The number of students being home schooled has increased throughout the years. According to a report from the U.S. Department of Education, 3.4% of the school-age population is home schooled which is a total of 1.77 million students. This report also shows that the most common reason for homeschooling in 2007 was for moral and religious reasons, but now the most common reason is because parents are concerned about the environment of other schools.
I interviewed two home schooled students from here in Buffalo: Senior Josef Dick, and Junior Jordan Dick. The two of them have been home schooled for the past 7 years.
“I like the flexibility that [homeschooling] gives us… it’s just a good way to have fun with my family and get work done,” explained Jordan.
Joe agrees with Jordan about liking homeschooling. He describes a little bit about how their homeschooling program works. “It’s like a public online school so we actually have teachers, we’re not just taught by my parents… I really like the one-on-one time I get with my teachers.”
When asked for a reaction to the comment that people who home school don’t have a social life, Joe said, “I don’t think being home school means you don’t have a social life…I have friends from church… I know many of kids up at the high school and I’m part of the swim team also.”
Jordan agrees with Joe saying that he meets people through activities like swimming, track, and home school.
Homeschooling though sometimes looked down upon, is becoming more and more popular throughout America. From the perspective of these two local students that home school, it is an effective and enjoyable way to learn and educate.
