Rachel Coleman: “Good homeschooling … is not something that happens automatically”
“I was homeschooled in Indiana, a state with no oversight of homeschooling. My parents did not even have to file notice of homeschooling. All of the things my parents did—creating curriculum plans, putting together annual portfolios, having us tested—they did in an effort to homeschool us effectively and responsibly. My parents would not have found oversight of homeschooling an inconvenience or burden because they already voluntarily did everything effective homeschool oversight generally requires.”
Kathryn Brightbill: “I’ve seen how wonderful homeschooling can be”
“I support oversight of home education not because I had a bad homeschooling experience, but because I had a good one. I’ve seen how wonderful homeschooling can be when it works because I’ve lived it. When I hear the stories of homeschooled students who experienced educational neglect or abuse, or the formerly homeschooled adults who are struggling to overcome the deficits in their education, it saddens me to know how much the system failed them.”
Amethyst Marie: “The students most affected … were girls”
“I believe that the education I received through homeschooling was likely better than what I would’ve gotten in my local public school districts. But I can’t say this for all the homeschoolers I grew up with. I knew teenagers who weren’t being given a complete high school education, particularly high school math and science. The students most affected by this were girls.”
Caitlin T.: “In New Jersey, things fell apart”
“In New Jersey, things fell apart. Without oversight, there was no need to think about compiling a portfolio. Without state standards, there was no benchmark for my progress. We still tried to follow the Pennsylvania guidelines for high school (3 years of math, 3 of science, 4 of English, etc.), but no one was there to check up on us or offer help as I entered harder subjects.”
Declan: “I want in any way I can to be the person I needed to advocate for me”
I have suffered with imposter syndrome for the last 15 years; feeling like I have somehow lied or tricked my way into getting a seat at the tables where I find myself seated, not being able to feel truly proud of my own social, academic and career accomplishments despite my childhood and upbringing. Content Note:…
Candice K.: “I do not think my story is rare or even exceptional.”
“I am sharing my story now because I have seen the society that I live in repeatedly fail its most vulnerable members, those who have no volition over their own lives. I have seen my neighbors’ children endure substantially increased abuse and neglect due to homeschooling during the pandemic, and others just not attend school…
Valerie: “I know that not everyone in my position is so lucky”
At first, being home seemed fun and easy. However, as the subjects progressed, I felt myself falling behind. I would overhear other kids at the co-op talking about their classes and I was never learning about any of the same things. My parents pulled me out of private christian school when I was only in…
Abbey L.: “If anybody ever saw something concerning, nobody ever said a word.”
If I had been in a normal high school I would have noticed that other people lived differently. I also would have been around mandatory reporters who would have noticed my Dad’s obvious psychosis and the emotional, spiritual and psychological abuse I lived with. But instead, I didn’t even have a close friend to confide…
Song HyoA: “They mold me into an identity that is perfect for them, but not for me”
“It takes time, dedication, experience, expertise, money, resources, and structure to homeschool your children, not just spending dollars on a curriculum that will not help them get into university. You give your children a future that changes their lives.” Homeschooling has been quite popular in Malaysia during the COVID pandemic as many children stayed at…
Amber Moore: “Nobody could help me except myself”
“The cognitive dissonance grew so intolerable that it took me down a road that led me to throw away many of the beliefs I grew up having.” I am 25 years old and I am the middle child of five. We were all homeschooled from a very early age up to adulthood. My family moved…