Common Concerns About Homeschooling

This past weekend I had the amazing opportunity to attend the Annual Home Education Convention of the Home Educators Association of Virginia.  I can't wait to share what I have learned, so the following posts will be directly from my notes of the convention. 

After the first several workshops I attended, on "Beginning Homeschooling," I came away with two main points:

1. Any (caring/loving/dedicated) parent teaching their children is WAY better than a public or even private school education. 

Why? 

Two words: individualized instruction. 

Study after study shows that homeschoolers are way ahead of their peers because they get one on one mentoring by a parent who loves them more than anything. 


2. Each and every presenter expressed their firm belief that: 
"You can homeschool too" because God gave you these children and if you ask for His help, He will make all things possible.

In fact, I was very impressed by the incredible faith in God that the Christian workshop presenters expressed, and which is so common among homeschoolers. That is what drives them. That is their rock and foundation in all that they do. They put the Lord first, and everything else falls into place.

But is homeschooling right for everyone? 

Of course not. 

However, when deciding to homeschool or not, you need to know which questions to ask yourself. (This is all mostly taken from the workshops by Yvonne Bunn of the HEAV).

The wrong questions:

Am I... 

Patient enough?

Smart enough?

Organized enough?

Educated enough?

Wealthy enough?

Creative enough?

Etc.

**God honors the direction we are going in. But we have to take the first step and be WILLING.

The right questions:

Are you willing...

To take responsibility for the education of your children?

To exhibit good character, manners, habits, etc?

To learn yourself?

To make education a priority in your day?

To sacrifice your time for your children?

To reevaluate your outside commitments?

To commit to a child's positive self-worth?

In summary: To put your child's interests above your own?

If yes, then as you learn and pray about homeschool, God will show you how to do it (through certain books that really hit home, friends, websites, and personal revelation to name a few).

When people hear that someone is homeschooling, a very common response is: 

"I could never do that with my own children."

 
The question is then, "Why not? Haven't you taught them up to this point? Don't you know more than a kindergartener?" Back in the day parents taught their children everything they knew- that was their education. Why can't we do the same? And these days we have access to way more information than they did. So not only can we teach our children all we know, we can give them access to information about anything that interests them, learning along with them (a bonus!). 

Here are some other common reactions to homeschooling:

"But I'm not a certified teacher- I don't KNOW ENOUGH to teach my kids all the 'subjects'." 

The answer to this is that there are TONS of resources and ways to learn, but for most of us, the public school way is all we know, so it's hard to think about education any other way. 

Not only is there an abundance of curriculum choices for homeschoolers, but there is the option to forgo curriculum altogether (or at least for the most part) and learn through...BOOKS! That's right, learn about history not from a textbook, but by reading an autobiography, and taking advantage of the many free resources online, in public libraries, and museums/historical sites. You have the freedom to teach your children about what you feel is important for them to know, not what the government deems is important. 

For those looking for scientific evidence: 

In comparing the average results of standardized achievement tests of those who were taught by a certified teacher, and those who were not, there was no difference. (I didn't write down the source on this, but I'm sure you could look it up.)
 

The more you read, and learn about homeschooling, the easier it becomes. TONS of other people do it and do it successfully. It's worth looking into how they make it work. You could start by checking out books on homeschooling from your local library.

"But public education is free; homeschooling isn't." 

Actually public education isn't free. It costs an average of $11,000 per year, per student (currently, in the state of Virginia). 

The homeschooling cost is about $500 per year, per student (or less, and many do it for MUCH less). 

There are tons of ways to keep the cost down for homeschooling families. We are in the Age of Information, surrounded by free resources are everywhere!

"But I have other kids (some very active & high energy ones)! How would I be able to manage my household, while overseeing the education of ALL of my children??"

Most of the presenters at the homeschool convention had 7 or more children (Susan Kemmerer has 7 boys and 2 girls). One family had 14 (Marilyn & Rick Boyer). Another were the parents of almost 50 foster kids over the years (Vicki Bentley), and homeschooled them all. All the while keeping the house in decent order, feeding, and clothing each and every one (Vicki's blog & workshop was about how to get kids to help around the house & being consistent & setting boundaries- I took all her advice seriously, since it was coming from someone who has raised 50 kids!). 

Impossible? These parents are not extraordinary. They are not Super Mom. They admitted to learning a lot by trial and error over the years (especially with their first children), but they all had one thing in common: their belief that God had given them children to teach and raise and they weren't going to give up that responsibility to the government. 

