5 Questions Homeschoolers Get Asked

Hello there! Welcome back to Life of Heritage Corner! I’m so glad to have you here! Today is my parents’ anniversary so what better way to celebrate than with a homeschool post? (Thanks for homeschooling us, btw, Mom and Dad!)

As many of you probably know, I am a homeschool graduate. My mom and dad have graduated four of their seven children from homeschool, with the remaining three still hitting the books 😉 Homeschool is all any of us have ever known and to be honest, I wouldn’t trade my experience for anything!

As a homeschooler (once a homeschooler, always a homeschooler, lol!) I am naturally curious to find out what other people think about homeschoolers. Consequently, I did some research. Today, I’d like to share five questions about Homeschoolers that you need to know the answer to (if you aren’t homeschooled) or that you can relate to (if you are a homeschooler). Let’s dive in!

1. If you are homeschooled, how do you socialize? I always want to laugh when people ask us this 😊 We socialize the same way everyone else does: By talking to people 😉 Seriously though, I know the method varies family by family. For us, we socialize by a.) spending time with each other (there are currently five of us kids at home, plus Mom and Dad, phone calls from our married sisters and trips down the road to visit our grandparents) b.) our family is in the ministry, so there are plenty of people to talk to at the different churches we visit, and c.) writing letters to friends we don’t get to see as often. As I’ve gotten older, I have transferred to email for some of my correspondence (one of my friends is a MK {Missionary Kid| to Japan, so…) but I love snail mail! Nothing brightens up my day faster than a letter in the mailbox!

2. Do you get to do your school in your pajamas? Hahaha…no. 😊 Maybe somewhere out there, there are homeschoolers who do this. Personally, I don’t know any 😊 At our house we have our “First Five” and part of that is getting dressed and fixing your hair BEFORE you start your school. We never know what a day holds. We may have to go somewhere or have unexpected company. I can probably count on two hands the number of times I did school in my pajamas. Sometimes I got up early and did my school before the others got up. In this case, I may not have bothered to change, not wanting to wake up anyone. The other times would have been when I was sick and did school in bed. That’s literally the only times I remember not getting dressed before school started for the day, so…yeah, that idea is highly over-rated, haha!

3. How do you learn anything at home? This one threw me for a loop! I honestly had to think fast to answer, because I hadn’t heard this one before. But thankfully, the answer was easy. For me, it was easy to concentrate on my work in a home setting, because we had few distractions. I’m sure each home is different😝, but for me, I don’t believe any other learning mode would have worked 😅 I am easily distracted! 😂

4. Is Homeschooling Legal? This question is what actually introduced my family to homeschooling…my mom was the one asking 😊 The answer is, Yes! In the United States, it is totally legal to homeschool your children! Every state has different requirements, however. In North Carolina, you are required to have a high school diploma/GED in order to qualify to teach. In fact, if you possess these credentials, you can homeschool your kids and one other family! You do have a certain amount of days you must account for as school days, but when you do them and at what time of day is totally up to you. Also, once you are 7-years-old, you are required to take achievement testing once a year. We use the California Achievement Test. Once you get to High School, you need to keep a transcript of your classes/credits, just like any other school. Like I said, this is North Carolina, so the rules are different depending on your state. (*Disclaimer: If you are from N.C. and plan to homeschool, please do research on it before you start. This is not an exhaustive list of requirements. *)

5. Do you like Homeschooling? Definitely! I absolutely loved being homeschooled and now enjoy helping in our family’s homeschool as a history teacher and substitute (e.g. Mom has to take a call or step out for a bit). I cannot vouch for all homeschoolers, but I love my personal experience and would never trade it! I get tickled when I get this question, because it’s almost like people are trying to find out my true feelings. Do I really like this, or did my parents force me to do it? I assure you, there has never been forcing about us homeschooling. 😉 To be honest, our parents probably would have had to force us to go to any other alternate form of schooling! We love the quality of our education, the freedom of our schedule and the love that goes into leaning at our home! 😍

Homeschooling isn’t for everybody, but for us, it fits like a glove! I thank God that we live in a Country that allows us to take our education into our own hands! It’s not something to take for granted…many countries do not offer this freedom. Education is a precious gift that is no joking matter. Take a moment, no matter what kind of educational path your family chose and thank your parents for caring about your education. Thank your teachers for investing a huge part of their life in yours. And thank God that you have the opportunity to learn.

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
2 Timothy 2:15-16
(King James Bible)

Have a blessed day and never stop leaning!
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22
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