You Couldn’t Possibly Have Been Homeschooled

Last updated on: January 20, 2014 at 8:00 am by Libby Anne

You Couldn’t Possibly Have Been Homeschooled 2014-01-19T19:46:18-04:00 Libby Anne

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I wrote last week about House Joint Resolution no. 92 in Virginia. This resolution would call for a study of Virginia’s religious exemption, which allows parents to homeschool without being subject to the state’s homeschool oversight or requirements. As written, the law requires that both parent and child have a religious objection to school attendance in order to be granted an exemption. In practice, as highlighted by a Washington Post article on formerly homeschooled student Josh Powell, it appears that many districts do not ask the child’s beliefs or desires when granting the exemption. This was the impetus for Delegate Rust’s proposal of HJ 92.

If you want to support HJ 92, you can sign the change.org petition, which includes phone numbers and talking points. You can also read more about it in the Coalition for Responsible Home Education’s release, Virginia: House Joint Resolution no. 92. But my focus here is not so much on that resolution as on something that resolution has brought to the fore. Namely, there has been some activity on Delegate Rust’s facebook page related to HJ 92, and a conversation there has highlighted an ongoing problem I and other homeschool alums face when we engage in activism in favor of basic oversight and accountability for homeschooling. The conversation started with homeschool parents asking Rust to withdraw HJ 92.

But soon, the comments changed as homeschool alums entered the conversation in support of HJ 92. Some of the names were ones I knew, those of fellow bloggers or individuals who have had their stories told in news articles on the problems of abuse and neglect in homeschool settings or on the growing activism of young adults who were formerly homeschooled.

Here is how the homeschool parents commenting on this thread responded:

These homeschool parents responded by calling the homeschool alums who were commenting fakes and “plants.” This is not the first time I have seen this sort of response to homeschool alum activism from homeschool parents. I’ve watched a homeschool father tell a homeschool alum that he (the alum) could not have been homeschooled, because if he had been he would understand that government oversight is always evil. I’ve watched homeschool alums belittled, head patted, and worse. I’ve seen homeschool parents make it clear that they will never take homeschool alums seriously—that they will always see them as homeschooled children, and never as adults on an even footing.

Of course, not all homeschool parents have responded to homeschool alum activism with disbelief or derision. Some have responded positively and with understanding, and positive dialogue has taken place. Some homeschool parents have written testimonials in favor of homeschool accountability. But enough responses have fallen into the broader categories of disbelief or derision to constitute a troubling pattern.

By and large, these homeschool alums are not anti-homeschooling. Instead, they are speaking from their experiences and the experiences of others to call for reform to support the wellbeing and interests of current and future homeschooled students. This is something new. The common narrative I have seen among HSLDA affiliated homeschool parents is that those who favor oversight of homeschooling are, at core, simply upset that homeschool parents are able to remove their children from the cultural “brainwashing” of public schools. And extreme phrasing aside, there may be some educators or academics who do take this position. But this is not the position of homeschool alums engaged in recent activism, and I think this is confusing to homeschool parents, especially those in HSLDA’s orbit. What they’re seeing here is new, and it doesn’t fit their current narratives. And that’s confusing.

But for homeschool alums like myself, it is frustrating. It is frustrating to be told that you are a fake or a “plant.” It is frustrating to be told you have motives you don’t actually have. It is frustrating to be treated as a child even as an adult. But we’re not going away. We really were homeschooled, many of us by local or regional homeschool leaders or in families that were well respected in our homeschool communities. We believe in our activism. We are not anti-homeschooling, we are pro-accountability. We are here to stay, and one day, I hope, homeschool parents like those engaged in conversation on Delegate Rust’s facebook page will accept that.

For more on homeschool alum activism, see:

Homeschool Alumni Reaching Out

Coalition for Responsible Home Education

Homeschool Apostates

Homeschool

Previous Post

January 19, 2014

Oscar Nominated "Alone But Not Alone": A Product of the Doug Phillips / Michael Farris Empire

Next Post

January 20, 2014 SMM: Daughters, Fathers, and Their Enemies: Who would turn you against your father

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Atheism Evangelicalism/Fundamentalism Family Feminism Homeschool Meta Parenting Patriarchy Politics Purity Quiverfull Social Justice Uncategorized Worthwhile reads

Select a Month February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who dreamed of a ladder reaching to heaven?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Joseph Simeon Jacob Isaac