The Future of Homeschooling through the Internet – Part B
Technology has revolutionized the way kids are taught. Some say nothing will replace the good ol’ “teacher and blackboard” method, and there may be something to that, but there are alternatives. Unlike in previous years, where homeschooling was a very daunting task for the everyday parent, technology has come through in a very big way for those who are interested in schooling their kids.
Many parents are unsatisfied with the way the schools are being run. They are disappointed with the staff, the higher-ups, the politicians, and the constant budget cuts with which the education in this country has to deal each and every year.
Perhaps nothing can replace the original school-going experience, but then again that is not necessarily a bad thing. Everyone agrees that schools are not what they used to be. The educational system is, in many cases, a very rigid one.
Of course there are better schools. You can find them if you look, but even then – more often than not – it aims to have kids conform to its ways, study its curriculum, and ace its exams on the way to the next system. Some parents, myself included, are finding that very difficult to accept, and are looking for viable alternatives.
Homeschooling is a way for parents and children to reconnect. When we are children, we and our parents are constantly engaged in mutual education. We are always learning and discovering things from one another, even if we are not aware of it. Teaching kids does not have to be such a scary thing. Unlike a classroom, you don’t have 20-40 kids to handle.
Whether you choose to go with the classic “school at home” type of schooling, or whether you choose to educate your children with the more liberal “unschooling” approach – the internet has a lot to offer both you and your students.
Thanks to the internet, you can now confidently teach your children the very same classes of which you yourself were terrified. It can be done, because the internet has so many resources and tools, geared specifically to the homeschooling crowd. It’s not going to be easy. By definition, education is never easy. It is a process which takes a lot out of both student and teacher. When we decide to homeschool our kids, we are really saying that we want to be a lot more involved in shaping them and their future.
That is definitely something amazing, and it should be embraced and cultivated. Parents and children have been homeschooling one another for countless generations. And now, thanks to sites which host online forums and communities for homeschoolers, it has gotten that much easier.
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