Homeschool Reflections Call Out

If you have ever been a homeschooler, I want your story.

Any discussion of homeschooling seems to become extremely polarized* almost inevitably. When I was a child, I only ever heard good things about homeschooling – and my parents and the other parents around them would not consider that there could be any downsides or drawbacks to homeschooling. At the same time, there are also those who are opposed to homeschooling who refuse to consider that there could be any positive aspects to homeschooling either. This sort of polarization isn’t good, and it doesn’t make for a healthy discussion.

I would like to cut through the polarization and provide some real experiences. If you are now an adult and were homeschooled for any length of time, I invite you to submit your story. If you were – or are – a homeschool parent, I invite you to share your story as well. My only requirement is that your submission be real and honest, and not simply a propaganda piece in a polarization war.

Each submission should be between 500 and 1000 words and should touch on both academics and socialization. Please email me your submissions at lovejoyfeminism (at) gmail (dot) com.

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* I’ll admit it. I have at times contributed to this polarization. I’ve said some pretty harsh things about homeschooling. After questioning so much of how my parents raised me, it’s easy to feel like I should go to the opposite extreme from my parents on issues like this, but that’s too simplistic. Nothing is completely black and white. I’m planning to write a two part series on homeschooling in which I lay out what I see as its pros and its cons. I did have some good experiences being homeschooled, but I also have some serious critiques of homeschooling and I plan to put my own children in public school. More on this later.