Last night, I read Josie Bloss’s Faking Faith and couldn’t put it down! Here is a review of the book that’s pretty accurate. I didn’t run in these circles, but I’m about a degree of separation away. Bloss’s choice of topic surprised me, as the subculture she described is not one that everyone is aware of. If you have a free evening, check it out!
I wanted to write a little about homeschooling honestly and realistically, after observing many of the pitfalls. Now that a large group of people I know have graduated, it’s been interesting to see where they have ended up and how certain factors have contributed to their success (or lack of). I’ll try not to be to specific, but to be honest, I have quite a few specifics reeling around in my mind. This is about as restrained as I could be.
Some of the bright homeschooled students receive publicity, and many think that homeschooling provides an overall better education. While it certainly can, it often doesn’t. It’s easy enough for you to look up the homeschool geniuses, but let me tell you a few of the secrets, as a former homeschooler.
Math and writing are the two subjects that get left out the most, just like in the public sector. I’ve known homeschool graduates who can’t put together a five paragraph essay or do basic algebra. Let’s just say that the community colleges in my area get their fair share of homeschoolers in remedial math and writing classes.
What’s in that comic strip is just as much true, if not more, for parents!
People who aren’t organized aren’t as successful at homeschooling. When you homeschool, you not only have to be able to teach the content (or use a teacher’s manual successfully), but you have to be the secretary, the school counselor**, the scheduler…the WORKS. Disorganized homeschool parents create disorganized, frustrated, poorly prepared kids. There just isn’t a lot of accountability with homeschooling in certain states, (which is what many people want).
Homeschooling doesn’t have a lot of diversity. While your school district might not be diverse, homeschooling is even less so. According the the HSLDA, 82% of homeschoolers are protestant, and 12% are Catholic. I’m not even going to start on race. Exposure to other cultures, religions, and ideas can happen, but it takes great effort on the parents’ part. So many homeschoolers roll their eyes at “socialization”. While homeschoolers do get socialized, their circles are often more limited (which is what some parents want) and they are exposed to more unusual people groups. In spite of my mom’s efforts, I grew up thinking that a lot of things were normal that actually weren’t normal, because everyone around me did them. It took a degree at a state university and a crazy post-college job experience to whack that out of me!
Because homeschooling is a countercultural movement, it attracts those who like to buck the system…just for the heck of it. There are big religious and political nuts in homeschooling. Many of the stereotypes you’ve seen ARE true, contrary to the efforts of many to dissuade the public. There are also nice religious people, and I know many of them….but the others are there, too!
All this being said, most of my closest friends are former homeschoolers, and they are all pretty normal. 🙂 It’s not fair to elevate a particular system above another, and I think that homeschooling can get both an overly negative and overly positive rap.
It can’t guarantee academic success, and it can’t protect or shelter, even if kids are cooped up on a farm. Human nature is human nature, as we all saw in The Village. It’s not inherently better or safer than any other form of schooling, and I’ve seen a lot of homeschool parents fall prey to that type of thinking.
**I wanted to highlight this, because it’s a big problem. Preparing for college depends solely on the parent’s initiative, which often doesn’t start till late junior or senior year. There’s a lot of preparation and research that has to be done, and let me tell you, it doesn’t happen all the time. I’ve seen brilliant kids, even ones with great first-time SAT scores, held back because of a failure on the parents’ part to navigate the college prep experience. I could tell you stuff that would make you sick to your stomach for days.
Also, I’m well aware that this happens in both public and private schools. Just want to make sure we’re all equals here. 😉
For your enjoyment…
Antigone's Clamor 
In my area, there are LOTS of homeschooling parents. Generally, the assumption is that if your kids are really bright, parents will eschew public education. Honestly, I have considered it. I don’t feel called to homeschool my child, but the current system is failing him. No Child Left Behind means the bright ones are left to fend for themselves. I’d rather homeschool than have him hate school. But it’s a last resort for me. Like I said, I don’t feel called.
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We’ve got a lot around here, too, but we also have some fabulous public and private schools. I think a lot of people choose to homeschool because of their location. NCLB had some major drawbacks. I’m always torn between the idea of trying to improve the system and withdrawing from it. In a way, it can become a kind of moral issue. There’s just so much that goes into school decisions!
I’m glad there are people who can do it with quality, and I’m glad you know people like that! I do as well.
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Preach it, sistah! Haha! This Is a great post, an I absolutely agree with you. Structure and organization are vital to homeschool success, otherwise the kids don’t get a good foundation of study habits and discipline. However, I think you overlooked one aspect of homeschooling that I think is the most important.
Freedom.
Yes, you still have to do school, but you are not corralled around like cattle, nor are you required to line up like military cadets. You are not judged or belittled by others, and you have a greater sense of personal identity. Granted, this isn’t the case will all homeschoolers, but most of the ones I know – like you – are successful college students now, and they don’t bear the scars of High School like so many other public/private schoolers I know.
