Myths about homeschooling abound, either as false assumptions held by parents who send their children to public school, or by parents considering a homeschool for their preschool children ,or even those parents considering pulling their older kids out of public school to start a homeschool.

Many parents may think they are inadequate to homeschool their children because they are not “certified teachers,” not properly trained or qualified for this task. This thinking is linked to a widespread myth about homeschooling: Many people believe that a child learns and studies through a formal curriculum taught in a homestyle “classroom,” the kitchen table, dining room table or bedroom desk, by the parents as teachers.

However, the fact is that while children can learn in this way, they also can and do learn through a myriad of methods. These include formal teaching and lessons done by a parent; activities and get-togethers with the homeschool community and other children; everyday, real-life experiences; independent study time and activity time; helping around the home with chores; family outings, trips and holidays; and more.

As a matter of fact, one of the major benefits of homeschooling is that you as the parent can formulate a tailored “curriculum” for your child using a variety and a combination of resources and ideas instead of relying on prepackaged curriculum. You can be flexible and be in complete control of what your child learns and how they learn. You can also choose the approach of teaching and your own educational philosophies through homeschool depending on you and your child’s styles, preferences, and needs. You may even vary your teaching approaches from day-to-day and from subject-to-subject. Your approach is completely up to you. Studies have even shown that children score extremely high on standardized tests, even though many of them have not been taught formal curricula by their parents.

Another widespread myth about the homeschool life and homeschool families is that children are basically always stuck at home, and consequently become isolated and lack in socialization skills. However, the truth is that children tend to be very active in their homes, neighborhoods, and communities as participants in a plethora of activities including sports teams, volunteering, special classes, private lessons, babysitting, part-time jobs, church events, and clubs.

Homeschooling need not equate isolation. You, the parent, can help your child become involved in society and provide opportunities for social interaction daily. You have the added advantage of having a very flexible schedule, allowing you to do the things you need to do as well as things you’d like to do, whenever it suits you.



Thanks to Mimi Rothschild for contributing this article to our Homeschooling blog:

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