Answering a Question from Reddit: What are the Main Problems We Face as Homeschoolers?

 I don't post on the homeschool section of Reddit, but I happened to see a question that looked interesting and I thought I could answer it in a blog post.

Prospective homeschooling parent asking:

What are the main problems we face as homeschoolers?

I've experienced two.

1.  Judgement from others.

This starts right away when you announce to family or friends that you are planning to homeschool.  There's usually a list of automated responses that everyone seems to have like "how will they make friends?" and "don't they need to be around other kids?" and "you're not a teacher - you need to leave that to the professionals."

This judgement takes on different forms over the years.  It feels awful when your kid has learning issues that give others ammunition against homeschooling.  They will see your child's dyslexia or ADHD as a sure sign that homeschooling doesn't work, even though you know your child would not thrive in a public school environment.  Adults have made comments to my son (who is dyslexic) like "your mom needs to take you to the library" (um, we use Sonlight, which is literally reading all morning).

And the quizzing...  Everyone has that one relative who "quizzes" your child randomly in an attempt to test their knowledge (how that's even possible, I'm not sure).  

The judgement can also take on the form of shock at your curriculum or homeschool methods, especially if you lean towards interest-led learning or unschooling.  Even using a literature-based method (my youngest uses Sonlight) has been met with raised eyebrows from others.

2.  Overwhelming choices.

In the 80s and 90s, there were a handful of homeschool curriculum companies out there.  I can only think of a couple of homeschool books or guides that were written during that time period; Mary Pride and John Holt were a couple of authors from that time.  In the 2000s, The Well-Trained Mind appeared, as did some other well-known homeschool guides.  Some of the older homeschool companies made a name for themselves during the 90s: Konos, Sonlight, Beautiful Feet, Saxon, Abeka...

Now, homeschoolers are not only inundated with curricula, but we're bombarded with ads from these companies that are trying to produce computer-based "accredited" homeschool curricula.  Acellus, Power Homeschool, Time 4 Learning, MiaAcademy, etc into oblivion.

Homeschooling methods are almost as numerous as curriculum, also.  You can unschool, you could be classical homeschoolers/Waldorf homeschoolers/Charlotte Mason homeschoolers, etc, also into oblivion.

The choices are also overwhelming with in-person classes and activities in certain parts of the US (*ahem* Texas).  Here in Texas, there are homeschool PE classes, co-ops, hybrid programs, enrichment centers, homeschool sports, homeschool karate and theater.  The new trend I see coming is homeschool microschools.

Almost every new homeschooler I've seen here makes the mistake of overscheduling their family the first couple of years.  At that point, they realize that their child is not going to miss out on "socialization" if they pare down activities and classes.  They realize that you actually need time at home, too.  You need time to do your actual schoolwork.  You need time to play, rest, clean the house, get groceries, practice piano, cook, garden, ride bikes, etc.  You and your child can't just be in the car or at classes and sports every waking moment just so people don't judge how often your child is around other children.  

And I'm the worst hypocrite in that department, because I feel like we are always overscheduled.  I am learning to say "no" to things and be careful to consciously guard our time.  I am also learning that it's ok to say no so you can rest.    

The overwhelming choices with curriculum and activities can be paralyzing for newer homeschoolers.