Running head: MISCONCEPTIONS AND MYTHS

1

I Was Homeschooled:

Major Misconceptions and Modern Myths About

Homeschool

Esther Zamora

College of Central Florida

MISCONCEPTIONS AND MYTHS 2

Abstract

This paper explores eight common myths that plague modern

homeschooling. As the subject was researched, it was discovered

that although people may view homeschooling with prejudice and

misunderstanding, the academic and corporate world actually pay

close attention to homeschooled children because of their well-

trained behavior, strong sense of morals, and often excellent

academic achievements. Seven scholarly resources were observed

concerning the subject of homeschooling and some of the issues

concerning bullying. Bullying is a motivating factor that may

cause some parents to decide to homeschool. Although it does not

travel too far in depth, this paper lightly touches on a raging

subject that faces modern academia.

MISCONCEPTIONS AND MYTHS 3

I was Homeschooled: Major Misconceptions and Modern

Myths About Homeschool

Homeschooling can avoid teasing, punching, pushing,

harassing, mocking – these are all forms of damaging behavior

that children in schools today take part in, which deeply wounds

their fellow students (Bullying and suicide, 2009). Prejudice,

hatred, and discrimination – these are reasons why such young

individuals take part in these actions. Worthlessness,

loneliness, hopelessness – these are reasons why the victims of

these heinous acts of other children cut themselves, get high,

and even take their own lives. Bullying is one of the leading

causes of adolescent and teen suicide in the America. A study in

Britain found that at least half of suicides among young people

are related to bullying. Alarmingly, girls from the age of 10 to

14 are the highest risk for suicide; sadly, suicide is the third

leading cause of deaths in young people (Bullying and suicide,

2009). Bullying causes permanent, irreversible, and psychological

scars that are carried into the child's adult life. Many parents

are not aware that their child is being bullied at school because

they are too busy with other activities to notice. Being

homeschooled, however, this problem is almost non-existent.

The idea of teaching at home, or homeschooling, may be

completely new for many people and possibly a distant passing

memory of having heard it somewhere. Homeschool is a safe,

nurturing environment for a child to grow up and learn, giving

them personal time with their parents and freedom to advance as

their individual needs require. For example, a child on the

autism spectrum is allowed to go to school; however, this may not

be the best option for his learning disability and psychological

health. Children who have special needs should be with their

parents as much as possible (Hurlbutt). The purpose of homeschool

is to not only spend quality time with the child, but to help him

or her learn according to their gifts and abilities.

MISCONCEPTIONS AND MYTHS 4

While at home, the child's individual gifts can be fully

realized, and exercised daily, without the change in routine of

normal public school. When a parent makes the decision to

homeschool their child, few of them know how much they are

impacting their child. In every case, each parent has gratefully

reflected on their choice to homeschool. It better prepares

children for the world, giving them the proper amount of

individuality, and a healthy view of themselves. In modern times,

there has been a growing amount of skepticism and cynical review

against homeschool by the general populace. Many individuals

misunderstand homeschool, and question it critically with raised

eyebrows (Ten myths about homeschooling, 2013).

One of the most popular misconceptions is that homeschooled

children are weird and will not make model citizens. Dr. Brian

Ray argues that “home schooling produces successful adults who

are actively involved in their communities and continue to value

education for themselves and their children.” For example, 71

percent of homeschool graduates participate in ongoing community

service, compared to 37 percent of U.S. adults of similar ages;

88 percent of the homeschool graduates surveyed are members of an

organization (such as a community group, church, or professional

organization) compared to 50 percent of U.S. adults. (Ray, 2003).

These statistics are the reality of the type of citizens that

homeschoolers grow up to be. Indeed, homeschooled children

sometimes may appear very strange or different, but in reality

they are being trained to become model citizens that will help

the community all around. Usually, in a group of children, it is

easy to pick out which one was schooled at home by their

typically polite manners, proper posture, and tidy appearance.

Those are some of the most frequent signs of a homeschooled

child. A teenager with genteel mannerisms, proper speech, and

intelligent performance is likely to be labeled a “nerd” and

weird because they stand out. If opening a door

MISCONCEPTIONS AND MYTHS 5

for a senior is considered weird, then homeschooled children are

indeed, very odd (Oliveira, 2012).

