In my article, Don’t Believe Everything You Read About Homeschooling,I talked about misinformation homeschoolers might find on the internet about homeschooling. I have now decided to discuss outright lies that are damaging to homeschooling, which I will follow with exaggerations made in the favor of the homeschooler.
Lies About Homeschoolers:
Homeschooling is great academically, but children can turn out as social misfits: I want to scream and tear out my hair every time I hear this, but then I would look like a social misfit. Perhaps there was a child somewhere who left his homeschooling experience shy and withdrawn. Perhaps there were case studies done on this child. Perhaps everyone is talking about this child. I am acquainted with hundreds of homeschooling kids, and with the exception of my own son, who was shy from birth; I have never met a withdrawn homeschooled child.
Homeschooling is a way to keep women at home and controlled: I nearly fainted when I read this one… but at least it was original. I imagine homeschooling could be considered a threat to the women’s lib movement. After all, to homeschool, someone has to stay home. Since the woman generally makes less money, and because of childbirth years, is further behind in her career, she is the one to stay home. This does not mean that the decision to homeschool is made to keep a woman home and dependant. Most women I know who homeschool, and I know dozens and dozens, had to convince their husbands to let them homeschool the children.
Most homeschoolers are Evangelical Christians: Well, I am an Evangelical Christian. Three other families in my church homeschool. However, there are at least fifty regular families in my church and hundreds of additional families that come at least once a month. You would think more of us would be homeschooling, if the above statement were true. In addition, more and more, non-Christians such as Muslims, Atheists, and Wicca’s, and more homeschool their children.
You can point out a homeschooler in a crowd: Yesterday I actually read a blog by a formerly homeschooled adult who says that she can still point out a homeschooler in a crowd because of the uniform. I also read another post by someone who said local homeschoolers looked down on her because she wore jeans. I have not idea where these people live, but at the homeschool meeting the other night, 70% of the women had on jeans. There is no such thing as a homeschool uniform anymore. All of the homeschoolers I meet are dressed in a comfortable, casual manner.
Homeschoolers abuse their children: This lie is perpetuated by the media and fueled by anti homeschooling advocates. Sure children of homeschoolers have been abused, even murdered by their parents, but the ratio is miniscule in comparison to the greater population.
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