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Thanks, Tim! I’m going to write a post on the positive side, so don’t worry. 🙂 I’ll be sure to include your thoughts!
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I think Homeschooling is doing something right by acknowledging that home should provide the primary source of education. However, after being homeschooled, I would agree with much of what you say and if I have kids I seriously doubt I would ever have them homeschooled. But just because you go to public school doesn’t mean that you can’t find education at home. I’m a sophomore in college and I am still being educated every time I visit home.
I would also contest that homeschoolers have more freedom and personal identity. It seems like most of that is usurped by the parents who stick their kids in middle-class WASPland
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Thanks for this interesting insight. We have nothing like this where I’m from (Australia). I think you’re the most balanced person I’ve heard talking about this subject.
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Really? What types of education do you have in Australia? I’m sadly uneducated on education outside of the US.
I really appreciate that! It’s challenging to be unbiased, and while I don’t think I am, I work hard to be that way. Thank you for stopping by to comment!!
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As far as I know, we just don’t have home-schooling in Australia. Almost everyone goes to school (whether it is public or private). The only kids who are schooled from home are those who live in really remote areas in the outback. Even then, they attend school by radio (or these days, probably by internet) where a teacher conducts classes and a whole bunch of kids listen in and participate. (There’s an interesting site about this here: http://www.assoa.nt.edu.au/).
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Interesting…I have not heard of anything like that! It seems like that system would prevent other kids from being left behind. Thanks for sharing!!
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I homeschooled my kids for one year. I thought my daughter would benefit from some one-on-one. She did. She did amazingly well, especially in math and reading. My son asked to be homeschooled because he thought it would be easy; however, I made him do so much work that he asked to back to school because it was easier. When I sent them back to school, my daughter already knew most of the fourth grade math and my son is getting all A’s. Their teachers were a little surprised, because they expected less. I think homeschooling was good for my kids academically. They covered a lot more material than in school and weren’t limited by twenty other kids in their class.
I sent them back to school though, after only one year. It was horrible for them to be cooped up in the house. It was horrible for me too! We’re just social people and our twice a month homeschooling group didn’t provide adequate socialization for us. We also have a very different philosophy on life than many of the other homeschooling families we socialized with. So, our connections were weak.
Anyway, I feel like I’ve just shared our entire academic life and I’m not certain what prompted me. Thanks for listening anyway. 😉 I personally feel like homeschooling offered my family some benefits, but not enough to do it for any length of time. I know all families are different and it works extremely well for some.
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You’ve got a great attitude about it! Some people are “homeschool or die”… Sounds like you were a good teacher!
My mom had the same problem when we were all in elementary school. There just aren’t as many options for socializing when kids are that age and homeschooled. She was always running around, trying to find different activities and ways to stay connected, but I wasn’t in a solid circle until 8th grade. We had church stuff, but many of the church kids were connected with their schools. And yes, she had the same problem as you did with the “philosophy”. She was much more liberal than the others in our community who homeschooled. Unless you conform to the dogma of certain groups, you can be left out. I think that’s unfortunate.
I always like to hear about other’s experiences! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
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I think it’s a personal choice, but as a parent and an educator, I tend to favor traditional schooling. I’m a reading specialist and I’ve seen parents pull out their problem reader b/c they think they can teach them better at home, but they’re not trained for that. The poor child suffers… and so does the parent.
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Laurie,
I very much respect that view. If I had especially bright kids and lived in a bad district, then I’d most likely homeschool. If I was in a good district, I’d probably lean toward traditional schooling as well. That’s a huge problem! I’m not sure why some people don’t just outsource. Thanks for sharing your story! There are so many facets to education and not a one-size-fits-all answer, like many proponents on both sides thing. I appreciate you stopping by. 🙂
Lara
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Homeschooling is very rare in Australia and on the occasion when you do see it, it’s because of location rather than preference. Those children who are homeschooled have to to stick to a very strict curriculum and are tested regularly.
I am very fortunate to live in a place that has great schools and choice. I do know a teacher in America and so know of some of the issues involved in school districts. I watched Waiting for Superman and sobbed at the problems those families have. I wish there were a solution to the education problem that didn’t involve homeschooling. I believe in school and great teachers and I wish education and educators were respected and rewarded.
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There is absolutely no substitute for a great education! It has to happen in the books as well as in the outside world, I think. There are plenty of poor educators and great educators that I know. Thanks for the comment, Kate!!
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Thank you for a balanced viewpoint- as an old homeschooler for part of the time with some of my children, I agree with your analysis. Sometimes, I think, young people need a break from the school system for a bit and then return. I wonder how a flexible system would work and if it would be possible as a general principle.
Thanks for liking my blog, by the way, and how great it is to connect with such a wide variety of interesting and dear people- I am still in awe of this blogging lark!
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Yes, that can help, too, especially if there are behavioral issues. It definitely depends on the parents’ sense and initiative.
It’s amazing how we stumble upon people on wordpress! I find it quite fun. Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
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