Homeschooling: A Social Stigma or An Edge Above the Rest?

From the moment I heard about “homeschooling” when I was a teenager, I immediately wrote it off as a freak practice done by hillbillies and rednecks—much like Kathy Bates’ role in The Waterboy. “What weirdos,” I scoffed. “They’re probably really antisocial and stupid.”

It turns out that I was pretty wrong. Every person I’ve met who was homeschooled has been a well-rounded, intelligent person—much smarter than the average Joe, I would say—and yes, while many were deeply religious, they weren’t pushy about it like you might think. Instead, they were also cultured, having spent time around in different countries, volunteering, and interning at various places. And because they were homeschooled, they were able to follow their own interests and build upon them instead of getting bored doing worksheet after worksheet, waiting for their classmates to catch up.

Then I’ve also seen the benefits of homeschooling for kids who just get stuck in a rut that’s really hard to get out of in high school. I experienced this firsthand with a relative, whom I later homeschooled through an umbrella school. Now she’s got her diploma and is working on entering the competitive health field.

I’m really heavily leaning toward homeschooling my child. The thing is, I know that there’s a lot of extra stuff—probably even more than I can think of at the moment—that I’ll have to consider. For starters, there’s the socialization aspect. Yes, people’s fears about it when the homeschooling discussion arises are generally much larger than the issue itself, but some socialization does need to take place. For this, there are many homeschooling groups, clubs, and sports teams that my child can take part in. No sweat. (Although I really would like her to experience being in a choir…)

Then there’s the stuff I really don’t know much about. Sure, the physics, calculus and other study guides and teaching materials will help me, but I’d much rather her be taught at the hands of someone who really knows their stuff. I also understand that there are plenty of tutoring agencies—not to mentioned retired teachers and private tutors—available for this instruction.

There’s more research to be done, but my husband and I pretty much think we’ll be homeschooling. I’d love to hear the thoughts of other homeschoolers—or unschoolers, as I’m really interested in the John Holt philosophy—and how they got started, as well as views on homeschooling versus public schooling.