschool mother, Rothschild has written a number of books dealing with education published by McGraw Hill and others. Her Home Education Websites Blog consists of helpful online content and activities for Christian homeschooling families.
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