Anti-Homeschooling: Dealing With OppositionGot someone in your life who's anti-homeschooling? When close friends or family members disagree with your decision to teach your children at home, it can be very disheartening. Others just don't like the fact that parents can succeed at overseeing the total development and education of their children without the need of professional educators or trained officials. As a homeschooling parent, it's not uncommon to feel inadequate at times; you may wonder if you really can educate your child or if you made the right decision. If you have a significant person in your life who openly voices their opinion against homeschooling, you may continue to doubt yourself and end up believing that you can't educate your child. So, how do you deal with those who are anti-homeschooling? Know and Remember the "Why"First, you must resolve in your mind and heart that homeschooling is the best decision for your family. You need to know and remember why you are homeschooling your children.When we began homeschooling, we wrote down on a piece of paper all the reasons why homeschooling was the best decision for our family. On more than one occasion over the years, I have had to pull that piece of paper out and remind myself why our family made this life-changing and challenging decision. Home education is a huge commitment and undertaking; it's not for the faint-hearted, but it is rewarding! To help you keep on keeping on, here are five additional ideas to help you to better deal with homeschooling opposition: 1. InquireIf you come across someone who doesn't like that you homeschool, ask them why they don't agree with homeschooling. Once you know why they are opposed to home education, you can better relieve their worries, ease their concerns or answer their questions.2. InformMany people who are anti-homeschooling are misinformed; some even like to spout their opinion without looking up the facts.
You can find lots of research on homeschooling. The Education Resources Information Center, (aka ERIC) sponsored by the US Department of Education, contains tons of information on homeschooling. The Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), published a document recently, called "The Homeschool Progress Report 2009"; it contains some great statistics and information about homeschooling for your pro-homeschooling arsenal. Download and save a copy to your computer.
3. IncludeTake time to include family and friends in your homeschooling endeavor. My kids used to create weekly newsletters for our home school and send them to our relatives and friends. They would include short stories and information on what we've done in our home school; even family members who weren't so keen on us homeschooling, enjoyed hearing about what our kids were learning and doing.4. InviteSometimes a person is not supportive because they don't really understand what homeschooling is or how it's done. Invite them into your home to be a part of your home school; maybe they could share something that interests them with your children, tell a story from their past or share about their profession or hobby.On different occasions, my children have called family members with questions for their assignments or projects. I think this has helped our family not only keep in touch with our out-of-town family, but made them more aware of homeschooling and showed those who are against homeschooling that my kids were really learning. My kids have also enjoyed getting to know their relatives as they have interviewed them or asked questions about their professions or expertise on a certain subject. 5. IgnoreFor some anti-homeschooling folks, sometimes no response is the best response. :)So don't lose heart when a loved one or friend voices their opinion or approaches you with their concerns. You never know what kind of impact you or your kids will have on others. Although anti-homeschooling comments may be discouraging at times, the opposition can strengthen your resolve to continue homeschooling, help you to become a more effective communicator or increase your acceptance of others. Have A Great Story About This Topic?
Have you ever dealt with someone who was totally against homeschooling? How did you handle it? New to Homeschooling?Deciding whether or not homeschooling is the right choice for you? Learn some pros and cons of homeschooling, to decide if home-based education is right for you and your family.Advantages of HomeschoolingSometimes the decision to homeschool isn't an easy one to make. There are a myriad of reasons why families choose homeschool. For each family, the advantage of homeschooling may be different depending on what is most important to that family. Discover some great advantages of homeschooling and how you can provide the best education for your child, gain confidence and experience homeschool success.Return from Anti-Homeschooling to Benefits to Homeschooling New! CommentsWould you like to add something about what you just read? Leave me a comment in the box below. |
