Centuries ago, in many countries and cultures, homeschooling was the only option available. Children were educated in a specific skill which would have lead to an occupation later on. For girls it was mainly about cooking, handwork and house management while boys were trained in the skills of the military. This differed from country to country and culture to culture. It was mainly elite groups that had the assistance of outside trainers such as the governess in the Victorian times.
Alexander the Great was homeschooled by Aristotle 2500 year ago and some resources see that as the first example of homeschooling. It is, however, so that many children were homeschooled until the late 19th century when governments introduced legislation that forced parents to send children to public schools.
Homeschooling as we know it today is believed to have started around 1960. John Holt’s name appears as the person that initiated the road back to homeschooling. He was a teacher and Ivy League graduate, unhappy with the public school system. Reforming the public schools was an impossible and task he started looking at homeschooling. He believed learning should be initiated by a child’s natural curiosity and not by a structured system. He wrote and researched this extensively over a period of 20 years.
Raymond Moore was another believer in homeschooling. His arguments against public schooling came from his Christian point of view. He believes parents should be responsible for children’s education to ensure that the education is morally and spiritually accountable.
Around the early eighties state laws in America that prohibited homeschooling started to change and today homeschooling is an acceptable alternative for parents. Tax regulations changed for Christian schools in the 1980s which resulted in some of the smaller schools closing down. Most of the parents affected by this chose to rather homeschool their children than sending them to a public school.
The internet has become a major resource for homeschooling parents with many useful websites and online curriculum. A large number of support groups as well as news letters and other resources make it easy for parents who choose homeschooling. Parents have various reasons for choosing homeschooling of which religion and the deterioration of discipline in public schools are some of the most offered.
Research shows that by the end of 2009 up to 2 million learners in America will be in homeschooling.
