Homeschoolers I Know

Well, for starters, they all pretty much rock.

Some of them live on one income to teach their kids at home. Some of them live on virtually no income now that the economy is one big tar pit.

Some of them graduated highschool but didn't make it to college.

Some of them have degrees in everything from the culinary arts and biology to theatre arts and math.

Some of them are single parents, some are not.

Most of the homeschool teachers I know are women and they juggle all the other responsibilities of hearth and home in addition to giving their children an education.

All the homeschoolers I know have chosen homeschooling because the government schools betrayed them in one way or another.

Some homeschool for religious reasons only. Some for academics. Some for both.

Some are white, some are black, some are Asian with heritages in India, Japan and China. Some are Catholic, some are Protestant, some are none of the above.

The majority of the parents settle for older clothes, older houses, fewer vacations, patched up cars and dinners at Denneys rather than Red Lobster. See, they've come to the conclusion independent of one another that their children's minds and lives are worth so much more than any of that.

Contrary to what some ignorant critics snidely suggest, those of us who homeschool for religious reasons aren't trying to craft a new generation of mindless religious extremists. We are, instead, trying to buy time for our children to understand and embrace a spiritual life before they are thrown to a world that continues to devalue morals, integrity and hope born of accountability to a higher power.

We are to be faulted for this?

All the homeschoolers I know are unfailingly willing to help each other, to share knowledge, resources, friendship, childcare and, in times of crises, even money.

They have resurrected the sense of community that used to be so prevalent in earlier times, when opening one's home or one's church was unremarkable and routine.

Homeschooling as I've observed it these past three years really has less to do with books, tests, science projects, or paperwork and much more to do with building relationships that inherently teach us about ourselves, others and the world.

Homeschoolers are doing what everyone ought to be doing -- not teaching their kids the Three R's per se -- but taking the time to teach their children true life skills so their kids can survive and thrive in spite of someone else's expectations or mandates, civics so that they understand their nation's history and its laws, critical thinking so that their kids can defend themselves against intellectual idiocy when it comes calling, and what it means to live in community with other people from all backgrounds, faiths, and races.

It's socialization far superior to anything the government schools can provide, because it's coming from those with the greatest vested interest in the lifelong success of their children.