Homeschooling: Truths and Myths

When it comes to our children's education and success in life, there shouldn't be an "us versus them" mentality. There shouldn't be teams pitting one side against the other. Groupthink is not in a child's best interest.

I say this because up until a few years ago I was a staunch supporter of traditional schooling and it's learning principles. Then we moved from one school district to another, right smack in the middle of the school year, and my son, a sensitive child of eight, did not want to go into a school where everyone else had already established friendships. No amount of my reassuring him that such is life, he'd have no problem making new friends, convinced him. Because I did not want to spend half my day driving him back and forth to his old school, homeschooling was the only other option we both agreed upon. That, however, was not an easy decision to make. I had heard so many conflicting stories through the years that I didn't know what to believe or to expect.

Armed with books from my local bookstore and interviews with parents whose children boasted scholastic success and overall satisfaction of this schooling alternative, I took a couple of weeks to sort fact from fiction. My conclusion was that as with any method of teaching, parental involvement is key, and not just in the academics, but in the child's burgeoning social life as well.

I'm going to focus on three common misconceptions regarding homeschooling and the growth of the child. The first, and to my mind the most important, is that a child needs to have an ordered and regulated routine to his/her day, and unless this routine is kept, accomplished learning fails. In institutionalized schooling, the curriculum is set by a board interested in meeting standards. Nothing wrong with that, as success is oftentimes measured in terms of exceeding standards, however the reality is that it doesn't guarantee every child success as different methods work for different children.

No child has the same needs, one must spend more time on math, another on reading, and yet another learns both reading and math through hands on science experiments, and so on and so forth. For some children learning makes little sense if it is not applied to their everyday lives. Curiosity gets blunted and we end up with these zombie children who can repeat what they heard, but not have the knowledge to apply it.

The second misconception is that the homeschooled child will not be socialized to society's expectations and will be either a menace to society or an embarrassment to the parents. This was my fear until I realized that as a parent I cannot expect Miss Manners to teach my child anything. It is my duty to my society to raise courteous, respectful children. Giving them attention and respect will raise their sense of self-worth which in turn will encourage them to honor human life and their community. Besides that, I have observed only the most rudimentary manners practiced in schools, as teachers themselves could often do with a course in protocol.

It is true that unless the homeschooling parent makes an effort, social interaction with other children will be diminished. Fortunately, most public schools and community centers gladly accept children to sign up for their extracurricular activities in sports, music and art. Parents should also look into joining the many homeschooling networks in their area, as these often get the kids together on a weekly basis, and may also be a source of inspiration for the parents themselves.

The last misconception I want to address is the one regarding lack of interest from good universities when it comes to admitting homeschooled students. Based upon my readings in the matter and conversations with several people whose children have been homeschooled, I have seen again and again that a GED or high school diploma can be easily bypassed through recommendation letters, extracurricular activities and essays written on a vast array of subjects.

In conclusion, as parents we needs to be personally informed on what method of learning work best for our children, and keep in mind that we need to take a proactive approach. The education of our children is key to their success and future, and however we see best to achieve that, we must remember the importance of our roles within it.