Lee Johnson

Com 301
Professor Retberg
22 October 2014
Homeschool Debate Outline
Introduction
1. Education is a crucial component of ones physical and mental growth. It is
what shapes us to be who we are, and without education, we would not have
the ability to not only live, but to thrive. If one doesnt obtain an education
that can help advance this important growth, what is the point of it?
Homeschooling proves to be unsystematic in approach; it lacks resources, and
can be detrimental to family life.
Body
1. Homeschooling is unsystematic in approach and lacks major government
regulation.
A. Government regulation is crucial for education because it helps track the
quality of an education.
B. Certain states require some tests to be administered to homeschooled
children, but as a whole there is no way to actively track a homeschooled
childs progress.
C. According to the Education Commission of the United States, most states
do not require parents to obtain any sort of teaching certificate in order to
home school their children. Only half the states monitor home-schooled
students educational progress by requiring any sort of evaluation, such as
a test, portfolio, or teacher evaluation (Education Week).
a.
According to my visual aid that comes from a published
work in the New York Times, 8/50 states have no
regulation at all when it comes to homeschooling a child.
35/50 states have a low amount of regulation for
homeschooling a child. Only 7/50 states has a high
amount of regulation that tracks the homeschooled child
through tests and other examinations.
b.
Seeing taxpayer money allocated towards homeschool
regulations is difficult to comprehend knowing such a
small amount of people use it.
2. Homeschooling shows a major pitfall with the lack of resources available to
an average person.
A. No matter how hard working a parent can be, having someone who is
trained in teaching a specific grade level and/or subject matter is
imperative and cant be reenacted by just any person.
a. Diane Flynn Keith, a homeschooling mother, shares that unreal
expectations haunt many parents trying to balance not only giving
their kids undivided attention, but also trying to fulfill other
household chores (Keith).

b. I will touch on this point more later but with such lack of access to
full-time staff dedicated to helping a child succeed, why would you
as a homeschooling parent want to spread yourself so thin not only
as a teacher, but as a parent.
B. Can homeschoolers enroll in public schools?
a. Parents are more and more often trying to partner with private
schools as well as public schools to gain resources such as
textbooks and access to teachers, as well as sports and
extracurricular activities, so why not go to the school in the first
place?
b. According to Chris Khlicka, the reason the answer is vague is
because there is no fundamental right for any child to have access
to the public schools in the U.S. Constitution or any state
constitution(Khlicka).
3. The effect on a homeschoolers family life is profoundly negative.
A. Financial stress is a major issue when homeschooling.
a. The ability to overspend is made easy with homeschooling, some
people reportedly spending over $2000 per year on curriculums
alone.
b. This doesnt include field trips, music lessons, or other
extracurricular activities that publicschoolers have access to.
c. When married, a parent often leaves fulltime employment to tend
to their childs every need, so this cuts off a vital source of income
which is crucial in maintaining a certain way of life.
B. Time is an issue when parents can only be spread so thin.
a. Planning, driving to, and participating in all the activities take up a
bulk of the day (Shaw).
b. Parents are depended on schooling, shuttling, as well as being parents.
C. Parents who are willing to do all this for their children show passion, but
this can be overbearing.
a. Parents who are overbearing can hurt a kids social life and sense of
independence.
b. Parents essentially pick a childs social circle, and this can be a good
thing avoiding certain peer pressure, but this can also keep a child
dependent on their parents and avoid certain growth from doing this
themselves.
Conclusion
1. Homeschooling used to be illegal in the United States, and I dont agree with
that. With all children learning differently, the kind of education a parent gives their
children should definitely be a choice them, and for small minority homeschooling might
be the right choice. Setting up a child for success is a parents goal, and homeschooling
doesnt give a child the access to unlimited resources like a public or private school
education provides. Homeschooling removes a childs independence in picking friends,
extracurricular activities, as well as limits the options for both. Not only is it
uneconomical by taking away teaching positions in public schools; it makes government

spent resources go to waste. Although my opponent makes strong arguments with

academic success rates, there is no justification for limiting mental and physical growth
that one gains in a highly structured institution.