The third most prevalent myth is the social misfit theory,

of which many people believe that children schooled at home are

social misfits (Romanowski, 2006). A child with a neat

appearance and proper speech does not fit in with the general

crowd. The mental image seems to be of a child that wears slacks,

a bow tie, and a knitted vest all the time along with glasses and

impeccable hair. This is a worthy fashion, but not one usually

adopted by the homeschooled individual. Many children are

actually quite normal in appearance, and the ones that are not,

have eccentric personalities that would have been bullied in

school. The home is not a prison where the children are

completely shut off from any outside contact. Homeschooled

children often follow trends just like other children in regards

to hairstyle and clothing; the parents of homeschooled children

do shop in popular places such as Walmart, Target, and JcPenny.

The children wear normal clothing - the only difference being

that their school is at home.

The fourth myth is that, the majority of people believe

homeschooled children are sheltered and do not socialize

(Romanowski, 2006). Because parents that educate their children

at home have access to the internet and go shopping in popular

places, the children know about popular internet memes like

Grumpy Cat and American Idols, such as Justin Timberlake. Many

people think that a homeschooled child has never been exposed to

the real world and a single step outside their home will directly

crush them psychologically from the extreme stress of too much

input. In fact, most homeschooled children know about popular

movies and listen to top rated music. If asked, they would

converse freely about their favorite song. The wisdom of their

choices are mature most of the time, but they do really know

about the real world.

MISCONCEPTIONS AND MYTHS

6

Homeschooled children are not sheltered, but are simply protected

by their parents from rampant vices such as cigarettes, drugs,

alcohol, and sex.

Misconception number five is the lazy syndrome. Some believe

that homeschooled children do nothing all day (Ten myths about

homeschooling, 2013). This myth is one of the worst. Homeschool

provides freedom for a child to learn and finish according to

their abilities. In fact, being lazy is actually much more

difficult with a parent always on watch, and not completing

homework is directly punished. People think that because these

privately educated children have so much time to build forts and

play games that they must not do their work. The opposite is

true, because they are at liberty to study at home and are not

held back by mandatory class periods. Homeschooled children have

the freedom to finish as quickly as they are able. It is not

because the schooling is easy, but the parent is there to

immediately help with any questions. In fact, homeschool students

do very well in geography and spelling bees (Romanowski, 2006).

Also, the appeal of finishing quickly to practice football or dig

a trench is so attractive that most children finish their

homework beforehand so they can play. The parent is also free to

reward the child's diligence with a trip to the park or a special

treat of their choice. Field trips to educational places like a

museum or historical site are open to homeschooled children

because the flexibility of school hours. Homeschool children

rarely have nothing to do.

The sixth myth is that homeschooled children are extremely

religious and ultra conservative. In most cases this is not true.

It is very likely that all homeschool families do go to church

regularly, but that is usually the extent of it (Romanowski,

2006). Schooling at home creates a bond between the parents and

the children, so they are less probable to have familial issues

plaguing the modern family. The mysterious thing that built the

strong families that

MISCONCEPTIONS AND MYTHS

7

constructed the first American colony was solid principle. This

kind of training was instilled at an early age, through the

adolescent years, and reinforced by the parents spending personal

time with each child. That quality time allows for the parents to

work out issues with their children, as the issue appears in each

child’s life. Instead of coming home from school, emotionally

drained from high school drama, to have to find a frozen dinner

to put in the microwave, an adolescent with normal adolescent

problems is there at home already with a parent with whom to

discuss their issues. By creating a stronger family unit,

homeschool families do usually go to church, but are definitely

not religion junkies.

Misconception number seven is the classic myth of

homeschooled children not being exposed to the social environment

and interactions offered by public education. Many seem to

believe that homeschooled children have no friends outside their

siblings and parents, because they spend so much time at home

studying. The idea that homeschooled children have no friends

because they are weird, social misfits, and religion junkies is a

little off, but a lot of people actually believe this myth

(Oliveira, 2012). The reason this is not true is many children

schooled at home are more mature and choose their friends wisely.

They may not have a superfluous abundance of friends, but a

select few that they have are actual friends. In fact, many

homeschooled children have friends that they have known since

elementary age. These kinds are friendships are valuable and more

nurturing towards the child, than the pressuring peers in the

public school system. Homeschooled children have to actively go

seek out friendships, the child learns how to pick and choose who

they hang around with. Peer pressure and influence is a powerful

force in a growing child's life; it is important that their peers

are not pushing them in dangerous directions.

