Homeschooling Myths: 4 Stereotypes About Us That You Need Education On

Culture

I’m not really sure why homeschooling gets a bad rap. Sure some of us are weird, but many of us are “normal” too (whatever that means). All the statistics say it: we’re better prepared, better socialized and better educated. Sure there are the outliers, the weirdos, the ones who are just strange or smell bad. But honestly, I’ve met more of those people that went to public schools than were ever homeschooled. So let me break down some stereotypes for you; and whether you think homeschooling is weirdest thing ever, you’re just interested, or you’re a proponent of it, I’m sure you’ve heard most of these critiques of homeschool students.

Yes, I went (and still do go) to church. No I do not believe that Obama is the Antichrist, that gays are evil, or that my mom never wore a denim skirt. I’ve never worn a head covering, and my father never had multiple wives, nor were we ever involved in a cult. I believe in love and some may see that as strange.

Sure, some of my standardized tests scores were in the 90-95th percentile for many subjects, while for others they were below or at 50%. These tests can be used as a guide but they should not be used as the end-all be-all for smarts. There are many areas in which I can grow and learn and there are many areas that I’ve read and understood just about everything. The stereotype ranges from one extreme to the other. We’re not all geniuses, we’re not all stupid, and some of us are in between. Yes homeschooling does allow more breathing room for genius and children to become self-motivated, and independent but that doesn’t mean that all of us are going to grow up and be Nikola Tesla, but maybe with homeschooling that chance might increase.

The stereotype is that we’ve never heard of Lil Wayne, don’t know what Instagram is, and our moms won’t let us get a Facebook account. The internet has opened up a whole new world for most young people, including homeschoolers and this includes pop culture. We like music and we like movies.We see the same things you do at the movie theater.

The next time you meet a homeschooler express interest, I’m a naturally curious person and I like to ask lots of questions too. But please refrain from asking if we do our school in our PJ’s or have friends. Because some of us do and some of us don’t, but it has nothing to do with our choice in education styles.