Being an Educator

It's here, back to school time, and it has me thinking.
I have been in the homeschooling realm of schooling for the past 28 years with a short 7-year span in the middle when I had children too small to officially homeschool. So I feel fairly confident in saying that I have a good grasp on the educational system, at least in my state.
I want to clear up some of the misconceptions (as always these are my views and opinions so do not hold every homeschooling family to them).

Misconception number 1: Yes, I am a homeschooler and no I do not hate the public school system.

I have a lot of reasons for homeschooling my children and I know others have reasons for utilizing the public school system or a private school of their choosing. Let's stop the debate over what is best. We're all just parents trying to do what we can to educate our children to the best of our abilities. I won't judge you for sending your kids to school so please don't judge me for keeping mine home.

Misconception number 2: We wear our pajamas all day.

To my children's demise, this is seldom the case. It is not so much that they don't want to or I don't want to let them, it's that we are busy. You see all those extracurricular subjects you get at school (music, gym, art, etc.) we have to take lessons or meet up with others for them and since the only people who seem to think PJ's double as regular clothes are college students we must get dressed every day.

Misconception number 3: Homeschooling causes children to be unsocialized.

This one is tricky because it is hard to prove and because each family is so different. The level of socialization depends strongly on the parents' preferences, family involvement with outside activities, family size and a number of other constructs. To help with the socializing of our children (and ourselves) we put our kids in a lot of sports and clubs. I do not think this is completely necessary it is just what our family does. We love people and we want our kids to love them too so that they have a heart to share the gospel with them. I think socialization is an issue that stems from the heart. Where you're heart is will be where you spend your time. So yes, some homeschooled kids are standoffish (I'm not going to lie), but some are not and I think you can find those 2 types of kids in any type of school setting.

Misconception number 4: Homeschooling is too hard for me to even consider.

Well, I am here to tell you that it is not really if you know where to look. There is some incredible curriculum out there that lays out exactly what you need to know. I do not have a degree in education, but I have crazy, self-taught, research skills that mean I am constantly educating myself on what is out there to give my children a well-rounded education that will allow them to hopefully enter college seamlessly someday. You can do that too, honest. Plus, here's a little secret, most other homeschooling parents love to talk about it and give recommendations. So, if you're willing to research and receive recommendations you'll be in fine shape.

Misconception number 5: Homeschooled children do not receive the education they need to thrive in the real world when they are adults.

I must admit, this misconception upsets me. Homeschooling my children is a full-time job for me, literally! I spend a lot of time working to make sure my children keep up with their studies and have a full education. One major difference with homeschooling is that my classrooms are so small I can cater my children's education to their strengths and weaknesses. I test my children every year for this particular reason. If I see that they are struggling in a subject we work harder to try to fully understand it in the future. Unfortunately, that is not so easy to do in public school because of the sheer number of children. Personalized education is my jam so please don't diminish my efforts.