MISCONCEPTIONS AND MYTHS

8

Eighth is the myth that homeschooled children are overly shy

and overprotected. Usually some homeschooled children are shy and

reserved, people have come up with this strange assumption that

homeschooled children are really shy; what they do not realize is

that in the public school, there are many students that are just

as shy as some homeschooled students. Simply because they were

educated at home does not mean that they are automatically shy.

If placed in a strange environment, it is amazing how well

homeschooled children interact with other children, seniors, and

adults. Healthy self-esteem, the absence of negative peer

influence, and neat appearances causes homeschooled children to

feel more confident about themselves. There are only a handful of

homeschool students that are very skittish. A shy child would

only become more fearful in public school because of the problem

the system has with bullying. According to Dr. Laura Markham in

her online article “Raise Great Kids,” she points out that shy,

lonely children are more likely to be bullied because of the

timid nature. In an environment where children with stronger

personalities are seeking empowerment, a quiet kid is the ideal

target because they do not stand up for themselves. That destroys

the child's self-esteem even more; thus the rising rates of

suicide caused by bullying (Bully-proof your child). A shy child

that has been homeschooled is more apt to build confidence over

time and grow out the timidness because they feel safe at home.

Last but not least, many people think that colleges do not

want students that were homeschooled, but in reality, many

colleges and universities boast about their students that were

taught at home (Romanowski, 2006). Colleges have noticed that

homeschooled kids have generally higher performance, attending

class regularly, turning in assignments on time, and expressing

academic prowess in the classroom (Oliveira, 2012). Because they

are more mature

MISCONCEPTIONS AND MYTHS

9

and have learned through trial and error and personal time

management skills, homeschooled individuals' have better standing

in the eyes of the college. It is true that they may stand out

from the crowd, and may appear to have a shy personality, but if

not fitting in with everyone else means that grades are higher

than a C average, the colleges do not care. They want good

students with critical thinking skills. They want individuals

with high performance and academic excellence (Romanowski, 2006).

Children that were schooled at home have learned to manage

themselves like adults and the colleges have been taken note of

this trend.

As noted, homeschool is quite misunderstood by the general

public. A family in which the parents work all day, and the

children sit in class all day, is not attractive compared to the

flexibility and freedom of waking up early in the morning,

finishing school by lunch time, and having the rest of the day as

recess and physical training. That is not mentioning the child's

space to have as many hobbies as they please (Ten myths about

homeschooling, 2013). Homeschooled children often develop

difficult skills like carpentry, martial arts, and picking out

the right size of clothing in the store, that public school

students do not have the time, are too tired, or are plain not

interested. Not only that, the academic future for a homeschooled

child is brighter not because their school was easy, but because

they had private tutor to help instead of a teacher that had no

time for one student out of a hundred. Even colleges recognize

the significant difference between both groups of kids in their

classrooms (Romanowski, 2006). Public schools have a huge issue

with bullying and parents are becoming more alert to this problem

and are seeking a lasting solution (Bully-proof your child). The

misconceptions and myths of homeschool must be dispelled in order

for parents at large to see that it is, indeed, the solution they

are seeking.

MISCONCEPTIONS AND MYTHS

10

References

Bullying and suicide. (2009). Retrieved from

http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/

name-calling-vs-bullying.html

Hurlbutt, K. (n.d.). Homeschooling an autistic child: Pros and cons.

Retrieved from

http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/features/homeschooling-

for-autism

Markham, L. (n.d.). Bully proof your child. Retrieved from

http://www.ahaparenting.

com/Default.aspx?

PageID=6074449&A=SearchResult&SearchID=6882976&

ObjectID=6074449&ObjectType=1

Oliveira, A. (2012, October 1). My view: Common myths about

homeschool kids.

Retrieved from

http://schoolsofthought.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/01/my-view-

common-myths-about-home-schooled-kids/

Ray, B. D. (n.d.). HSLDA Homeschooling grows up: Beyond graduation.

Retrieved from

http://www.hslda.org/research/ray2003/Beyond.asp

Romanowski, M. H. (2006). Revisiting the common myths about

homeschooling. Clearing House, 79(3), 125-129.

Ten myths about homeschooling. (2013). Retrieved from

http://www.homeschool

academy.com/bridgeway-advantage/new-to-homeschooling/

10-myths-about-homeschooling/