Over the years I was plagued with questions about my homeschooling: “You mean you don’t go to school?” Or my favorite: “So you wake up whenever you want?”, both of which are good questions for this obscure child that doesn’t “go to school”. I was weird. Although I assumed this was simply the childish reaction, there was always part of me that dreaded the question, even from adults. Why had my parents chosen this for me? Religious reasons? Inferior public schooling? Really it boiled down to the belief that they could better tailor my education and develop a more creative and energetic mind in their children. Homeschooling was the difficult but sacrificial choice my parents made for my siblings and I, and we thank them for it.
Although homeschooling seems to be gaining ground as a more acceptable and less obscure form of education than in previous years, the general public has yet to fully embrace it. One big battle is the debate over extracurricular activities offered by public schools and their policies regarding the inclusion of local homeschool children. Should they be allowed to take part in the school’s offerings, even if they don’t attend the school for classes? Extracurriculars can be an important part of a child’s development. Team sports, for example, offer lessons in fairness, teamwork, disappointment and even victory. Although perhaps some of these lessons aren’t considered necessities in the educational world, we can all agree these are beneficial lessons every child should have a chance to learn. Homeschooling is often considered a sub-par form of education when in reality it offers a full and rich educational experience that deserves similar rights to the publicly educated, including access to public school extracurr.
.from “The State of Alabama’s Tim Tebow Bill: Frequently Asked Questions and Answers.” Www.timtebowbill.com. 2006.
Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 23 Mar. 2014. “HSLDA: Homeschooling Advocates since 1983.” HSLDA: Homeschooling Advocates since 1983.
N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr.
2014.”Homeschooling Grows Up.” HSLDA | Socialization: Homeschoolers Are in the Real World. N.p., n.
d. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. Lawernce, Julia. “Homeschooling Ranks Growing Nationwide.
” Education News Number of Homeschoolers Growing Nationwide Comments. Education News, 1 May 2012. Web. 27 Apr. 2014. Wright, Rebecca.
“Homeschoolers Should Participate in Public School Athletics.”Homeschooling. Ed. Noah Berlatsky. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Opposing Viewpoints.
Rpt. from “Homeschool Students Belong in School Sports.” Jackson Sun 26 July 2009. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 27 Apr.
2014.
