I come across many people during the week that just do not understand what homeschooling is. Some people are for it, some against it, some curious about it, and some who are thinking of homeschooling their own children.
I notice the internet has a lot of misinformation. It seems a lot of people think that homeschoolers stay locked up in their homes all day long reading books. Some even think that the parents just sit around eating bon bons all day. *sigh* Has this happened to you?
I have so many stories that I could share with you about the misconceptions of homeschoolers that I could easily write a book about it! LOL! Instead I decided that I would list the top 7 homeschooling facts that people should know about homeschooling. ;)
1. Most homeschool families are not locked up in their homes all day! I have had some people tell me “Oh, I could never homeschool! I would go stir crazy!”. That was confusing to me. We are hardly ever home during the day. We get up have our breakfast, do our lessons, and we are usually headed out the door soon after. Most homeschoolers I know are the same way. We head out to the park, the grocery store, the post office, play dates, co-op meetings, and more. We get out A LOT!
2. Not all homeschoolers have large families. Sure, this might be true for some homeschooling families, but it’s true for ALL homeschooling families. In fact more small families homeschooling their children than ever before. This also includes single child families such as my own.
3. Homeschool kids are very social. Seriously, my kid is more social than I ever was growing up! He is not shy when it comes to talking to kids of all ages. The kids in our co-op group and our play date groups are the same. They are very quick to strike up a conversation with their peers.
4. Homeschool kids are very smart! Most homeschool children test way above the public school standards. I think this is mainly because of the one on one attention they receive. I have had many people ask me if I am afraid if my child is actually learning anything. Well, the truth is that I KNOW he is learning and he isn’t just remembering facts to pass a test.
5. Homeschooled children can go to college. “But what about college? Aren’t you worried about that?”. I get this A LOT! People don’t realize that homeschooled children can go to college just as anyone else. Yes, they can get accepted and in fact many complete college years before their peers! This is because many homeschoolers put their children in dual enrollment programs. You can learn more about dual enrollment here.
6. Homeschooling actually prepares children for the real world! Many people do not believe that homeschooled kids will be able to function in the “real world”. Honestly though, homeschooled children function extremely well in the “real world”. When was the last time you had co-workers who were all the exact same age? When homeschooling children learn how to interact with people of all ages. They get tons of real world experiences every single day.
7. Anyone can homeschool. It’s true! You don’t need a degree in education or any super hero powers to homeschool your kids. Yes, it takes time and effort to get everything covered, but anyone can do it. There are so many great resources for parents today and so many great curriculum that will keep you on track.
I hope this clears up some common homeschooling misconceptions. Have you encountered some of this in your daily life? What would you add to this list?
Also check out:
3 Easy ways to encourage independent learning
3 Online resources to try today
5 Habits of highly effective homeschoolers
