More Common Myths About Homeschoolers

In my last . Today I am going to talk about a few more myths that concern homeschooling.

1. You have to have a lot of money to homeschool

While having a lot of money means you can have more opportunities to take classes or buy expensive curriculum it's not necessary. There are a lot of free, or inexpensive resources, such as the library and Homeschool Potpourri which sells used curriculum. Many museums in Seattle and the Eastside offer free admission once a month which would be good for field-trips. The zoo also offers discounted days for homeschoolers a few times a year. Many homeschool support groups offer opportunities to get together at park days, LEGO clubs and game days for a nominal membership fee.

2. Homeschoolers play video games all day

Just because we are homeschooled doesn't mean we play video games all the time. I mean, that would get boring. Sure, there might be families that apparently do nothing all day, but they are in the minority. We are typically more efficient at getting our schoolwork done because we are taught one-on-one, our parent guides us though the challenges, and they work with us until we get the thing we were struggling with. As a result, we have more free time to do things like play video games, skateboard or read. Even if our parent uses unschooling and we don't technically get any schoolwork, we will learn on our own, finding challenges in everything and learning what we want, at our own pace.

3. Homeschooling isn’t legal.

Homeschooling is definitely legal. The law for Washington State says that the kid has to take a test once a year, and that the parent has to have earned 45 college level credit hours, or one year in college, or gone to a vocational-technical school to qualify to homeschool. And in the event that the parent doesn't meet one of those requirements they can take a parent qualifying course. It is legal to homeschool in all states.

4. Homeschoolers have no Life

This is completely untrue, I get to hang out with my friends, play soccer, read, build a rope swing in my backyard, play a board game with my siblings, participate in a play, go to a class that I love, learn how to make a new meal, raise chickens, play on the piano, learn about the forests, go outside, take a bike-ride, the list goes on and on. We get to join sports teams, volunteer, go to dances with other homeschoolers, do stuff we want to do every day. We also are prepared for the real world, since we are out talking to different people, from different backgrounds and different ages.

5. Homeschoolers are all very Religious

Yes, there are a lot of religious homeschoolers. But, certainly not all homeschoolers are religious. I have some friends who are religious and some are not. But everyone I know is very nice and respectful; they are not religious fanatics that are trying to convert you all the time.