Pros and Cons of Homeschooling

             Have you ever heard about homeschooling? Homeschooling is an educational program that students study only at home. It becomes an attractive choice for parents in our society. Nowadays parents choose homeschooling for their children. It is because parents think that formal schools have less quality of education this time. Actually, there are some pros and cons of homeschooling.

            Recently, a study demonstrated that homeschooling is the single fastest growing educational trend in the United States, and this trend is expending worldwide. The first reason why people choose homeschooling as a good educational program is most homeschooled students have the choice to study and learned what they want, when they want, for as long as they want. Homeschooling give freedom for the students to study as they want. It depends on the appointment between parents, students, and teachers. Besides, homeschooled students also have more rest time than traditional school students. Homeschooled teachers seldom give many tasks for the students. As the result, the students are not really busy with homework.

            Second, homeschooling shows emotional freedom. There is no peer pressure, competition, boredom, and bullies like what happen in formal schools. Furthermore, homeschooled students can dress, act, and think the way they want.

            Third, students have more interaction with the teachers. That is why the teachers know students’ ability. Teachers can help the student to be better in studying. For example, if a child is has a problem in English; a homeschooling teacher more focus on that lesson or skill. By homeschooling, students are expected to get better lesson.

            Furthermore, the cost of homeschooling is cheaper the government spends on each child. The parents have to pay their child’s education out of their own pocket. This is difficult for most parents who live on a tight income.

            On the other hand, homeschooling also has disadvantages. In homeschooling, students cannot socialize with friends. They have no friends to share when studying. They cannot learn how to study in groups. There is no time for playing or joking with friends in the classroom. Because of that, the students cannot interact with other friends well.

            Next, homeschooling educational program is different from formal schools program. Sometimes the parents have to choose good quality teachers to teach their children. A homeschooled teacher has to design a school program by himself / herself.  However, the professional teachers in traditional schools are better than homeschooled teachers. The formal schools teachers know how to teach well.

            In addition, homeschooling means one parent has to be home. The parent has controlled her or his child at home in learning process. Besides, the parent also become closer to her or his child.

            Therefore, homeschooling has some pros and cons. If the parents want the children in homeschooling, the parents should choose a good quality teacher. So, the children will get a proper educational program. However, choosing traditional schools with their benefits is much better than homeschooling.

 

Bibliography

Disadvantages of Homeschooling. Retrieved on July 2^nd, 2014 from www.homeschool-companion.com/disadvantages-of-homeschooling.html

Homeschooling. Retrieved on July 2^nd, 2014 from www.homeschoolfacts.com/index.php

Homeschooling. Retrieved on July 2^nd, 2014 from www.sekolahoke.com/2012/01-discussion-text-schooling.html

Shaw, Isabel. The Pros and Cons of Homeschooling. Retrieved on July 2^nd, 2014 from www.School.Familyeducation.Com/Home-Schooling/Parenting/29861.Html

http://www.pros-and-cons-of-homeschooling.com/disadvantages-of-homeschooling.html Retrieved on July 16th, 2014

http://www.pros-and-cons-of-homeschooling.com/advantage-of-homeschooling.html Retrieved on July 16th, 2014

Sisters by Heart

The most important people in our life are family. I am very close to my brothers and sisters. We love each other because we have the same blood. However, for me, sisters or brothers are not only a relationship by blood but also can be a relationship by heart. I have a close person that I regard her as my sister; even she has great influence in my life. Although we have different blood, we love each other like real sisters. We are not sisters by blood, but sisters by heart.

Three years ago, I started to a new part of my life as a university student in Padang. It was the first time for me to live far away from my family. I lived in a boarding house near the campus. Because my first boarding house is expensive, I moved to another boarding house six months later. After living there for some days, I had become friends with some boarding house mates. It was always easy for me to get close to other people. However, there was a very quiet mate and I realized that it was very hard for me to communicate and get close to her. She is two years older than me. She is really different from other people I had met before.

At the first time, I thought that she was very strange. She only wanted to speak few words, especially with strangers. Then, I tried to find out more about her. I started from asking her roommate first. From her roommate’s explanation, I knew much more about her and I had already known the reasons why she acted like that. One of the reasons is because of her bad relationship with her parents and friends. She was always sad and moody. She also rarely smiled. She often cried. That is why she did not have friends. Then, I challenged myself to get close with her and make some changes for her.

After that, I tried to get close with her. I always try to communicate with her. Few days later, I began feeling that she was happy to know me. It seemed that she began being opened to me. I knew that she was much closed to other people before. She did not want to share with others, especially about her personal problems. I was glad. I felt that we are closer than before. She really cares about me, not only as a friend but also as a sister. She had changed. She always smiled and be happy.

