More room for individualized instruction

Re " Opting out of the classroom: Parents explore home-schooling," Nov. 10 article:

I now understand the appeal of home-schooling. Many parents are unhappy with the Common Core and hope things change soon. The Common Core gives teachers a year-round schedule. My teachers dislike this because they think there's a big difference between a good teacher with opinions and thoughts to share, and a teacher who couldn't care less about the students and just wants that monthly paycheck.

With home-schooling, all ideas are shared with nothing holding back the extent of the curriculum. Danielle Widney's statement, "Not all students learn the same way," is where home-schooling is superior.

In regular school, even with the honors classes, there is no individualized instruction because there are about 20 kids in each class and the period can only be so long. While being home-schooled the focus is much more individualized.

What differentiates home-schooling from regular school education is schedule flexibility. In regular school a student has a specific schedule both the students and teachers have to stick to, making the day boring even if the classes and teachers are great.

Today the online resources help parents. Most parents I know would fear for their child's social life and think someone who is homeschooled won't have any friends. However, by doing fun outdoor activities this problem can be avoided if the parents plan functions with other kids in the neighborhood.

Home-schooling seems the most effective way of teaching in today's society.

Trevor Straub

Cordlandt Manor

Home-school option looks brighter


Home-schooling now seems like an obvious choice; I'm a high-schooler who has been affected by the intensive Common Core requirements and it hasn't been exactly easy.

As students in public schools, we are no longer being taught information for the pure purpose of learning. We are just memorizing the important facts so we can pass each test. How is this style of learning supposed to help us become knowledgeable? The problem is, it won't.

Home-schooling provides kids with a chance to immerse themselves in education unlike us, the ways they can be taught are limitless. Without Common Core, students don't feel pressured to meet expectations the state has. Their stress levels must be incredibly lower too; they won't find themselves staying up all hours of the night just so they can finish homework.

I don't understand why there are concerns with home-schooling, because home-schooled children receive more social experiences. They can go out, explore the world and meet new people; meanwhile, I'm in a school constantly being told to keep quiet, that it isn't the time to socialize. Yet, it's six hours of my day!

We aren't learning proper social skills that we will need when we are older, and parents wonder why kids don't talk on the phone or in person as often anymore. I'm not surprised that the numbers of home-schooled kids has increased over the years because of all of its benefits.

Danielle Merante


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