5 Misconceptions of Homeschooling
The face of homeschool has changed immensely in the last 20 years. However, even with everything that is accepted in our time, when you mention that you are thinking of homeschooling your children there is still a bit of a stigma around those who are uninformed of homeschooling in the 21st Century. I thought it would be fun to make light of those misconceptions and give you an insight to the world of homeschooling today.
Here are 5 misconceptions on homeschooling:
1. I want to hide my kids from the scary world so I chose to keep them locked up in the house.
—Never chose to homeschool out of fear. To me, the idea of being fearful of the "what ifs" outside of home is irrelevant, because there is plenty to fear inside the home as well. Homeschooling can be terrifying, but if you are called to homeschool, you are equipped to homeschool.
"Faith and fear both demand you believe in something you can not see. You choose."
—Bob Proctor
2. I inhabit all the love, joy and patience of all the Saints combined, so homeschooling comes naturally.
— When I tell someone that we homeschool, 9 times out of 10 I hear the parent say, "Oh I don't have the patience for that." 9 times out of 10 I want to say, "I know, me neither!" Before I had 3 kids I would have considered myself a very patient person. Before starting our homeschool journey I would have considered myself a patient person. Most days I do not "feel" patient, but that is why we have to start our days with Christ. We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit and all the fruits of the spirit because patience and joy do not come natural most days.
3. We spend most of the day sleeping, playing with friends or watching cartoons.
— Another great comment I have always loved, even as a stay-at-home mom. "What do you do all day?!" The thought of answering that question wears me out. I wish we had an extra 10 hours in the day to fit everything in. As a homeschooling mom I am constantly trying to find balance. I need to make sure my kids get in a good education. I need to make sure we are getting in some time to play and connect as mom/child and teacher/student. Because I have to be aware of priorities, I have to be intentional and that in itself is of so much value. Our world consists of constant learning from the world around us by visiting different places weekly, to "work days" with Dad. It is being aware that we can constantly encourage learning no matter when or where.
4. We are weird and do not have many friends.
— When we went to our first conference I remember a speaker saying, "The kids are only as weird as the parents." Mmm. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, whether you put your child in public, private or homeschool. I would argue that weird is such a relative term anyway. I guess it's a good thing I married Mr. Cool to give our family some balance. ;)
5. As parents, we want to make sure our kid's brains are washed out regularly.
— No brain washing going on over here! Actually, one of the things I absolutely love about homeschool and our community in Classical Conversations is that we are teaching our children to be life long learners. We help them to eventually ask the deeper questions and to look at a scenario from all angles. We want our kids to have a solid foundation, to know why they believe what they believe and to be able to engage in conversations with others who may not be like-minded, but still grasp an understanding for other views. I am a mix of Classical meets Charlotte Mason, which are not mutually exclusive by the way. We love being in nature and learning from nature and the classical model incorporates more of the Charlotte Mason approach than you would imagine. Never let your assumptions become your absolutes.
"Institutionalized school has taught us to seek answers in order to get the lesson over with rather than to inspire more questions and extend the curiosity of the student." — Leigh Bortins
I could go on and on about all the things I absolutely love about homeschooling because I am passionate about it and I know God has called me and is continually equipping me. I wanted to bring a little bit of lightheartedness to the "stigma" of homeschoolers, because I am so incredibly thankful that God has allowed our family to homeschool. I am excited about the possibilities and opportunities that are in store for my children and our family. I hope we can encourage you along our journey as well!
I would LOVE to hear from YOU! What are the challenges you face with homeschooling? What is your greatest joy in homeschooling? If you are thinking of homeschooling, what questions can I help answer or how can I pray for you in your journey?! I want to get to know my readers, please comment below and don't forget to follow along on instagram. :)
Homeschooling mess—
