5 insane (but true) things you should know about a homeschool education

Hello Homeschoolers, 

This topic has been on my mind for a little while, but I just couldn't find the words to put on here... Until now. 

You see, I am a homeschool mom, though I haven't always carried this role. I began homeschooling our children in 2013. I decided to do so for various reasons. While I had researched the data, read the blogs (thank you bloggers), and prayed about this, I was concerned about the "after effects" of homeschooling. How would the education my husband and I provide to them differ from that of public school? Prepare yourself - these are insane (but true)! 

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1. Homeschoolers are often more outgoing than public school students. I know the myth: Homeschooled children are rather introverted and have trouble making friends. But this is where the myth is debunked. My experience has shown that children who are homeschooled are more likely to go out of their way to make friendships, less likely to cause the modern-day drama associated with public school students (arguing over fads, fighting over shoes, clothes, and boyfriends/girlfriends). Homeschooled students are also more likely to join in civic programs, volunteer opportunities, and often times, have a more defined gift or talent for the arts, music, and literature.

2. Homeschoolers are often more mature than their public school counterparts. Though they are still children, homeschoolers communicate on a different level than traditional school students. Even at a middle school age, our son carries on conversations with adults as if he is one. Not to mention the fact that homeschool students' vocabulary ranges are typically larger than public school students. This allows for a better understanding of the world around them and allows them to be more assertive in their own conversations. 

3. Homeschoolers are often more emotionally and psychologically grounded than public school students. Parent's who have elected to homeschool their children are not at all surprised by the safety of having their children at home, but the fact those in public school are met with bullying, greater opportunities for exposure to drugs, fornication, and personally destructive habits (cutting and other forms of self-abuse) are damning to the public school students. Those who are homeschooled are less likely to be met with these situations, and likewise, have a stronger psychological grounding on ways to effectively say no and to avoid those situations when they are older. (Sidenote: A small unit study (for middle & high school) on the effects of drug abuse can be completed by watching only one to two episodes of Intervention on A & E.)

4. Homeschoolers are often more independent. True, the younger ones require help on various things as a "learning process", older homeschool students are likely to be more independent than their public school counterparts. This happens because of the culture of homeschool. Many parents teach organization and responsibility to their children, requiring this level of independence. From accurately keeping logs of what they are studying and the time they are spending on each subject, to the personal accountability each student has for his or her own learning shows a great level of independence. 

5. Homeschoolers are more likely to question what they read and hear as opposed to their public school counterparts. Public school students are, today, inundated with information from sources such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and main stream media. That isn't to say that homeschool students are not exposed to technology (although parents are cautioned to monitor and limit time), but that homeschool students have acquired a "knack" for fact reading throughout their years in homeschool, and relying on factual, proven information has become almost second nature for the older homeschool students. 

There you have it! Some insane (but true) facts about a homeschool education! But let's be honest, did we really expect anything bad from homeschooling? Nah! Me either! 

Until next time, 
LaVonda