However, after we were close each other, we had some conflicts. We always argued each other. There were many things made us fought. Finally, there was a big problem between us and then, we did not communicate each other anymore for more than three months. I never heard any news about her anymore.

 Four months passed. I tried to get any news about her. I knew that she had changed again to become she was before she knew me, even she become worse than before. Finally, I tried to communicate with her again. At first, she did not give a good response. However, we finally communicate and talk as before until now.

After that, we become closer. I realized that she is not a friend for me but she is an older sister. She likes to give me many suggestions. I didn’t like to accept her suggestions before because I thought that she treated me like a child. However, now I realized that all what she always suggests me are good for myself. She acts like a real older sister for me. She teaches me many things. She always reminds me not to go out at night, to be discipline in praying, to study hard, and many others. It becomes new good habits for me. Actually, I was very lazy to do all what she wants but finally I enjoyed doing them all. She also never forgets to remind me about how hard my parents to get money for their children are. It makes me always realize that I have to finish my study soon. Then, I feel so blessed to regard her as my older sister in my life.

I know that I am totally different from my sister by heart but we always try to understand each other. Besides, we also come from different background of life. Furthermore, the biggest difference is that we are not related by blood. Actually, it is not always easy to make a friend becomes a sister, especially two people with different personalities. It needs a very long process. However, as long as we both always understand each other, we do believe that we will be sisters by heart forever.

My Efforts to Get Score A in Writing 2

In Writing 2 class before, I got score that I did not expect. I got score C. Then, I retake this course again in short term semester. I really want to get score A in this class now. Because of that, I have to do some efforts to get score A.

First of all, I will increase my vocabulary in order to make better sentences. Whenever I find difficult words, I will consult my dictionary to know their meanings. Then, I will write them down on a notebook. After that, I will read and memorize them every day. Furthermore, I will put some words in a piece of a big paper. Next, I will stick them on my room’s wall.

Second, I will learn about grammar by myself. Then, I will ask the lecturer to get more understanding about grammar. Not only from lecturers, but I also can learn about grammar from my friends. I may also ask friends who good at grammar are.

Third, I will discuss my writing with my friends in the classroom and also outside the classroom. I will ask them to give comments about my writing. Then, I will learn from the comments of my writing. I will consider about my friends’ comments about my writing and then I will make a new revision of my writing based their comments.

Last but not least, I will also read more books or articles to get more knowledge and ideas to improve my writing skill. I can also have more ideas to choose an interesting topic before writing. Choosing an interesting topic will make others want to read my writing well. 

In summary, I will try to do all the efforts above in order to get score A in Writing 2. For example, by increasing my vocabulary, learning more about the grammar, discussing my writing with friends, and reading more books and articles.

My Weaknesses and Strengths in Writing

Writing skill is one of skills that should be mastered by English students. However, I cannot master the writing skill well though I am an English student. I have some difficulties to do writing. It happens because I have some weaknesses. On the other hand, I also have some strengths. Here, I will explain about my weaknesses and strengths in writing.

There are some weaknesses of mine in writing. First, I am lack of vocabulary. I do not have many vocabularies to improve my writing skill. It is hard for me to memorize some words and their meanings. Sometimes I feel lazy too to add my vocabulary even though my friends have told me some easy ways to increase and memorize the vocabulary. Furthermore, when I got a new vocabulary, sometimes I forgot about some vocabulary that I have before. It is because I used the words rarely, especially in writing. That is why I only have less vocabulary.

Another weakness is that I am not really good in grammar. Sometimes I feel confused how to use the correct tenses in writing. There are many tenses in grammar but it is hard for to memorize and differentiate some of the usages. Because of that, I cannot write well in English.

On the contrary, I also have some strengths in writing. I am an optimistic person. When doing writing, I feel free to share what I feel and what I want to write. Besides, I really enjoy expressing many things by doing writing.

Furthermore, I am also an imaginative and creative person. I have many ideas to write, especially in writing imaginative stories. I like to use my imagination when I am doing writing. Can make a good and creative writing as what I think. It makes me fill enjoy writing. Then, I use my imagination to make my writing becomes more interesting.

In conclusion, there are some weaknesses and strengths of mine in writing. As mastering writing is a must for an English student, I will always try to reduce my weaknesses. I will do some efforts to master writing skill, such as by increasing my vocabulary. Therefore, I can improve myself to be better than I am before, especially in writing skill.