What Can You Say to Anti-Homeschooling Comments

Most homeschoolers have special needs kids. They are either highly intelligent, learning disabled, or have some other situation that drastically affects their ability to learn well in a public school classroom. This is one of the reason why homeschoolers tend to have such a negative reputation among educators.

For instance, my daughter is dyslexic, my middle son is ADHD, and my youngest is also showing signs of dyslexia. None of them are "normal" in the traditional sense, and they all have learning challenges. THey were also, because of these difficulties, likely to hate school and equate all learning as negative for the rest of their lives. For this reason, I decided upon relaxed homeschooling.

This alternative, however, elevated me among my peers from a fringe personality to a total freak. Apparently, most of them had never even considered taking their kids out of public school, and the thought of keeping them at home all day seemed insane. Nevertheless, I comforted myself with the thought that in the end, my kids would have a love of learning, a better vocabulary, and better coping skills for life in general. Then, my kids began growing up.

My daughter didn't read with any fluency until sixth grade. My son waited until he was nine years old to read without being forced to do so, and my youngest, at age eight, still doesn't read. I wasn't just the talk of the town - I was certifiably insane, as far as my friends were concerned. Who would willingly do this to their kids, they asked one another, and I had no response.

Now, my daughter is 14, and she has read over 50 books per year for the past two years. She finishes most books in three days, but then she's picky about what she reads next - thus the delay. My son read 40 books last year, and this year he moved up to adult novels. He doesn't relate to children's books anymore, and suspense tales are his favorite. He finishes most books within three days. My youngest is steadily improving in reading skill, but he's taking his time, and I'm no longer worried.

How did I manage to go for years without knowing how my children would emerge from this homeschooling journey? I read stories like this one. I trusted in the experiences of parents who went before me. And above all, I gave them the best possible example.

What is the answer to the implied question in the title of this article? What should we say to negative comments? I have finally found the right answer. I tell them that my kids make me proud every day, that I don't worry about them because I know that they will turn out well in the end. I thank them for their concern and promise to think over their comments. Then, I smile inwardly, knowing that if my kids learn nothing at all from my curriculum this year, they will learn enough from my example. Then, I pack them up and take them to the library on another learning adventure.

Life is too short to get bogged down in other people's opinions. Live your life the best you can, and let that be enough. It's all anyone can ask of us. It WILL be enough.