“Homeschooling”… the three syllable word without a doubt stirs up a passionate response.  To those who praise it, homeschooling is a way of life.  To those who oppose it, it’s an unknown world.  Since I began my adventure in homeschooling, I can’t imagine the amount of questions I’ve answered regarding the topic.  It seemed as though, once I’d made the decision to homeschool, after many questions of my own, the world had a million more to ask.  I was overwhelmed and frustrated each time I left a conversation feeling misunderstood and as if I’d done no justice to the homeschool world.

When I realized that the question, “Why aren’t your kids in school?”  wouldn’t stop as long as I had “school-age” children with me during the day, I knew I needed to come up with an offensive stance, instead of always feeling on the defensive side toward those bold enough to ask questions about homeschooling.  You see, it’s always been easy to explain why I homeschool, after all, there’s enough passion there to keep me going for days!  I knew that in order for me to leave a good impression to those who had never “experienced” homeschooling in the truest sense of the word, I needed a solid answer… not just my heart-felt feelings.  You see, it’s kind of like leading someone to Christ… you can try to explain how the Lord makes you feel, but to someone who has never experienced that, well, they just don’t understand.  They need something more substantial.    So, I prayed to the Lord to give me something to feed those who came with the questions.  Ironically, that’s just what He did…

Comparing homeschooling to “public schooling” is like comparing apples to oranges.  I know it’s an overused cliché, but it’s a great visual when someone asks, and may be helpful the next time someone asks you what homeschooling is. 

For example, apples and oranges are alike in that they’re both foods, and homeschooling and public schooling be alike in that they are both schools.  Broken down further, apples and oranges are both in the fruit group, as homeschooling and public schooling educate varying age specific children.  And, just as people choose either an apple or an orange by their own personal preference, so parents decide whether their children will “taste the fruit” of homeschooling, public schooling (or Christian public schooling for that matter).

However, despite their similarities, to continue to connect them any further would be pointless; as its obvious apples and oranges are not the same things.  Even though people willingly accept that apples and oranges are different, it amazes me that just because the word “school” is used in both homeschooling and public schooling, that they are viewed as “the same” when they’re really as different as apples and oranges!   The problem begins when those possessing a “public school mentality” ask a homeschooler to explain “apples” to them who have only seen and tasted “oranges”.

Then, as if it wasn’t hard enough to explain, homeschooling goes further into needing explanation.  Any homeschooler would attest to the MANY choices of curriculum as well as the different styles of teaching that go along with homeschooling!  Continuing with the “apple analogy”, homeschooling is a lot like apples.  Just as apples come in many kinds, shapes, tastes, and colors, homeschooling also lends itself to many curriculum and styles, as well as the purposes and reasons behind those who choose to follow this path.

There are many questions one must answer when deciding to homeschool, and it would seem that once those have been answered, it’s the world’s turn to ask a million more.  However, the next time you’re asked what homeschooling is, instead of trying to justify what it is that you do, or passionately describe why you do what you do, give them an answer they can “chew” on… a little “food for thought”.  Who knows?  You may leave them with an appetite hungry for more.

In Him,
Amy