Homeschooling Anonymous

Hi my name is Maddie, and I am a homeschooler.

Many people believe we homeschoolers should be in hiding or need social rehab. They believe they are freaks, social misfits, extremist, religious fundamentalist, hippies, granola crunchers, Birkenstock wearers, hallelujah-ist, ill informed, uneducated tramps, indoctrinating tyrants the list goes on and on....

And yes, the truth is there is every degree of belief, every degree of seriousness, every degree of everything. There are the ones who homeschool strictly for religious reasons and those who homeschool for simply being able to teach their own unpopular beliefs. There are those who homeschool because it's what they know and those who homeschool because of the novelty or even because they accidentally fell into it. There are those that homeschool because they refuse to adhere to governmental standards, and those who homeschool because they believe the government is failing our children.

The reality is that homeschoolers are not freaks. Simply parents that are exercising their personal right to educate their children in the way they see best. These are people who take personal interest in their children's everyday lives. Not to say that parents of mainstreamed children do not share the same interest in their children's lives, but homeschoolers feel personally responsible for their children's upbringing. They feel the buck stops with them. Homeschooling is a very personal choice and often time a difficult choice. Difficult because the buck does stop with them. There is no school system to blame for their children's shortcomings. There is no one to blame for their children's lack of knowledge. They are solely responsible for not only their children's education but for their "socialization", their willingness to adapt, their willingness to be assertive. Their willingness to be adventurous. These are just a few of the issues that homeschooling families deal with. They can always opt out and say, "This is too much work for me. This is too intense for me. I need a day off." But there is something about being able to have such a direct role in your child's upbringing... something that speaks to the core of you, something that makes it just as important as teaching them to walk for the first time. As you witness your child learn and take interest in the fundamentals of something, you then realize that, so many parents miss out on these special moments. The truth is, children in today's typical classroom environment may never really even have an opportunity to seriously delve into something, out of pure interest. They miss too many opportunities, all while waiting for Billy to return from the bathroom before continuing the lesson. Or, being pushed through a lesson simply because they need an extra moment or two to work out a problem but, of course the big test is on Friday and "we need to learn this one last thing, before the end of class." What happened to the joy of learning? I'll share with you the elusive answer... Standardized tests, overcrowded classrooms, budget cuts and no child left behind acts, in general: plain apathy for our children.

My answer to our country's choice to put our children last? To overlook the importance of knowing where Africa is on a map; instead of who a senator is sleeping with? MY ANSWER: HOMESCHOOL!!! So here I stand on my soapbox and proudly announce:

My Name is Maddie, and I am a Homeschooler.