10 Myths of Homeschooling

 

Myth #1 – Children will lack social skills because they are not with their peers on a daily basis.

 

Homeschooled children are not at a disadvantage for learning social skills because they are able to interact with children and people of different ages on a daily basis, as opposed to children in a classroom, who are limited.  For most of the school day, these children interact within a specific age group – their own. Therefore, homeschooled children have an advantage because they can gain different social skills from being with people of various ages, from babies to senior.

 

Myth #2 – Homeschooled families are all religious, usually Christians.

 

Religious reasons can play a factor in choosing to homeschool but not all homeschoolers practice a religion.

 

Myth #3 – Parents homeschool because their child is either gifted or has a disability.

 

Some families choose to homeschool because of inadequate school options for their child, who may or may not have specific educational needs.  Some children have special talents or abilities which their parents have chosen to address.

 

Myth #4 – The parents are hippies or granolas.

 

In the past, this may have been true but this is certainly not the case for many families in the Lower Mainland.

 

Myth #5 – The parent must have previous teaching experience to homeschool.  For example, be a former teacher.

 

Not all parents have had previous teaching experience.  They learn along with their children, creating a great model for lifelong learning.

 

Myth #6 – Parents are not qualified to teach their own children if they have never attended university or college.

 

For the first five years of a child’s life his/her parents are the teachers.  Some parents teach their kids the basics of kindergarten before their children attend school.   Parents are teachers to their children and homeschooling is an extension of this role.

 

Myth #7 – All the learning takes place at a kitchen table, where children spend the day working with books and notebooks.

 

Some families have designated the kitchen table for learning, but a lot of learning takes place away from the table. The couch, the floor, outside on the lawn, at the beach, at the library and many other places are valid environments where kids can learn. Homeschooling provides perfect teachable moments.

 

Myth #8 – Education would be lacking because parents would not know what to teach their children.

 

Homeschoolers have the ability to choose what they learn and how they learn it.  The topics taught at school are often arbitrarily chosen by a group of people/teachers and not the students. There is no clear-cut order when it comes to learning.  A school may choose to study rocks in Grade 4 and then change it for the next group of Grade 4’s.  The curriculum mandated for a specific school district usually differs from province to province.

 

Myth #9 – Homeschoolers can’t get in to university.

 

Many universities are taken a closer look at homeschooled students.  They are finding these students to be self-directed learners. Some American universities are seeking out homeschoolers.  

 

Myth #10 – Homeschooling your children will make you poor.

 

Choosing to homeschool can take a financial blow to families who live on two incomes.  However, these families are often spending money on childcare/private school tuition while they work. They may find that a single-income household who homeschools parallels a two-income household with childcare or private school expenses.  For families who already live on a single income, homeschooling would be a continuation of what they have already been doing.  Children will cost money no matter what you choose to do.