All of us confront stereotypes face-to-face every day. Perhaps the reason is our faith, our ethnicity, our lifestyle or our hobbies. At one time or another all homeschooling families have had to combat a stereotype, and there are many stereotypes about homeschooling.

A stereotype is defined by Dictionary.com as “a simplified and standardized conception or image invested with special meaning and held in common by members of a group”. In other words, people outside of homeschooling have an idea in their head about what homeschooling looks like and they assume all homeschoolers live like that. I don't think you need to me to tell you how faulty that type of thinking is.

Let's take a look at some of the most common stereotypes about homeschoolers and spread the truth about each.

1.Homeschooled children aren't properly socialized.
I'm not sure where to even begin with this one, it's just not true. Sure, you will have the occasional family that harbors some sort of paranoia about the outside world and does their best to keep their children locked inside the home, but this is so rare I'm not sure I should even mention it. The vast majority of homeschooled children are socialized as well as, and dare I say better than, your average child in the government school system.

The National Education Association (the largest national teacher's union) believes homeschooling parents are “gullible” (http://www.nea.org/espcolumns/dv040220.html) and has adopted an official stance opposing homeschooling primarily for socialization reasons. Interestingly enough, the United States Federal Department of Education does not agree, stating that “According to the findings, children who were educated at home "gained the necessary skills, knowledge, and attitudes needed to function in society...at a rate similar to that of conventionally schooled children." (http://www.eric.ed.gov/)

With all of that said, the truth is that homeschooled children are rarely at home, which is where one outside of homeschooling surmises they spend most of their time. This brings us to the topic of “real socialization” versus “school socialization”. I don't need to reinvent the wheel on this one, I've already written about it, you can read the article Socialization: School Versus Home here.

I probably don't need to tell you what every homeschooling parent out there already knows, homeschooled children are not alone. They participate in co-op groups, sports, outside classes of all types. They attend field trips with other children, they accompany their parents to the store, the see the real-workings of the world and are supervised in their reaction to the world. This is “real socialization” and it's also healthy socialization.

In the end, it's no one's business whether your children are properly socialized or not. The government doesn't particularly care, nor should they. Even the most extreme social isolationists are not breaking any laws by keeping their children home, as long as they children are being educated in accordance with state law. I'm not advocating this lifestyle, but I will fight until the day I die for the right of an American citizen to live as they see fit.

I've spent so much time on this one stereotype that I've used up all my article space! Please continue on to part two.

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