Homeschool Students: Brainwashed or Free Thinkers?

I am the father of two homeschool children. I have recently taken over what I used to consider my wife’s duties. That is, once I get home from work it is my duty to make sure all school work is done, graded and the next day’s assignments given. This is a rewarding but tiring task that has drawn me into closer family relationships.

Many people have asked us why we homeschool? The easy answer is because we want to be sure that our children get a superior education. Some have said that children can get a superior education in public school if the parents are involved. I will not argue against this but I will say that the children will also be indoctrinated with values and beliefs that we as parents think are not age appropriate. They will also get one side of the issue without hearing the other. We, however, make sure they hear both sides of the world’s issues allowing them to make intelligent decisions once they become adults. As homeschool students they get educated specifically to their needs.

The most important reason we homeschool happened almost 17 years ago. God blessed my wife and I with the responsibility of raising a truly gifted boy. My son came into this world bright and thoughtful. Frequently we would go out as a family, people would look into the baby carrier, and he would brighten up their day by giving them a big smile. By the time he was two, everyone he passed was his friend and he would greet them all with an enthusiastic, “HI!” He was my wife’s little project because he was bright and we were finding out intelligent beyond his years. Before he was five he was asking abstract philosophical questions which we thought he would not understand the answers to but when the answer was given he did not only understand but ask the appropriate next question in a logical progression. How could we entrust this mind to the public school system.

Nearly fourteen years ago we were blessed again, this time with a beautiful girl. Daddy’s girl! She was almost the opposite of her brother in many respects. Her talents are based in the arts, she didn’t care at all for philosophical conversation and didn’t understand them until she hit about age ten. In this arena she was normal. But she is special, she needs longer to pick up certain concepts and learning does not come as easily for her as it does her brother. I am encouraged though, once she puts her mind to a task nothing can stop her. I have repeatedly said that, “She is little on the outside but big on the inside,” this was due to the fact that she was born prematurely and weighed only four pounds seven ounces. She has the will to succeed at whatever she endeavors to do.

Zoom forward to 2010, my children are thirteen and sixteen they both are award winning students. How so, you might ask? At the age of twelve we enrolled our son in competitive speech and debate. Homeschool speech and debate competitions are for children twelve to nineteen. Last year we also enrolled our daughter at her request. She became too sick to compete in more than one tournament but has taken up the challenge again. So far this year has gone well for both of them. They compete in statewide tournaments all over California against up to 300 students. Yes, my thirteen-year-old daughter gets to debate eighteen year old young men. Of course, once they are finished debating her they are in shock and awe because she has put her mind to it and she is getting good. My son is well known and feared by his peers.

This year they have already participated in two tournaments with four to go. My son participates in five events and has qualified for the national tournament in all five. He has taken first place in two of his events and at the last tournament he was the third best speaker overall. My daughter participates in four events and has qualified for the national tournament in two. I believe she will qualify for the remainder before the end of the year because she works and works and works.

I firmly believe that homeschool parents are developing tomorrow’s leaders. Why, because we inspire our children to learn, we let them take responsibility for success and failure. We do not let them give excuses but encourage them to fight through failure until they succeed. Let me tell you, as they learn we learn. You cannot teach principles to children which you yourself do not live.

We have heard that homeschool children miss out on socialization, I’m sorry, but this is a myth. Our students get together for classes with other homeschool students a minimum of three days a week and are some of the most social creatures on earth, having Facebook accounts and other private chat rooms were they enjoy discussing real topics of importance instead of American Idol and the Simpson’s. Sure they play games and talk about frivolity but they also discuss political and spiritual topics, which most teenagers have yet to even consider. One of my son’s speeches is about the influence activist judges have on our society, why don’t you ask your local public school teenager about this issue. He has also debated the following topics, NATO, Illegal Immigration, how the U.S. should change its policies toward India and Competition verses Cooperation; which is best for achieving excellence. The latter is the topic he and his sister are debating in their Lincoln Douglas Debate Tournaments this year.

Some people say that homeschool children are brainwashed. My answer is, you can say this about all students, at least homeschool children can give you the best arguments on both sides of most issues including; Evolution verses Intelligent Design, Pro-Life verses Pro-Abortion, Communism and Capitalism to state a few.

Homeschooling may not be the answer for you but it is rewarding to our family. Well, I have to go I need to pick my daughter up and go to the library to check out a few good biographies while my son is helping out with a political campaign for the person he hopes will be the next Attorney General of California. No I’m not making either one do these things on a Saturday, they want to.