Why Homeschool Middle School Students

Middle school usually encompasses grades six through eight.  This is the age when most young people turn to drugs or alcohol or end up in some other sort of trouble.  Middle school is the turning point for many young people.  It is at this juncture that they decide which path they want to choose in life.  For this reason, many parents opt to home school middle school students.

Middle school is still considered grammar school.  Upon graduation from the eighth grade, a student is then ready to attend high school.  Many parents who home school middle school students then allow the child to attend public high school.  A good percentage of parents who choose home schooling for their children only home school until the eighth grade, although the percentage of parents who are home schooling high school students is growing.

Homeschooling has really become mainstream over the past ten years.  Prior to that, the only children who were home schooled were those who were taught by tutors.  These children were usually ill and could not make it to school.  Because of the battles between religious institutions and pubic school teachings, many parents opted to remove their children from public schools and teach them at home.  They did not feel they should have to pay for a religious education when their tax dollars were going to pay for the public school.  The home schooling movement was born on the backs of the religious right. 

Eventually, other people began to see the benefits of home schooling.  Children who were home schooled generally did better in academics than those who attended traditional school.  There were no drug problems and parents had a bit more control over their child’s environment.  Although most parents realized that this would not last forever, they strove to make sure that their child stayed on the right path and did not get mixed up with drugs, alcohol or gangs, as many other middle school students.  After shootings at several middle schools, some parents felt it was safer to home school middle school students. 

In order to home school middle school students, a parent must be able to prove that they are qualified to teach their child the basic information that they need to graduate the eighth grade.  A parent is usually tested on a state level.  They are given a curriculum which they have to follow and their child must take a certain number of state mandated tests a year to prove that the home schooling is working.  A parent who wishes to home school middle school students must also be certain that he or she prepares the student for high school and should teach the child basic socialization skills.

One of the negative aspects about home schooling is the lack of social interaction that these children have with other children.  While it is beneficial for children not to have to interact with violent gang members, drug addicts and bullies, it is also imperative that a child learn how to say no to drugs and deviant behavior and how to deal with bullies as they are bound to run across these type of people throughout their lives.  For this reason, many parents who home school middle school students strive to incorporate some sort of social structure into the life of the child.  They opt to send their child to extracurricular activities either through their park department or even their public school.  If the parents are active in the church, they can also send their child to a youth group at the church in an effort to ease them into the social world. 

Homeschooling is not for everyone, however it has become more common today.  Many parents are willing to forgo the social aspect of traditional school in favor of their children doing well academically and learning in a safe environment.  Many parents choose to home school middle school students to keep them on the right path until they are ready for high school, at which time they will most likely have to make their own decisions.