Year after year the number of families making the decision to homeschool continues to increase. ‘The National Home Education Research Institute estimates that 2.5 million people homeschooled as of Spring 2019 and has grown 2% to 8% per annum over the past few years’ (Nheri.org). Many parents are choosing to homeschool for a number of reasons and statistics have consistently shown that their efforts are proving successful. “The home-educated typically score 15 to 30 percentile points above public school students on standardized achievement tests.”(Nheri.org)
In spite of the continued increase in the homeschool ranks, a few myths surrounding homeschooling continue to persist. While these myths might seem innocuous enough, they may prove quite harmful to the homeschool community in the end. Why? Because many who are enemies of homeschool continue to propagate these myths in order to further their political agenda to bring homeschoolers under government regulation and control. It’s not enough that no matter how much money is thrown into the public school system, the system remains broken and inept in addressing the educational needs of the masses. Homeschool, for these naysayers, presents a threat. A threat that produces well-rounded, educated young people who are innovators, independent thinkers, and leaders who can articulately stand against the status quo.
Here are some of the myths that need to be dispelled once and for all:
Myth #1: Homeschoolers are homogenous
Recently, there was an opinion piece put out by a Harvard professor calling for a ban to homeschool. This opinion piece has been widely circulated among the homeschool community and expertly rebutted. But one myth that this Harvard professor put forth in her erroneous article really rubbed me the wrong way as an African-American homeschooler. ‘In this article, the professor of law and director of Harvard Law School’s child advocacy legal clinic claims that homeschooling is a method of promoting white supremacy.’
Seriously? The underlying assumptionis that only white people homeschool, which couldn’t be further from the truth. The number of minorities homeschooling continues to grow. Homeschooling is not homogenous! There are Christian homeschoolers, secular homeschoolers, Muslim homeschoolers, African-American homeschoolers and every other flavor of homeschooler you can think of. To assume that only white, conservative, evangelicals homeschool is to essentially ignore us as if we don’t exist. We are definitely out here! And many African-American homeschoolers will attest to the fact that one of the reasons we homeschool is so that we can give our kids a more nuanced view of history and culture than the sanitized view that is presented in public school.
Myth #2 We homeschool in a vacuum
This same egregious article I mentioned above put out by this Harvard professor also featured a picture of homeschooled kids imprisoned in their homes while all of the public schools played outside. This picture supposedly depicts that homeschool kids learn in isolation, locked away from the wider world around them. No matter how many times homeschoolers run down the litany of activities they are engaged in—field trips, co-ops, sports, music lessons, art lessons, play dates—some will always see a picture in their heads of kids trapped in their homes. Not because its an accurate picture, but because its not their ideal of kids spending 8+ hours a day with 30+ same-aged peers in a classroom.
Parents are not qualified to educate their own children
I believe there is most definitely an agenda to continuously make parents feel as though they are inadequate to meet their children’s needs and ill-equipped to educate their children. By constantly propagating this myth that parent’s are the least qualified to educate their children, it indirectly promotes the idea that the state is better equipped. That somehow the state, knows what’s best for your child and can do better than parents. Ultimately, some detractors believe that the state should have ultimate say-so and authority over children.
The majority of homeschooling parents were educated in the public school system. So if they are unqualified to educate their children, what does that say about the educational system used to educate them? In spite of all of the abuse, failings, and poor performance of many public schools and school districts, we can always point to shining examples that justify public school in spite of the numerous cases where the ball is dropped. In spite of all the problems rife in the public school system, we can still see the need and appreciate the institution. Because by and large the failures, which we want to believe are outliers, shouldn’t be the prevailing story for the whole.
Now that many parents are forced to educate their kids at home due to the pandemic, I’ve also noticed an uptick in articles highlighting celebrities who claim to be miserable and inept at homeschooling. I believe articles like this are also meant to subtly discourage people from homeschooling and once again, perpetuating the myth that parents are unqualified to educate their own children. Just take Kristen Bell, who recently took to Instagram to lament her difficulties “homeschooling” her kids. The underlying idea is that if a celebrity, who has unlimited money and resources finds homeschooling near impossible, then it must be impossible for me.
I’m here to tell you that yes, homeschooling can be hard, especially because it requires all of you, a total investment. You don’t have to be rich or have a Ph.D., you just have to be willing. And willingness starts with your attitude.
By continuing to propagate myths regarding homeschool, detractors seek to control and pervert the narrative surrounding homeschooling. This negativity, merely lays the groundwork for legislation to regulate homeschooling to the point its public school at home. Ultimately, its about control. Gaining control begins with changing public perception. We, the homeschool community, must remain vigilant and speak truth wherever possible so that these myths will die.
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