Homeschool Myths: Home School Parents Think They Know Everything
Myth #4
One myth that is often brought up to homeschoolers is the "know-it-all" myth. Some people tend to feel that those who homeschool are know-it-alls who think they know everything. For most homeschooling families, this couldn't be further from the truth. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule in any group of people, but many homeschool parents are not this way.
Most homeschool families understand that education never ends. There is always something to be learned from everything. Homeschoolers tend to delve deeper into learning about subjects simply because of the fact that they homeschool.
One reason people might feel that home-schoolers have a know-it-all attitude is because many of them never miss an educational opportunity. While from the outside, a parent of a home-schooled child that explains each situation to their child in great detail in every situation may seem to be showing off, this may not be the case. It is simply the nature of a home school parent to teach their children about everything, no matter where they are or who is around.
I have encountered many instances of others assuming I felt I was smarter than them or knew more. To me, education has no true measure because different people are educated on different things. While one person might know more about Civil Rights, another person may know more about fixing cars. This does not make either smarter than the other.
There is one particular incident of a know-it-all accusation that sticks in my mind for some reason. When we first started homeschooling, I also would care for other children from time to time, either as a sitter or nanny. This care often included homework help, as many of the children I cared for attended public school.
One little girl I cared for was having trouble in math class. She happened to be a public school student. That fact doesn't matter to me, but it does help in describing the situation. Being that I was her caregiver at the time, and responsible for helping at homework time, I decided to go a step further with the help. She was frustrated every day during her math homework and I wanted to help change that.
Anyhow, I worked with her after school for 3 days straight, aside from the time on her assigned homework. There was only one area where she was struggling. After our last session, she was very excited and had worked very had. She was so proud of herself. I let her make the announcement to her mother of her achievement.
When she announced to her mom that Math was now her favorite subject (she had despised it before) because of what I had done with her, her mom responded in a negative way, instead of cheering her on. She glared at me and said "You think you're smarter than me just because you homeschool. I could have taught her that, you know".
Perhaps she could have. However, for me, that was not an issue at hand. I was not trying to insult her intelligence or her parenting skills. I was not attempting to take over her role, nor did I presume myself to be smarter than anyone. I simply saw a struggling child who I also cared about and chose to give a little help.
I think perception plays a big role in this particular myth. Things are not always as they may appear. Sometimes these misconceptions are based on people's insecurities. Other times they are based on rumors or misguidance.
The bottom line is that just because someone takes up an educational opportunity, it doesn't necessarily mean they feel like they are better than anyone. They may just see an opportunity to teach or learn and there is nothing wrong with that.
**This author welcomes feedback and discussion in the comments section below. Please share your thoughts.
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Published by Y! Lyn - Community Advocate
Lyn Lomasi is the Community Advocate at Yahoo! Contributor Network. Email her with community issues & ideas (contributor-lyn@yahoo-inc.com). Read her tips for success on the official Yahoo! Contributor Netwo... View profile
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- One myth that is often brought up to homeschoolers is the "know-it-all" myth.
- Perception plays a big role in this particular myth. Things are not always as they may appear.
- Someone taking up an educational opportunity does not mean they feel they are smarter.
48 Comments
Post a CommentGreat article! If you're looking for a really funny book about homeschooling, try checking out "Please Don't Drink the Holy Water!: Homeschool Days, Rosary Nights, and Other Near Occasions of Sin" by Susie Lloyd. Susie and her husband homeschool their children (they had five at the time; six now) and her book is about the trials and tribulations of Catholic homeschooling. A very good read.
Thanks Brandy - nice to see you around AC again. You made some excellent points. I agree 100%, of course. :-)
Very enjoyable article! I homeschool my children too, and only WISH i knew everything, lol! Why, just this month, I had to teach myself to add fractions because I do NOT know it all. I think one of the things that sets homeschooling parents apart from non-homeschooling, is that along with wanting to encourage a love of learning in their children, they also are typically not afraid to admit when they don't know something, and to subsequently, dive right in and learn it themselves. Homeschooling parents often discover the gaps from their own educations, while educating their children. Hence, my discovery that I had never properly learned fractions. No wonder Algebra was so hard for me! Thankfully, it likely won't be for my own children because they are learning all the necessary mathematic concepts thoroughly the FIRST time around.
LOL Typo correction in the comment below: "bur near as many" should say "but not near as many"
Thanks everyone. I do find that ironic Nannette. Fortunately there are parents of kids in public school who also do the same, bur near as many as there should be. Yes Sophie, unfortunately most people who home school often face tough ridicule or judgment for this decision. I was surprised at the lady's response as well. I felt like she should have praised her child at that moment and if she had a problem with me helping out, she should have said something outside of the child's presence. I agree Carly. Thanks for sharing that. :-)
Isn't it ironic that parents who home school continue to teach with every "teachable moment" throughout the day and parents who send their children to school view it as the school's job to do all the teaching? Like a child should stop learning at 3pm and should resume the process at 7 am.
This is an excellent article. You seem to have faced so many obstacles from people just because you homeschool. I am surprised that the mother of the child you were helping with her maths homework was so rude to you though. You were only trying to help her overcome her maths problem. If I had been the mother, I would have thanked you for the effort you had put in, not put you down!
Sophie
This is a wonderful article. I do agree with most of the comments on your article. I think a lot of the time that people do lash out because of their own personal guilt. but sometimes it truly comes from a person's ignorance too. So often we are quick to shun something that we know nothing about because it might make us feel uncomfortable or we don't know enough about it.
Of course, I know several homeschooling parents and I can say that they do not have the "know it all attitude" but people often assume this. thank you for bringing some of these common myths to light.
I agree Sports Mama. That must be a wonderful feeling to know you made a difference. That is my ultimate goal as well. Keep teaching and learning. :-)
Nice article, again. And I'm sure you know this, at some level, but the parent's reaction that you described was a manifestation of her guilt. Many parents are maxed out, just trying to survive, and know they should be doing more, but for whatever reason can't or won't do what they could to help the situation. Stress produces flight or fight responses, and this parent chose fight. That child will never forget your help. I see adults on the street that I worked with maybe 2 or 3 times, and I'm always humbled by the impact they say I had on their lives. Sometimes I barely remember them. Keep up the good work!