The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

The Official Student News Media of Southeastern Louisiana University

The Lion's Roar

    Alternative education

    house graphic

    Graphic by Cyprien Campeaux

    College students come from a variety of educational backgrounds. For some, the type of secondary education they received has a major influence on their success at the university level.

    Teenagers can receive their high school education at public schools, private schools such as Christian or Montessori schools, boarding schools, lab schools and home schooling. 

    Despite what some may think, no type of secondary education has been proven to always be better than another. Home-schooled students study the same subjects as those attending public and private schools, just in a different environment and at a different pace. 

    Sophomore accounting major Madelyn Ledoux was home-schooled with her siblings and says she received a good education she would not trade for anything.

    “I feel as though home schooling prepared me well for college because of the amount of independent study it required of me,” said Ledoux. “Being able to self-teach out of a textbook and learning to study on my own are valuable skills I utilize in college daily.”  

    History graduate student Katy Flynn said her home schooling curriculum in high school thoroughly prepared her for college. Tests were rarely multiple choices, and she began writing lengthy papers as a freshman. Flynn also gained experience writing timed papers in junior and senior year English courses, were beneficial in her first English course at Southeastern. 

    “For me, I think home schooling was an excellent route,” said Flynn. “Nothing else available at the time would have provided me with a better education. While I was between home school groups, there were times I wished I was in a classroom with friends, but even then I knew I was getting the best education possible for me.” 

    Some students who attended private and public high schools felt they received a decent education, although every school and curriculum is different. Where some public schools are known for good programs, some private schools fail to hit the mark. Irene Marino, a sophomore majoring in early childhood education who attended De La Salle Catholic High School in New Orleans, found she received a great education from her challenging courses, but she felt unprepared in one subject when she came to Southeastern.

    “The only area that De La Salle could have improved on was their math classes,” said Marino. “I am currently struggling with college algebra because algebra was not properly taught at De La Salle. Other than math, De La Salle definitely got me prepared for everything else.”

    According to Flynn, the cumulative learning curriculum for high school home schoolers helped her with different college courses including education courses in her undergraduate years. The work load in college has not flustered her because of her previous education.

    “If I were to be home-schooled, I think I would have had a higher GPA because there are no distractions with other students and drama,” said Marino. “However, if I were home-schooled, I feel that my social skills would be off.” 

    According to the study “Exploring Academic Outcomes of Homeschooled Students” by Michael Cogan of University of St. Thomas, students who came from a home schooling background graduated at a higher rate than their private and public-schooled peers and with a higher GPA. 

    Poor socialization is a common misconception people have about home school education. Author and parenting expert Joe Kelly home-schooled his twin daughters. According to a quote by Kelly in the U.S. News story “Homeschooled Teens Ripe for College,” socialization is not an issue for home-schoolers as most people assume because these students have more time to get out and pursue activities and encounter people of all ages. 

    As stated by Brian D. Ray, Ph.D. on the National Home Education Research Institute Research Facts webpage, “Homeschool students are regularly engaged in social and educational activities outside their homes and with people other than their nuclear-family members. They are commonly involved in activities such as field trips, scouting, 4-H, political drives, church ministry, sports teams and community volunteer work.” 

    Ledoux said although she sometimes felt she missed out on things she would have experienced at a conventional school, she would still choose home schooling over any other type of secondary education. 

    Research by the NHERI shows home schooling has grown in popularity over the last few years, and students who are home-educated typically score 15 to 30 percentile points above students who attended public schools on standardized academic achievement tests. 

    “How well you do in college also depends largely on you making time to study, getting yourself to class, being independent and self-reliant,” said Flynn. “Home schooling is a lot like that. After I got to high school, nobody was looking over my shoulder every day.” 

    Regardless of a student’s educational background, college is a place to study, participate in activities and socialize with peers, and campus is the perfect place to meet people of all types of upbringings, cultures and schoolings. Students from all types of high schools diverge in college, take the same courses and have the same responsibilities. The keys to a successful academic career at the university level are time management, attending classes, studying and finding a tutor when necessary. 

     
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