Lots of parents have thought long and hard about their children’s education a lot the past few years. Public school, private school, homeschool, hybrid? Waco Moms contributor, Katelyn Kasper, offers insight Confessions of a Homeschool Grad.
The following are my confessions as a homeschool grad, now a 2nd gen homeschooler. (Okay, that admittedly makes it sounds like a teen drama film. I can give you the inside scoop without the drama.)
The purpose of this article is to give you a balanced view of homeschooling and answer some of your concerns.
My Homeschool History
Things have improved since the years of my home education. There are more options available, better acceptance, and less harassment. I’ll throw in some history so you understand why the homeschool world works the way it does.
I started homeschooling in preschool while my family was stationed overseas. We had tried a local preschool but I had a hearing problem and wasn’t picking up on the foreign language. Mom taught me at home and we saw improvement.
We moved back to the States where I went to public school for Kindergarten. The people were nice, but I was bored and asked to be taught at home again. It was about 1992 in Texas and home education was under attack. The TEA banned homeschooling in the early 80s and families were fighting courts for the right to homeschool. It was scary to consider doing this and there was pressure with several teachers in our family.
My parents prayed…hard, and decided it was the right decision for us. Thankfully, in 1994 the Texas Supreme Court ruled in favor of homeschooling freedoms during the Leeper vs. Arlington case. We had legal freedom, but there was still social speculation.
Some of those concerns are still discussed, so let’s talk about them.
Socialization
Ah, the old socialization question. Homeschool families are often very socialized. One could argue they are more socialized with a larger range of ages. It’s what you make of the situation.
I was at church events 2-3 times a week, participated in co-op, had study and PE groups, was on chess club and yearbook team, played and refereed soccer, took fencing and music lessons, wrote for the local paper, acted in community theater, participated in Mock Trial and was a junior docent at a historical home.
There were and are so many ways to stay involved with other people. Homeschooling lets you explore multiple interests which expands your social reach.
Stereotypes
You may have a stereotype homeschooler in mind. That’s okay. I probably knew them.
I knew the stereotyped homeschooler … and the jock, the class clown, the popular girl, the stoner, the drama queen who all also homeschooled. I saw each of these stereotypes in public school, private school and homeschool settings. They’re everywhere, in any school setting.
Parents as Teachers
This is still a common concern. People question whether parents can teach their kids, even the parents doing the teaching.
If this is you, ask yourself – “Who is more invested in my kids? Me or the teacher I don’t know that has to teach ~30 other children?”
Please, don’t take this as a complaint about teachers. I have so many friends and family members who teach and are amazing. But their time is divided and their hands may be tied.
I know excellent homeschool teachers that have anything from a high school diploma to a PhD. The thing they had in common was the desire to invest in their child and find the best resources to help their child learn. If you don’t feel strong in math and science, look into a co-op class or online curriculum. There are options that can work for your comfort level.
Structure and Time
In public and private schools, students are at school for roughly eight hours a day. A homeschool day doesn’t look the same.
It takes that long in a large school setting to get the students from Point A to Point B, get their attention, answer all the questions or beg for responses to questions. One reason I was bored, even in Kindergarten, was because you have to wait for all the other kids to stand in line, to listen, to not get a color change, to do anything.
It doesn’t take that long at home. You may finish the day’s lessons in 1-5 hours depending on the age of your children.
What do you do when the kids are finished with school? Projects, independent studies and interests, chores, play, read, museum/library field trips. Come together as a family to learn, take care of the home and have fun together.
There are several ways to structure your day and many teaching styles. It can be fairly overwhelming at first, but you’ll love it once it’s part of your daily life.
I highly recommend Rebecca Spooner’s Learning Style and Teaching Style quizzes so you can figure out how your child will learn best and how you would most enjoy teaching.
High School – all of it
The concerns for homeschoolers are often centered around social activities, sports, higher level studies and college.
Social Activities
Several homeschool communities actually host a prom, there are homeschool sporting leagues with homecoming, and you can go to a public school event with friends (like I did).
Growing up with a wide variety of socializing activities meant I had friends from at least five public schools, two private schools and homeschool. I went with them to homecoming rallies and dances, theater and orchestra performances, and many other fun activities.
Sports
My family participated in rec soccer, fencing, and I taught ski lessons during Spring Break. We mixed the normal sports with unusual interests.
There are several sporting options for homeschool families. Gyms have homeschool classes, there are community center leagues, homeschool leagues or you can join a private school’s team. The point is, there are options.
Higher Level Studies
This is intimidating, but you don’t have to do it alone. Look at all the options available, your comfort level as a teacher and your child’s needs. Children have different ways of learning, different interests and different gifts.
In high school I took science at co-op from a registered nurse and my brother learned physics at co-op from an actual rocket scientist. I took five dual credit classes that transferred to college. Look at the options and find the right fit for you!
College
The college concern of the early 2000s is different than the college conversation now. When I was in high school there was a lot of roadwork being paved to allow homeschool students into the collegiate world. It was a long road, but slowly the options opened up. Now, colleges even seek out homeschool students because they have often proven to perform better in college than their peers.
Instead of including class rank, homeschool students just use standardized tests like the ACT and SAT as part of the registration process.
Personally, I enjoy learning and did well in college. I earned a Bachelors and Masters degree, along with two certifications and I still take workshops for fun.
2nd Gen Homeschooling
That’s my journey. Everyone is different. I knew people who did better and those who did worse, from every school setting.
Do what you can to invest in your child and prepare them to lead their life. It’s scary. I’m nervous about training my kids, but it’s what all parents struggle with.
I’m thankful for my parents who raised me to be a competent adult, and for my in-laws that raised my husband to be one as well. My family homeschooled. His family took the public and private school route. We both are who we are because of the investment our parents made in training us to be adults.
I hope to be that same type of parent. My son and daughter learn differently from each other, have different interests and different gifts. But they love each other and are best friends. We homeschool so that I can teach them in a way they’ll learn, grow and succeed. We homeschool to enjoy time together and develop a life-long love of learning. We homeschool for the family time where we train our children to grow into competent adults.
In Conclusion
While I personally am in favor of homeschooling, the education method is a question you have to decide for your family.
Hopefully this gave you some peace of mind and balanced view of what this experience can look like from somebody who was homeschooled and is a homeschool mom.
