When I was a little girl, I remember seeing pictures of the big yellow school bus and traditional classroom settings. I asked my mom about them, but she explained to me that we did things a little differently. I did my schoolwork at the kitchen table, and it was assigned and graded by my parents.
As it turned out, the first time I would ride a school bus was at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta’s Park n Ride. To be honest, I was quite disappointed. I did not want to be different; I wanted to experience something most other people would experience – a traditional classroom learning experience. Especially I yearned for a desk. This yearning was finally granted with a hand-me-down from my brother after he went off to college. It felt so much more “official” to do school at a desk.
But a few years after I started asking these questions, I received a perspective shift. I attended a homeschool conference with my mom. There, I heard one of the speakers talk about the history of the homeschool movement. As I listened to him speak I began to appreciate all of the sacrifice, difficulties, and challenges that the pioneer homeschool parents faced in the 70’s and 80’s. My parents were among these pioneers, choosing to homeschool my older brothers in the early 80’s. (I came along a little later, when the homeschool movement was much more established.) I admired their perseverance as they faced opposition, negativity, and lots of questions. They pushed forward because they truly believed something was better.
The Socialization Question
One of the biggest questions homeschoolers are asked is, “What about socialization?” That is a valid concern when you think about groups of children huddled around the kitchen table day after day. However, homeschoolers achieve socialization in a number of ways. One of these ways is homeschool co-ops. Groups of homeschool families who get together regularly so their kids can socialize and learn in a corporate environment. In addition to all this, homeschool students often interact with people who are older and younger than they are, rather than just kids in their own age group. This makes for a healthy range of socialization among people of all ages.
Flexibility
The flexibility is wonderful, too. I have never been a morning person, so my mom graciously allowed me to sleep a little later in the morning, and work a little later in the afternoon. This schedule worked good for me. Instead of having homework at night, I usually finished all my classwork during the day. Then I had evenings free to play games with my family. I became the designated scorekeeper, which solidified my ability to do basic math (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) quickly in my head – a skill that has served me well all my life.
When I was sixteen, my parents had me take a lab science at the local branch college (UNM-LA) to round out my education. I’d had an interest in French for a long time, so I took a French class as well. I earned college credit, and as a duel-enrolled high school student, the tuition was free (up to ten credit hours.) This was a great experience, and helped me start to get used to the college environment.
A Different Mindset
Homeschooling does require a lot of parental input and a different mindset. When I was complaining about not being able to go to a “real” school, I didn’t think about the fact that it meant I was home with my mother all day. That she didn’t get a break by sending me off to school.
Recently on Facebook I saw a friend had written a post about how all of her children were “finally” in school and detailing all the ways she pampered herself on her kid-free day. My mother had a very different mindset. In one of our family newsletters she wrote, “As for myself, my family and my homeschool responsibilities keep me busy and fulfilled. When people hear that we homeschool, they often ask how I can stand being with my kids all day long, and it really grieves me to hear that kind of attitude. I honestly love what I’m doing and I know that it is what God has called me to, at this point in my life.”
I know not everyone has the luxury of one parent staying at home to supervise the kids’ education, but for those of you who are able to, or who work from home, this is a great option. And even if you can’t, homeschooling is still a possibility further down the road when the kids are a little older and can do most of the work on their own, with minimal supervision. There are so many helpful resources available to homeschool families these days, it need not be nearly as daunting as it once was.
By the time I got to college, I found I was better prepared than most of my freshman peers academically. I am very grateful for the sacrifices my parents made so I could be educated in this way. Homeschooling has a great track record, and I am proud to be a homeschool alumni.
I love this so much! I’m a product of homeschooling as well, and I absolutely loved it. I did go through that period of longing for a desk (and a locker, for some reason in middle school). And my mom made sure we were socialized and was very intentional about the activities she involved us in (theatre was a big one, so we would be comfortable in front of an audience). I too took college credit in high school, which enabled me to graduate with almost my entire freshman year of college completed. I know it’s not for everyone, but we absolutely plan to homeschool our children, too. Thank you for this awesome perspective.
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