10 Things People Assume About Homeschoolers
People assume a lot of crazy things about homeschoolers. Some of it is true and some…not so much. I wanted to tackle 10 things that people assume about us as a group. Remember every mama and every family is different, whether you homeschool or have kids in public school. Here at Embracing Destiny, we’re all about embracing our personal purpose in God’s plan and loving each other well in spite of differences. On that note, here are 10 assumptions about homeschoolers that I’ve heard quite often.
10 Things People Assume About Homeschoolers
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We are naturally more organized.
*sigh* I wish that organization skills were bestowed the minute we decided to homeschool, but it doesn’t quite work that way. I know a lot of homeschool moms who are very organized and excel at planning, while others can’t seem to find a pencil when they need one. We all bring our best skills — and our foibles — to the homeschooling game.
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Our kids are weird.
What does that mean? This may or may not be true. It’s all point of view — all kids are weird to some extent. It is just a matter of what kind of weirdness you live with. I am ecstatic when my kids get excited about new school supplies and books. Does that make them (or me) weird?
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We have superhuman patience.
Being a homeschool mom does not mean that the virtue of patience comes naturally. We are human, after all. Just as any vocation in life requires growth and dedication, being a homeschool mom stretches us. Even though we were not born with a “patience for homeschooling” gene, we make the best of it and give it our all.
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We homeschool for religious reasons.
While my faith is a part of why I chose to homeschool, it is not the only reason. Many people who homeschool claim no religious ties at all.
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Our kids are geniuses. Or, our kids can’t add 2+2.
Sometimes homeschoolers ARE way ahead because they aren’t confined by arbitrary grade scope and sequence. However, just like in public schools, some kids struggle in some or all areas. This is the beauty of homeschool for us — we can work one on one with each child and customize their schooling for them.
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Homeschool moms are anti-social.
If we can make a playdate between our homeschooled and public school friends work with both of our schedules, then that’s great! We love to get together with mom friends, go out for lunch, and so on. It just happens to work out easier to socialize among homeschool mom friends because we have similar schedules and daily commitments with our kids. When you are married with kids it is much harder to identify with your single carefree friends right? It’s kind of the same principle.
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The kids are unsocialized.
This one might be the assumption that drives homeschoolers the craziest. Nothing could be further from the truth! The kids get plenty of interaction at the library, park, playgroups, co-ops, lessons, and even in sports. They also have the added bonus of socializing with kids of different ages and backgrounds. They socialize with adults more often, too, which tends to put them ahead of their peers in maturity and social skills. They do all of this in real-life situations outside of the artificial classroom environment.
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We are wealthy.
“We could never make it on one income. I don’t know how you do it!” It all depends on what you consider “making it.” We have a roof over our heads and food on the table. We don’t have fancy cars or vacations or the latest gadgets. Homeschooling is often a lot of sacrifice, managing money, and teaching the kids to do the same. We believe it’s worth it.
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We think we are better than you.
Nope. Sometimes we envy and admire the choices you make, even while we know our decision is the best for our family. We are all in this mom game together and should never judge or belittle another family’s choices.
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We are sheltering our kids.
Well, yeah, so? Seriously, this is a bad thing? We still talk to our kids about strangers, and drugs, and things like that. But is removing peer pressure and bullying and some danger from their lives wrong? Kids shouldn’t have to cope with some of the things in this world until they’re mature enough to handle it. They should just enjoy learning, playing, and being kids! Homeschooling provides a secure foundation for life.
What assumptions have you dealt with as homeschoolers?
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XD haha!! you have named just about all of them!
When it comes to homeschoolers we are as different (and as similar) as other families. I wonder if public school families write posts like these!?
Ha, good question! I’ve never seen anything like that from public schoolers, but maybe they do. 😉
Well I totally am not part of the typical Homeschooler mold as I co-teach my kiddos and both my hubs and I work. Yes, we’ve heard every bit of the list above and believed it also (before we started homeschooling). It works for us, my kids have thrived in it. Yes, there are some experiences I wish they could have outside the makings of our homeschool group, but even my completely traditionally schooled son didn’t have a blissful time of school (until high school). Thanks for posting these as a reminder that all homeschoolers are unique.
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. You really have a unique perspective in your situation and I love hearing it!
Yep! So very true!
The shelter accusation or fear is the one I hear the most. There seems to be a general belief that my homeschooled son won’t know how to properly function in the “real world” unless he gets a public school experience. I don’t understand the logic there, but I’m with you, my child doesn’t need the all the negative aspects of the school environment. He deserves to just be a kid.
Yes, so true! I was painfully shy all throughout my public school years. It wasn’t until I was out of school that I learned how to function in the real world. 😉 Thanks for stopping by.
Visiting from #HSBAT. Love it!
I can’t think of any you missed. I think the socialization issue is the one I’ve heard the most, though. I don’t get it. If they thought about it for a moment they would surely see how silly it is. Research actually shows that homeschoolers are better socialized than school kids, and for the reasons you mentioned. The one I’ve heard second most is, “Oh, I could never do that!” which I think is related to patience. At least we can laugh at it all together. Great post!