Homeschooling Myths

I want to dispel some homeschooling myths.

With more families opting to homeschool each year and choosing it by choice (vs. pandemic school closures), it’s time to ditch old school stereotypes about homeschooling and homeschoolers. It’s especially time to debunk myths about homeschooling moms.

Families who choose to homeschool represent a wide range of backgrounds, beliefs, and economic situations. And they have many different and diverse reasons for choosing to homeschool in the first place.

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Homeschooling Numbers

In 2003, 1.1 million children were homeschooled in the U.S. Just a few years later, this figure had jumped to 1.5 million, representing approximately 3 percent of the school-age population, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

In 2010, more than 2 million children were homeschooled in the U.S., according to the National Home Education Research Institute. In 2011, there were nearly 3,000 homeschoolers in New York City (Source: New York Guide).

And, then fast forward to 2019, when estimated 4-5 million children were homeschooling in the United States. Thanks to the pandemic, the numbers are now even higher. Statistics show that the homeschool population grew drastically from 2019-2020.

Homeschool Statistics

Honestly, with numbers like these, I find it simply astonishing that there are efforts to quash homeschooling. Such as in France, where a major proposal was raised in 2021 to ban homeschooling. Quite disturbing is that the proposed legislation passed.

So, with numbers like these, are the streets becoming rampant with weird, unsocialized, oddly dressed homeschooled children? Ummmm….nope. Not at all.

Who are the Weird Ones, Anyway?

I think there’s more evidence than ever that homeschooling works for many children. There’s also more evidence than ever that so-called “well socialized” school kids aren’t exactly perfectly adjusted kids. Some studies school serious issues in school kids, particularly in certain age groups. After all, if you went to schools (I did) who doesn’t have a few scars or issues, as a result of teachers, classmates, bullies, homework assignments, or sports?

To me, this all suggests that there’s never before been a better time to ditch stereotypes and myths about homeschoolers.

Oh, and for what it’s worth, a recent Harvard Business Review article, In R&D, Generalists Are More Valuable Than You Think, is to me a big time fist bump to homeschooling and unschooling families, who encourage interest-led education and exploration of broad educational study. In that article, the researchers suggest that hiring researchers with diverse jack of all trades expertise may help companies better compete vs. hiring researchers with single-focused, deep expertise.

Homeschooling Myths

1. MYTH: Homeschoolers are Religious Freaks or Totally Obsessed with Scripture.

Nope. No way. We’re not all religious. And we’re not all conservative Christians (or insert religion of your choice here).

Sorry, we don’t all live in rural western or southern states, hold hands around the dinner table, or dress our children in matching pinafores.

Sure, there are conservative homeschoolers. But there are also ultra-liberal homeschooling families.

There are well-dressed homeschoolers wearing handmade knits, homeschoolers wearing hand-me-downs, and homeschoolers wearing finger paint covered Oilily corduroy.

Some homeschoolers live in the country. Some live in a major city or posh neighborhood, like Tribeca, NYC. Others live on sailboats or in RVs. And some split their time traveling the world with or without a homebase.

2. MYTH: Homeschool Families Only Listen to NPR and Religious Music.

Sorry, we don’t all have our music stations or radios locked onto NPR.

Some homeschool families keep their radios set to Christian radio. And, sure, others love to soak up NPR.

But there are also those who listen to SiriusXM Hits 1. And Spotify or Pandora.  

There are those who keep the minivan or SUV loaded with educational audios, podcasts, or old school CDs.

But there are also those who keep their players loaded with explicit lyrics rap, trance, jazz or Top 40. And podcasts that carry explicit warning announcements.

There are homeschooling families who don’t do radio, TV, computers, iphones, ipads or smartphones EVER. Or hardly ever.  

There are homeschooling families with children glued to iphones, ipads, or kindles at all hours of the day and night–some fully immersed in their studies, others in the gaming culture…did someone say tween Minecraft addiction?

3. MYTH: We Stay at Home, Always.

We’re not confined to the house! And we don’t all stay home.

Some homeschooling families spend a lot of time at home. Others are rarely at home.

You don’t have to homeschool in New York City to figure out that it’s often possible to fill an entire weekly calendar with activities for homeschoolers that take place “outside” the home, whether those are homeschool gymnastics classes, church activity groups, science classes, field trips, 4H-classes, co-op activities, playdates, music classes, capture-the-flag meet-ups, competitive swim practices and meets, alpine skiing or snowboard lessons, library classes, language courses, etc.

Some homeschoolers even “go to school” part-time at public or private schools, to complement or supplement their home education.

4. MYTH: Homeschoolers are Weird and Unsocialized

Yep, wrong again. Homeschool families, by and large, if not overwhelmingly, raising well socialized, non-freaky kids.

Homeschooling families raise kids with friends, who know how to interact with adults and children, who do a lot of activities, who meet people, and have a good grasp of the world around them.  

A child doesn’t have to go to a building, surrounded by peers of only a similar age, five days of the week, to be socialized.  If being good at standing in lines, raising hands, and asking permission to go to the bathroom (and only going when permission is granted) makes a socialized kid, than perhaps there are many homeschooling families who aren’t raising socialized kids.  

There’s a reason why an increasing number of colleges totally heart homeschooled kids–and it’s not because they are freaky and unsocialized.  Hmmm….

READ MORE HOMESCHOOLING MYTHS: 7 Homeschooling Mom Myths

What homeschooling stereotype do you think is long overdue to be ditched?

Happy Wandering!  Happy Homeschooling!

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