Should children be homeschooled?

Montessori allows for a unique educational format

Question: Should children be homeschooled?
Position‹3 of 3: Children should be educated through a middle-ground method
Argument1 of 3›: Montessori allows for a unique educational format

Children are permitted to explore and learn on their own terms.

The argument

Montessori is offered here as a genuine middle ground between homeschooling and conventional schooling, and the case for it begins with what distinguishes it from both. Coined by Maria Montessori, the method is built on self-directed activity, hands-on learning and collaborative play. In practice this means children are given the freedom to work in groups and to explore what they would like to learn about, rather than being told to study a specific subject at a specific time. The structure of a conventional timetable — a fixed sequence of subjects imposed on every child alike — is simply absent. What the method offers, on this argument, is a particular balance rather than an absence of structure. Children are presented with given activities, so the learning is not left to whatever a child happens to think of; but the choice of which to pursue, and how far to follow it, belongs to them. The combination of natural interest with a prepared set of activities limits the curriculum, and proponents accept that it does. The trade is that it simultaneously allows the power of choice, and it is the choice that makes the difference to how children engage with the work. That trade is the point for the parents proponents have in mind. Many want their children to be excited about learning rather than compliant with it, and excitement is difficult to produce from a schedule a child had no part in setting. A hands-on, child-driven format suits students who learn that way, and following a child's interest rather than overriding it helps foster and grow those individual interests, right up until high school. Because Montessori offers a unique educational format that is neither homeschooling nor conventional instruction, this argument concludes, it is a strong middle-ground method.

Premises

[P1]Montessori is a self-directed, hands-on method in which children explore what they want to learn rather than following a fixed schedule. [P2] It suits students who want education to be child-driven, balancing given activities with the power of choice. [P3] This keeps children excited about learning and fosters their individual interests. [C] Therefore, as a unique educational format, Montessori is a strong middle-ground method between homeschooling and conventional schooling.

Counter-arguments

Self-directed education is not for all children. Some kids just work better with the explicit guidance of an adult, or a more standard curriculum. Much like homeschooling, this style of learning is definitely not for everyone.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P3] Montessori schooling is not necessarily a positive experience for everyone.