Homeschooling and Religion - My Thoughts
I know it is one of the stereotypes, that all homeschoolers are super fundamentalists who keep their children home to hide them form the evil liberals of the world. Like most stereotypes there is an ounce of truth in there. Some of the loudest and well known homeschoolers are deeply religious, and by fact that Christianity is one of the largest religions in America it stands to reason that homeschoolers would also have that large percentage as so. However when you begin to all that “all (fill in blank) are (fill in blank)” you stop seeing much farther than the nearest stereotype. And that leaves a lot out.
I am honored to get to know many homeschoolers online. Like birds of a feather homeschoolers tend to group together, to give each other support and encouragement. And when you spend enough time together talking about life you see just how diverse the homeschooling world really is. You see through the stereotypes and see the real people out there choosing it for their families.
I’ve met homeschoolers who are deeply religious, like my good friend Christinewho is both the daughter and the wife of a pastor. And probably one of the funkiest women I have the honor of knowing! But some would take one look at her religious background and label her before letting a single word come out. I’ve also met homeschoolers who are atheists, pagans, Buddhists, undecided, and so on.
There is a study that some like to quote where in the majority of homeschoolers asked said they have religious reasons for doing so. Some see this as “proof”. But I feel it needs to be looked at further to see what this means. Firstly, the study most often quoted was taken by the HSLDA . This is not an unbiased group, they are specifically a Christian organization. So when they ask their members of course they are going to get that response. It would be like asking the members of the chess team if they thought chess was a fun game then applying the result to everyone. It doesn’t work.
My second problem is the wording. First people say “religious”. OK great. But too many see religious and their minds go to Christianity. I am deeply religious, my children get a religious education at home, and religion is one of the deciding factors in my homeschooling. . Am I Christian? No, not at all. There are so many religions in the US, it is a shame to ignore many of them.
Here is my breakdown:
Let’s say I take a survey. I ask everyone to give their favorite colors. I give a list of several colors (blue, green, red, yellow, and so on) and I say choose 3. After everyone chooses I count up the choices. Let’s say that 75% choose blue as one of their colors. I could then say that the majority of those questioned prefer blue. I could not, however, say that the majority ONLY prefer blue. I cold also not say that the majority prefer navy blue over sky blue.
When asked to choose the reasons why homeschooling there are many who say that religion is one of those choices. That does not equal religion being the only choice, or even their top choice. It may have just been the choice closest to their feelings on the list. It also does not pinpoint down one religion. Even among Christianity there are many variables: Baptists, Catholics, Mormons, ect…
So here is my plea: Please, please, please do not assume that all homeschoolers are anything. No two are alike, no two families will work the same, no two will believe the same, and no two will homeschool in the same way. Sometimes not even in the same house will things be the same.
homeschooling, families, life, religion
October 24th, 2007 at 9:10 am
You nailed it! Even among Protestants, we are all so amazingly different. The truth is that there is great EDUCATIONAL value in homeschooling. Therefore, homeschoolers touch every end of the spectrum.
Now, this Southern Baptist pastor’s wife needs to get back to the sofa. We’re spending our morning listening to “Harry Potter” on tape!
October 24th, 2007 at 9:58 am
Many people we know assume we’re homeschooling for religious reasons since I include Bible education as part of our curricula. Truth is, we chose homeschooling for educational reasons. I read my son Bible stories so he knows his parents’ religious beliefs, but it freaks people out to learn that I (a Catholic) am reading from a Jehovah’s Witness’ book of Bible stories for children. It simply had the best writing I’d found.
We also learn about other religions, too, and I read him stories from different religious texts in the process.
Wasn’t it Shakespeare who wrote “There are more things in Heaven and Earth that are dreamt of in your philosophy?” I want my son to understand that, as well as to recognize that NO ONE knows the right answer when it comes to religion. He’ll have to do what we’ve all done and decide for himself someday what he believes. I want to give him the tools with which to make an informed decision.
October 24th, 2007 at 10:03 am
here here!
October 24th, 2007 at 11:29 am
What a great post! We get asked all the time if our decision to homeschool is faith-based by people assuming we must be Christian because of it. We’re not and people are often suprised by the fact that we have other reasons- better quality or education, safer environment, wider variety of experiences, etc. It’s as if these reasons are a suprise to them.
October 24th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
They are a surprise!!
I was visiting with a homeschooling mother in another town one day. She was asking how many people homeschool in our little town. She asked if we all attended that same church (like we’re a groupie clan or something! ha!). Anyway, I said, “No, in fact one of my friends does not attend church.”
Her response: “Then, why on EARTH does she homeschool??”
LOLOLOL
October 24th, 2007 at 2:29 pm
Very well said! I guess I’m not the only one tired of lables.
October 24th, 2007 at 7:28 pm
Such a good post! Since we are new to homescholing I have run into the assumption that we are homeschooling solely for religious reasons and it really just makes me laugh. We are christians and although that was part of our decision process in homeschooling it wasn’t that only factor. We are definitely not the “live in a bubble” type of christians and I love to meet homeschoolers and people of all sorts in our journey!
October 24th, 2007 at 9:56 pm
GREAT post! I’m a conservative Christian homeschooler. But out of all my reasons for homeschooling….and there are MANY…faith is probably not even in my top 10 (proven by the Top 10 List I blogged about several weeks ago!!).
Today, one of the fastest growing homeschooling groups is Muslims. We are ALL different…that’s what continues to give the movement a more and more legitimacy and credibility in the world’s eyes!
October 27th, 2007 at 9:54 am
Very true, Summer.
And even for those of us who are conservative and Christian and may even say that religion is the prominent reason for homeschooling, I think people take that the wrong way and automatically see it as “I want to shelter my children.”
I don’t. I want to prepare them.
When I say I homeschool for religious reasons, it is the same as saying “I homeschool because of my personal convictions.”
Homeschooling best promotes the intellectual, emotional, social, physical and spiritual development of the child.
“Religious reasons” is a convenient shorthand.
October 27th, 2007 at 9:00 pm
Amen to that! (oops! I mean, you are right!)