Is homeschooling beneficial or detrimental to children?

Bloke (Expat in China)

The key is to remember homeschooling doesn't have to be one child at home with one parent or tutor. In fact, this is the kind of homeschooling which most people frown upon and which, I believe, is detrimental to the child's well rounded development. No. The best kind of homeschooling is a group of families homeschooling their children together, so there is still some social interaction while also allowing parents to share the workload while perhaps teaching things each parent is more knowledgeable. But the key is independence and motivation. The independence of this learning style is why so many home schooled children score higher average grades, they learn how to learn which most public schools don't fully teach. Motivation is the one area the parents need to focus on, keeping their children focused on learning and completing the basic requirements needed to pass tests. Yes, they still need to pass exams like every other student, they just have more freedom and autonomy in their learning. So if you can find a few other parents with similar aged children as yours, consider the idea of group homeschooling.

Allison Walsh, center, teaches her 7-year-old twin second graders, Annabelle, left, and Rowen, at their West Friendship, Md., home on Sept. 14, 2015. [Photo/IC]