As a parent who homeschools her child, here are three common myths I’d like to bust.

Myth No. 1: Homeschooled students don’t have the opportunity to socialize. The homeschool community in Hampton Roads is regularly active. Our daughter participates in several music classes, chess games, art activities, and community services that are outside of the home. My daughter has a solid group of friends and, quite honestly, has a better social life than my husband and I do. Hampton Roads has a nice-sized homeschooling community. There are academic and social opportunities that are easy to find by doing a social media search. Since we began this journey, my daughter has made a huge transformation from refusing to do anything social to being willing to try new things, meet new people, and create new experiences. It has been awesome to watch this transformation.

Myth No. 2: Homeschoolers won’t succeed in college. According to Brian Ray from the National Home Education Research Institute, studies show that homeschoolers, when compared to their traditionally schooled peers:

• Have increased social, emotional, and psychological development.
• Attain more relative success as adults.
• Go to and succeed at college at an equal or higher rate than the general population.

So, yes, homeschoolers can go to college. And, when they get there, they tend to perform just as well or even better than their public-school peers.

Myth No. 3: You can’t homeschool your children and work. A parent can work and still be successful at homeschooling because flexibility is one of its many perks. I work 40 hours a week while homeschooling a high schooler. With a little organization, planning, and creativity, it can be done. Sometimes our family does lessons on the weekend. We can plan an activity in the evening. There are also co-ops that kids can participate in while you work. School typically does not take all day because you are providing one-on-one attention to the lesson and child. In our house, we can typically finish school for the day in four hours. You can design your day around your needs.

If you think homeschooling might be a fit for your family, I hope I was able to address a few misconceptions and encourage you to explore the options.

About Adrianna Walden

Adrianna has been working with children and youth for more than 25 years. For the past 17 years, she has served as a licensing inspector for children’s programs in the Office of Health and Safety for the Virginia Department of Education. Adrianna has experience counseling youth and teaching early childhood education and parenting classes. She has been happily married to her husband Ryan for 18 years. Both have spent many years jointly teaching infant classes and have a passion for children. Adrianna and Ryan have a teenage daughter (who gives them much inspiration for this blog) and three fur babies.