Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Homeschooling seems to be mostly associated with very religious and conservative parents. I am not religious or conservative and wish it could be more mainstream. I just think my children would really enjoy it. I have the proper education to facilitate a good curriculum that adheres to my state’s learning standards. My children’s current public school has been very disappointing, so I was looking into alternative options. But homeschooling carries a certain stigma. FWIW, this is not a post against religious or conservative families. My sister is both, and homeschooled. Her adult children are super social, independent and successful!

Does anyone else feel this way? Do you wish homeschooling was a more mainstream alternative to education?

I feel the same way. I would love to homeschool, but am afraid that there isn't a large enough number of secular homeschoolers in this area to form a network.

Then you haven't spent much time looking...

Anonymous wrote:I have a high schooler now, and he would be missing so much if I tried to home school. I am not qualified to teach biology or chemistry.

And the social part is huge. From wearing spirit wear to attending the athletic events to pep rallies, he is enjoying being part of that community. The theater and music programs are more opportunities to get involved and work as a team.

He has been in classes with some of these kids since preschool. There is value in that. I have BFFs from 5th grade and junior high. That is what ho.eschoolers are giving up.

Pretty much, no. You just are unaware of the community, its options and opportunities. But glad your kids are happy.

Anonymous wrote:I am judgmental about home-schooled kids at first. If I find out it's not for religious reasons, then I stop judging.

Wow - and public school made you this tolerant and open to people different from yourself? Let me sign up!

It’s definitely moving in that direction.

Anonymous wrote:Homeschooling seems to be mostly associated with very religious and conservative parents. I am not religious or conservative and wish it could be more mainstream. I just think my children would really enjoy it. I have the proper education to facilitate a good curriculum that adheres to my state’s learning standards. My children’s current public school has been very disappointing, so I was looking into alternative options. But homeschooling carries a certain stigma. FWIW, this is not a post against religious or conservative families. My sister is both, and homeschooled. Her adult children are super social, independent and successful!

Does anyone else feel this way? Do you wish homeschooling was a more mainstream alternative to education?

Yes, I wish so too. I would love to homeschool as well, but I wish it were a bit more common and mainstream.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Homeschooling seems to be mostly associated with very religious and conservative parents. I am not religious or conservative and wish it could be more mainstream. I just think my children would really enjoy it. I have the proper education to facilitate a good curriculum that adheres to my state’s learning standards. My children’s current public school has been very disappointing, so I was looking into alternative options. But homeschooling carries a certain stigma. FWIW, this is not a post against religious or conservative families. My sister is both, and homeschooled. Her adult children are super social, independent and successful!

Does anyone else feel this way? Do you wish homeschooling was a more mainstream alternative to education?

I feel the same way. I would love to homeschool, but am afraid that there isn't a large enough number of secular homeschoolers in this area to form a network.

There are plenty of secular homeschoolers in this area. Where are you? I am in VA and there are Coops as well as several locations where pretty amazing classes are offered. You may need to get into some of the active listserves, but really there are loads of active, secular homeschoolers.

What are the best and most active listserves? We're new to homeschooling.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Homeschooling seems to be mostly associated with very religious and conservative parents. I am not religious or conservative and wish it could be more mainstream. I just think my children would really enjoy it. I have the proper education to facilitate a good curriculum that adheres to my state’s learning standards. My children’s current public school has been very disappointing, so I was looking into alternative options. But homeschooling carries a certain stigma. FWIW, this is not a post against religious or conservative families. My sister is both, and homeschooled. Her adult children are super social, independent and successful!

Does anyone else feel this way? Do you wish homeschooling was a more mainstream alternative to education?

I feel the same way. I would love to homeschool, but am afraid that there isn't a large enough number of secular homeschoolers in this area to form a network.

There are plenty of secular homeschoolers in this area. Where are you? I am in VA and there are Coops as well as several locations where pretty amazing classes are offered. You may need to get into some of the active listserves, but really there are loads of active, secular homeschoolers.

Anonymous wrote:Here is why I think the stigma against homeschooling is in part deserved: do you ever hear about fathers being the homeschooling parent? It seems like homeschooling automatically defaults the mother to the domestic/non-income-earning role, and that’s what makes it inherently conservative to me.

So what? Lots of women (homeschooling or not) are more interested in being an active parent than having a career where they get to see their kids for two hours a day. This is why so many women are resentful of feminism. It makes women feel guilty and stigmatized for being more interested in their children than in their careers.

Anonymous wrote:Homeschooling seems to be mostly associated with very religious and conservative parents. I am not religious or conservative and wish it could be more mainstream. I just think my children would really enjoy it. I have the proper education to facilitate a good curriculum that adheres to my state’s learning standards. My children’s current public school has been very disappointing, so I was looking into alternative options. But homeschooling carries a certain stigma. FWIW, this is not a post against religious or conservative families. My sister is both, and homeschooled. Her adult children are super social, independent and successful!

Does anyone else feel this way? Do you wish homeschooling was a more mainstream alternative to education?

I feel the same way. I would love to homeschool, but am afraid that there isn't a large enough number of secular homeschoolers in this area to form a network.

Anonymous wrote:Every home schooled kid I've met is weird.

It is funny how not true this is in my experience. I live in Northern VA. I am a teacher and know a lot of kids. Of the families I know who homeschool a few are religious, a few are super crunchy, a few have kids with special needs (including being profoundly gifted). All the parents I know have college or higher degrees. There are kids, like my oldest, who started homeschooling in part because school wasn't working for them due to learning differences and so on. Maybe you'd call my kid weird but he's a lot happier, more social, and easy going than he was when he was in school, which was just a bad fit. Homeschooling has definitely made him less weird. The bulk of the kids I know stand out for being sweeter and a little moire innocent than the norm but they are all social, engaged kids. Honestly much more so than most kids I know who go to school and can hardly have a conversation. There may be homeschoolers in rural areas who do it to isolate their kids and teach them strange things but that just isn't the norm around here.

Anonymous wrote:Every home schooled kid I've met is weird.

That is just confirmation bias. You simply a) do not realize/remember the homeschooled kids who are "normal" b) you do not recognize the public/privately educated children who are "weird"

Anonymous wrote:Every home schooled kid I've met is weird.

Guess what? They'd be weirdos in public school, too. So, what's your point?

Every home schooled kid I've met is weird.

Anonymous wrote:Here is why I think the stigma against homeschooling is in part deserved: do you ever hear about fathers being the homeschooling parent? It seems like homeschooling automatically defaults the mother to the domestic/non-income-earning role, and that’s what makes it inherently conservative to me.

Not really. Nearly half of the homeschooling families I know have mothers who work part time, including myself. I also know several families who have fathers who teach certain subjects-- in one family philosophy, in another math. In my own family, my husband teaches one of the foreign languages my children learn. I even know one or two families where the father is a SAHD and is the primary educator.

I see homeschooling as something that began as a conservative/religious movement, which is where the stereotypes like the above come from-- but at least for the past decade it has become far more of a movement in response to poor educational options or the realization that with a tailored education children can accomplish a ton more than they would in a traditional schooling environment. My own daughter is 2E and our homeschool allows her to excel in the subjects where she thrives but also builds in plenty of time for her to get up and moving, which is essential.

Here is why I think the stigma against homeschooling is in part deserved: do you ever hear about fathers being the homeschooling parent? It seems like homeschooling automatically defaults the mother to the domestic/non-income-earning role, and that’s what makes it inherently conservative to me.