Besides their faith, they had figured out some tricks and tips on how to make it work in a large family. Learning from seasoned homeschooling parents makes the "how to" so much more manageable than how it looks in our limited imaginations. (More specifics on the "how to" soon!)

"Is it even legal?"

Yes! In every state. This was the primary way of educating children until the 1900s, when the rural communities began to struggle and moved into industrial cities for work. Public education was instituted as a way to educate the masses of children while their parents worked in the factories. Now we are in the Age of Information...yet most parents still send their kids off to be educated by the government!

Let's take a moment to remember the greats like Patrick Henry, Thomas Edison, Mark Twain, even Joseph Smith... All homeschooled!

"How will they get into college?"

Homeschoolers can get a high school diploma and apply and be accepted to colleges. like anyone else. But the difference is, they are actually preferred students, and can get special scholarships. Dartmouth stated that homeschoolers have a distinct advantage because they have been individually instructed (paraphrased). Standford stated that they have "intellectual vitality" compared to other students.

Some people are nervous to teach their kids at home, for fear of missing critical information that their kids will need to take the SAT or "get into college." This is the "teaching to the test" mentality that has ruined education across America. As our children learn, what's more important is not what they learn but that they develop a LOVE OF LEARNING that they will carry with them throughout their whole lives. So let's take the academic pressure off, and let them, at least when they are young, learn about what interests them. 

"What about socialization?" 
 

What does "socialization" even mean? 

According to Dictionary.com, socialization is:

"a continuing process whereby an individual acquires a personal identity and learns the norms, values, behavior, and social skills appropriate to his or her social position."
 

Who do you want to socialize your children? Teachers with questionable values & liberal ideas? Lost & confused kids their age? Or you and your family, choosing carefully the other friends and social experiences? This is not trying to shield your child from "the world." This is helping them develop a solid foundation of  personal identity, values, good behavior, and social skills in the most formative years. Is that something you really want to leave up to 30 other kids their age and a random teacher?

In fact, studies are showing positive results of being "socialized" through homeschool. In areas of "Life Satisfaction," "Giving Back to the Community," and "Participation in Society," previously homeschooled adults are overwhelmingly more engaged in society and happy with their lives. (From a research study "Home Educated and Now Adults: Their Community and Civic Invlvement, Views about Homeschooling, and Other Trains, found at nheri.org, and quoted in HSLDA's updated booklet "The Best Kind of Socialization"). 

"What's so bad about public school? What if it's a 'great school'?"

Education is never neutral. Whoever is in charge of teaching is imposing their philosophies, ideas, and values on the students. Who do you want teaching your children about life and their role in it? The government? Or you the parent? 

So, what about the outcome of homeschooling? Is it a better or worse education than attending a public or private school? 

Standardized achievement tests:

National Average: 50th percentile

Homeschool Average: 84 percentile (in lang. arts, math, & history), 89 percentile (reading)

College entrance exams:

SAT:

National average: 1020

Homeschool average: 1092

ACT:

national average: 21.1

Homeschool average: 22.5

This really speaks for itself.

What's more...

25.5% of elementary age homeschooled kids are 1 or more grade levels above their peers.

By grade 8, the average homeschooler is 4 grade levels above the national average

And let's not forget that 40% of public school students DON'T GRADUATE!

For more studies about homeschoolers, here is a good starting point: http://www.hslda.org/research/

Why does homeschooling work? 

(The following are also based on research)

One-on-one instruction

No learning gaps

Developmentally ready for material

Individualized curriculum

Pursue personal interests

Develop good character 

I don't know about you, but after hearing all these statistics, my desire to homeschool (which was already high), just skyrocketed.

Everyone knows their own unique situation and circumstance. However, most people don't know the facts about homeschooling, and how it could work for their families, and especially why the public school option is becoming increasingly more like brainwashing and "dumbing down" our children (think Common Core) instead of giving them a truly high quality education. 

As more parents take things into their own hands, and learn more about this growing trend, I think we will see a difference in the rising generation, which gives me incredible hope for our nation's future.

God Bless America!


--------

If you have more concerns about homeschooling, I guarantee someone else has written about them. 
Check out this amazing collection of articles entitled "I can't homeschool because...." here: http://www.ihomeschoolnetwork.com/i-cant-homeschool-because-2/