Debunking Homeschooling Myths by Laurel Ferguson
*Disclaimer: Most of the information presented here comes from my personal experience. Everyone has a different experience in homeschooling and I can’t speak for every homeschooler out there!
I was homeschooled in Florida from 1st to 6th grade. When I moved to Sparta and immediately started public middle school, it was quite a change. I had to adapt to a different workload, a longer school day, a new environment, and even receiving grades for the first time. Upon revealing that it was my first year in public school to my new Spartan friends, I was met with a lot of the same questions. Most of these questions were based on myths that I've come across time and time again, so I'm here to debunk them once and for all.
Most people think that homeschoolers’ parents act as teachers in a school would, being extremely involved in their child's work as well as being their primary source of knowledge. In fact, upon googling the keyword “homeschooling,” almost every image to pop up portrayed a parent looking lovingly over their child’s shoulder as they enthusiastically do their work. While this may be true for some, every homeschooler I knew was allowed a significant amount of say in how and what they learned. Whether it meant learning independently using self-teaching resources like Khan Academy or creating a hands-on project rather than writing an essay, I and other kids I knew were given a lot of freedom of choice when it came to learning styles.
With homeschooling comes different grading techniques. For many students, it's difficult to imagine not receiving grades in school, and I'll admit: after three years of getting accustomed to public school, it's strange to look back on. In my case (and many others’), rather than getting grades and taking tests, I was evaluated at the end of every school year by a certified teacher to ensure I was moving forward and retaining information. For me, this took a lot of pressure off day-to-day schoolwork.
One of the most common assumptions about homeschooling, and one that never fails to amuse me, is the idea that because homeschoolers don't go to a separate building to learn with other kids for seven hours a day, they're isolated from the world. Contrary to what seems to be a popular belief, school isn’t the only place kids can make friends and socialize. I was a part of a “homeschool group” made up of 15 families. I met up with other homeschooled kids in the group to go on field trips and participate in events. I also met people doing local theater and taking dance lessons, and had friends in my neighborhood. So yes, most homeschoolers do have social skills.
These were only a few of the more common misconceptions about homeschooling. I hope this blog post answered some questions and gave you a look into what homeschooling is really like!
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| An interesting chart on the growing popularity of homeschooling |
I love this post. Seriously. Even though I, admittedly, was one of those friends who asked those questions, this really helped point out the ridiculousness of them. (Thanks!) After having the freedom to develop your own learning style, your own projects, and your own schedule, did you feel restricted by public schools, or was it just too different to compare? Do you think having that independence helps with learning?
ReplyDeletePublic school did feel a little restrictive at first, but like most things, it just took some getting used to. There are definitely benefits to having clear requirements like we get in school, especially in a school environment where assignments have apply to so many students. However, I do think being allowed some creative freedom lets kids figure out which way they best learn and use it to their advantage.
DeleteI had no idea you were homeschooled! It was super interesting to read about your experiences in a homeschooled environment and your debunks on what most people assume about homeschooling.
ReplyDeleteI personally know two other homeschoolers, so it was cool to have a little more insight into their world! They told me that most (if not all) of their education is based on an online sight that dictates their assignments, and that they pretty much wake up at whatever time they wish to start their learning. Also, on a different note, I had no clue you were homeschooled! So thank you for debunking some myths and sharing that experience!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting and I like that you took the time to fill us all in on something most of us know very little about! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThis was very interesting to me because up until now I thought that home school kids wear taught by some sort of certified teacher like someone to come into your house to teach you, I didn't know you could choose to learn online. I can see how you unfilled the core classes but how did you do the elective classes like gym? How did someone know if you were learning other then the test at the end of the year?
ReplyDeleteI didn't have a gym class, I just exercised on my own. A lot of states don't require gym class, even in public schools, and homeschooled kids usually aren't required to take a gym class either.
DeleteDuring the evaluation at the end of the year, a certified teacher asked me questions to see how much information I had actually retained, but they also looked over all my work from the year, which included things like essays and worksheets, to determine how much progress I was making. Then I had to get confirmation from the teacher that I knew everything I needed to in order to move on to the next grade.
This was so interesting to read. These where myths I kind of did assume but now I see that they are obviously not all true. I also did not know you were homeschooling That's so cool and its good you get to experience both public and homeschooling.
ReplyDeleteThis was really interesting, I had no idea you were home schooled! I never really knew much about how home schooling worked, so this definitely answered some of my questions.
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