Is Homeschooling the Best Title for the Education Method?

Homeschooling is many things. But, does it have the correct title? This title implies that schooling is done completely at home, which is very far from the average "homeschool". Most homeschooling parents hold classes in museums, libraries, factories, and countless other public places. Homeschooling is not really homeschooling for most people that actually do it. Sure, there is written work, but the average homeschooled child receives more hands-on work and work outside of the home than he does at home. Who chose the title for homeschooling? Does anyone really know?

An alternative title for homeschooling could be hands-on schooling. Many homeschoolers engage in hands-on work daily. It would be an appropriate fit. Sculpting a clay model of the Egyptian Pyramids certainly should be called hands-on. Acting in a play about slavery? Yes, that's hands-on as well. Learning how to care for and feed a real child, rather than an egg or bag of sugar, for sex education is definitely a hands-on experience. Volunteering to help the local soup kitchen to learn a lesson about poverty and helping others sounds like hands-on to me.

Hands-on schooling has a desirable ring to it. It sounds more professional and accurate. Whoever chose the title for homeschooling apparently didn't know much about it. This person must have had the misconception that a child who doesn't go to traditional school is forced to sit at home all day. A hands-on schooler would never do that. Hands-on schoolers require socialization and teamwork. They require knowledge from doing something rather than reading it from a book. A hands-on schooler is an excellent reader. He just prefers to do it in the park, not inside an old cabin with no power. A hands-on schooler does not wear aprons and skirts to her ankles, but rather something more comfortable to work in.