Earnest Parenting.com logo

Encouraging Heroes. You can be one too.

There are many people out there who believe that homeschooling children is a bad idea for a variety of reasons. Most of the time, these misunderstandings may be attributed to not truly understanding the involvement of this educational practice as witnessed by comments and myths that are thrown about carelessly. Although a large portion of these myths about homeschooling are ridiculous to the point of asinine, some do have a slight credibility to lend concern.

1. Socializing – One of the more common myths about homeschooling a child is the lack of socializing with other children will make them inept in society. Actually, there is a great deal of socializing that these children can experience in the form of community sports, neighborhood play, friends and family, and other interactive venues. Any lack of socialization a child may experience may be more of the fault of the parent for not making sure the child has sufficient time to spend with peers.

2. Academically – There is a misconception that homeschooled children are behind academically compared to those in traditional classrooms. On the contrary, homeschooling parents aren’t restricted in teaching materials within the classroom based on general acceptance. This means that a child learning from home can easily surpass requirements for general education. As long as the parent is doing his or her part to enlighten the child of knowledge, the child could easily out perform a large portion of the traditional student body. (Editor’s note: recent studies have shown the homeschooling population as a whole far outperforming public school students on tests of academic learning as well as general happiness and social involvement.)

3. Religiousness – Many believe that homeschoolers are very religious and wish to incorporate their beliefs into the educational system. Although there are many parents who do believe in this philosophy, there are a variety of families that have a plethora of reasons to homeschool their child – none of which involve religion. Some of the more predominant reasons include: lack of options for better education, protection from violent school districts, and direct interaction of special needs ADD children.

4. Educational Value – Not learning the right materials is a fear many parents have when deciding if homeschooling is right for their child. As long as the core subjects are covered, your child could actually learn quite a bit more that is practical in today’s world. Whether you are receiving materials from a qualified homeschool assistance program or developing your own curriculum, you can tailor your child’s education to reflect the most practical skills for the area you live in.

5. Colleges – In the past, many colleges didn’t recognize homeschooling as a form of “proper” education. As time marches on, these colleges are realizing that homeschooled students can be just as productive and educated as any child that attended a school district. Many times, the college will provide a test to all students in order to gauge his or her educational level to be used in placement of core subjects.

Homeschooling is more than just sitting your child down at the table and solving problems from pages you printed off from the Internet. It requires direct interaction with your student, something that traditional schools usually have a hard time with. This isn’t saying that the school districts are evil, but teachers in the classroom are unable to divide their time among all of the students in order to make that connection. Homeschooling may not be for everyone due to nothing more than time constraints, but it can be a more valuable and productive method of education than most people may think.

Author Byline:
Blogging for was a natural progression for Allison once she graduated from college, as it allowed her to combine her two passions: writing and children. She has enjoyed furthering her writing career with www.nannyclassifieds.com. She can be in touch through e-mail allisonDOTnannyclassifiedsATgmail rest you know.

Earnest Parenting: help for parents who are thinking about homeschooling.