Homeschool-Episode 1

    There are many mysteries and stigmas associated with homeschooling. Some of them are good, but for the most part they cast a negative light on educating children at home as opposed to the public school system. In the summer of my 28th year my wife approached me with the desire to homeschool our 4 children (ages 2, 4, 5, and 7 the day of writing this post) which was a concept I had never considered. Needless to say I was skeptical (who am I kidding, I was staunchly opposed to the idea), but after unrelenting persistence on the part of my wife I conceded to let her try it, and the following represents what I have learned so far on the matter. Usually when I write on this forum the facts presented are above reproach and generally accepted as absolute fact, but in this case I will admit from the start that these words represent only my personal experiences and should, therefore, not be taken as necessarily what all parents encounter with homeschooling. I can also comment only on what I have experienced thus far, so subjects such as prom, getting a real job, etc. will have to be addressed when they happen years down the road (hence this being Episode 1)

Socialization:

     Probably the biggest concern about homeschooling is the worry that children will be awkward socially, unable to interact with persons of the opposite sex, or turn out to be painfully shy and cut off from the rest of society. This is completely false. As previously stated I have 4 children and they talk to everyone they possibly can. In fact, none of them ever stop talking from dawn until dusk and have a strong opinion about almost every subject imaginable and are certainly not afraid to share it (even without prompting). They even talk in their sleep most of the time. It is also worth noting that my 4-year-old is already engaged to another boy who is homeschooled and they have a pretty healthy and playful relationship.

Sports:

     Another myth that people perceive about homeschooled kids is they are terrible or uninterested in sports or basic skills associated with athletics. This is also false. Even at a very young age all of my children have shown proficiency at several skill sets required in different sporting activities. Below is a list of said skills:

1. Baseball-The kids have a knack for throwing things toward each other (pitching, fielding) and swinging a bat.

2. Soccer-They have demonstrated that they have a fine grasp on kicking objects across a room or yard.

3. Hockey/Boxing-Advanced fistfighting skills have been witnessed by my wife and myself many times.

4. MMA-The children often work on their grappling and 'ground and pound' technique, which is becoming quite good.

5. Speech and Debate-Not a sport, I know, but it is worth mentioning that the kids often argue with each other and have become increasingly good at proving or disproving almost anything (depending on what side of the argument they are on).

Pop Culture:

     Another criticism of homeschooling is that kids will be out of touch with what's going on in the world of American pop culture. This is actually true. When my eldest was in kindergarten she came home requesting an Xbox 360 for Christmas and professing her love of Justin Beiber, while on another occasion scolding me about how we did not recycle or do enough for "Mother Earth". Since homeschooling these subjects, along with other undesirables, have been forgotten...and that is fine by me.

     As I said before this is a very brief list of things I have learned about homeschooling from a parent’s perspective through a semester and a half. As I encounter more myths and rumors I will be sure to address them right here for your consideration. Thank you for your time and God bless!