I troll the internet for stories and conversations on homeschooling. Occasionally I come across something that makes me smile, or recoil in horror. I am recoiling right now.
Someone asked the question, “Why do homeschoolers hate and say degrading things about public schooled children?” I had no answer for them. I had to stop and ask myself a few questions.
Do homeschoolers hate those who don’t homeschool? Fortunately, I could answer that question with a resounding NO! How can we, as a group hate others based on educational choices. We are the ones who have chosen to be different. We are the ones looking for acceptance.
Why would someone think homeschoolers hate public school kids? One reason could be that they see homeschooling as a rejection of homeschooling, and internalize that rejection as hate. Another reason could be that degrading things have been said about public schooled kids, in defense of homeschooling. Homeschoolers, this is bad form.
Why do homeschoolers say degrading things about public schools and public school children? Probably out of defensiveness.
Homeschool opponents can say some nasty and equally degrading things about homeschoolers, but two wrongs just do not make a right. We need to be careful when justifying why we homeschool to not tear down those who don’t in the process. While we may dislike and even at times despise the school “systems”, and bureaucracies, we need to separate the individuals from the system.
Have you ever heard the slang saying, “Don’t hate the playa; hate the game”? This is the approach we must take as advocates for homeschooling. It is OK to hate the Teachers Unions,who make it impossible to fire a bad teacher, but don’t hate the teachers. The majority of them want what is best for public schooled children. It is OK to hate negative socialization in public schools, but don’t hate the children who have been affected and often bullied into being bullies themselves. They are victims of the system, and many overcome in time the damage that can be done in schools. It is OK to hate school violence, but do not hate the kids who are victims just trying to get an education.
In summation, I must say that if homeschoolers want to be respected as more than crazy, anti social, separatists, then we have to act that way. We must be careful about the impression we put forth to the public. We must be careful to no degrade in order to build ourselves up. If we can do this, I feel that people will really listen to what homeschoolers have to say, and probably take our viewpoints and us a lot more seriously.
*Have a question about homeschooling? Just ask.
*Want to know more about homeschooling? Start with the 2006 homeschool blog in review!
* Have you seen the homeschooling curriculum glossary?