Reacting To Homeschool Stereotypes

It has dipped into the 50’s this week, and with the “cooler” weather comes hot tea, a blanket wrapped around my shoulders in the morning, and lots of time to stare out at the grey sky and contemplate. Now that I’m officially a college student, I’ve had a lot of time to ponder my high school years. My siblings and I were homeschooled from our first breath all the way through high school (and we continue to learn every day).  This worked well with our semi-nomadic lifestyle. There are many stereotypes about homeschoolers, and I thought it’d be fun to react to some of them. This post is meant, first and foremost, to be fun and lighthearted. 😉

#1: Your Home the Hole

Without doubt, the biggest stereotype is that homeschoolers never leave the house, and never ever socialize. It’s funny because it even leaks into big Christian programs like Adventures in Odyssey. One of the only characters that is mentioned as being homeschooled is a kid who hangs around with troublemaker Jay and is socially challenged.

Yes, homeschoolers learn in their homes. But that doesn’t mean that they never leave them! There are plenty of homeschoolers who participate in co-ops which provide much socialization and friendship opportunities.

Are my siblings and I well socialized? Well…not exactly. In fact, we’re not. But that’s due more to our constant moves than homeschooling, and the fact that we’re all homebodies who love ancient books more than talking about sports.

#2: Smart…or Dumb?

There are two opposing ideas when it comes to homeschoolers. Either you’re the child prodigy with glasses and too much hair who can calculate complex math problem in your head and recite Aristotle at the same time, or you’re completely ignorant of anything that’s going on outside of your little bubble.

Truth is, we’re just people, and as such we have varying levels of intelligence and various skills. My brother is great at math, while I can barely remember my multiplication tables. I love to write, and he can’t stand it. We’re different, just like all kids.

#3: You Lack Basic Knowledge

I once had someone ask me, “You know what a missionary is, right?”

A little confused, I said that yes, of course I knew what a missionary was.

“Yeah, okay, that’s good. I know you were homeschooled, so you know, I wasn’t sure.”

I was amused, confused, and slightly annoyed. Do people think that we know nothing? I should have said that missionaries are big in the homeschooled community and many of us grew up on stories of those brave heroes of the faith.

#4: PJs All Day!

Considering that I refused to wear PJs for much of my youth and would sleep in my skirts, no, I did not attend school in my night clothes, thank you very much.

#5: No College for You!

I’ve had a few people (co-workers primarily) ask if it was possible to get into college since I was homeschooled. They were baffled to hear that I had a high school diploma and that *gasps* yes, it was official, and colleges would acknowledge it.

#6: No Prom

Ever heard of homeschool prom? This is something that I never had a desire to attend because we weren’t part of the co-ops, but I can’t dance to save my life and would have humiliated myself beyond repair.

#7: Nothin’ but Denim and Covered Heads

Whenever I see a large group of kids wearing denim skirts, we grin at each other because we know the truth. They’re homeschooled. Yes, it’s true that a lot of homeschoolers wear denim skirts. I’m not sure how that trend got started – probably because the material is durable. But that’s not the only thing homeschool girls wear.

There isn’t a “dress code” for homeschoolers. You’ll find them everywhere across the clothing spectrum. I have friends who never wear dresses above their ankles. I know people who keep their heads covered, some full time, others on occasion. I have friends who wear shorts and tank tops, and everything in between.

Even in my own family, you will see the differences. As a kid I primarily wore skirts and dresses. I loved them and felt beautiful in them. I switched to jeans and shorts for several years. Now I’m back to skirts (dresses don’t fit my body shape tragically). My sister went through much the same progression. We were never forced to wear dresses and never condemned for not wearing them.

Last year, the boys went on a camping trip, and we girls (+Dovid) went on a historical tour of Virginia. We went to Monticello, and Jehosheba, Mama and I all happened to be wearing black shirts and black skirts and Jehosheba and I had head coverings. One guy stopped us, and said, “Hey, what’s with the uniforms? Are they religious? What religion?”

#8: You Can’t Function Outside of the House

You can’t possibly be an adult – how do you know how to balance a checkbook, how to interview for a job, or most importantly, how to get into college? I’ve had this implied several times, and I always get irrationally annoyed. We’re not isolated from the rest of the world, and our parents aren’t morons who are incapable of teaching us these basic skills.

A benefit of being homeschooled is that you do get to have a lot of practical skills (I’m not saying that public schoolers lack these). You learn to cook (especially if you have a big family), you learn to teach, you often learn/work with your dad or brothers, etc.

#9: Only Ultra-Conservative, Farm Living, Almost-Cultish Christians Homeschool

I’ve mentioned that it’s a spectrum of people who homeschool, haven’t I? Yes, some of us live on farms, and some of us live in cities (like my family, much to my brothers’ sorrow). Some of us are Christian, and others aren’t. Some of us are very conservative, and others aren’t. Some of us are obsessed with essential oils and homemade granola, and some aren’t (we’ve been on both sides of that). Some have a bucket load of kids, all of whom play instruments and sing that it’s a family choir, and some of us have (sadly) never learned instruments. (People are always shocked to realize that we don’t have a family band. They hear we’re homeschooled, and that we don’t have our own choir, and they look at us like we’re complete renegades).

We’re different people from different walks of life, united in the desire to teach children from our homes.

#10: You’re Weird

Well…

It’s true.

At least in my home, that’s the truth, and I suspect that it’s so for many other homeschoolers. We’re not quite like the society around us, and we’ll always feel a tad bit out of place. I used to hate it. My younger journal is filled with rants about longing to be normal and blend in. I hated the odd looks, the snickers, and yes, the giggly teens who decided to record us as we stumbled awkwardly through a rather progressive town.

I recently asked Yoveil why she was so weird. She didn’t stop springing around my room like a frog to answer me.

“Hattush. You should know! I’m weird because I’m part of this family. It’s in my bloooooood cells, bwahaha!”

As I age (I’ve reached the ripe years of twenty-two), I’ve grown to love my weird, awkward, sometimes embarrassing family. Who cares if people stare and laugh? We laugh back and enjoy the fact that we’re a spectacle. We make people smile.

I enjoy it most of the time anyway. It’s only embarrassing when my siblings decide to walk single file in age order, and we march around the city like the Von Trapp family, and people comment on how our line looks like a giant snake.

~Hattush

What are YOUR reactions to homeschooling stereotypes? If you’re homeschooled, what stereotypes have you encountered? If you’re not, what stereotypes do you have for homeschoolers?