Have you ever said to yourself – or anyone else, for that matter – that you could never homeschool? Okay, so there are a few of you skeptics out there. I’m not going to try to persuade you to homeschool, but I would like to examine some of the reasons parents give for not homeschooling. First of all, let me dispel some of the myths about homeschoolers.

1. Homeschoolers are crazy. This is simply not true. Many of us are extremely sane – at times.
2. Homeschoolers don’t have social skills. Not true. We have parties and outings quite frequently, but not so frequently that it cuts into school time.
3. Homeschoolers are just trying to be smarter than everyone else. What’s wrong with that?
4. Homeschoolers spend a lot of money on all their books and supplies. As long as we have a public library and internet access we’re good to go.
5. Homeschool parents need to know everything. No way, Jose! Teacher’s books have all the answers.
6. Homeschoolers have shorter school days than everyone else. Oops, that one’s true.

Take the following quiz to see if you could be a successful homeschooling parent. Answer each item with True or False.

1. I have at least one child.
2. I can stay awake for at least 3 hours.
3. I have taught (or am teaching) my child how to do something new.
4. I love my child.
5. I want the best for my child.
6. I am responsible for my child.
7. I enjoy torture. Oops, sorry. That belonged on one of my other quizzes.

If you answered True to any of these statements (except #7), you’re ready to homeschool. Still not convinced? Believe it or not, you’ve been homeschooling since the day your child was born. Some of you even started teaching before your child was born – thanks to those headphones that fit around a pregnant belly. All parents teach their children (some of us teach them not-so-good stuff, but we’re teaching all the same). Just think about a few of the things parents teach their children: how to brush teeth, how to go potty, how to tie shoelaces, how to button and snap, how to ride a bike, how to whistle. . . See what I mean?

Teaching your child how to read and write; how to add, subtract, multiply and divide; what the difference between a noun and a verb is; how to read a bar graph; why a spider is not an insect, etc. . . is not that different than the other things I mentioned. So, let’s cut to the chase. I know that there are those of you who are thinking that you can’t afford to quit your job and teach your child. In the time that you are sitting with your child in the evening doing homework, you could actually be teaching them yourself instead of reteaching what the teacher taught that day in class. You say, but what would I do with my children during the day? Are you really sending your children to school because you need a babysitter? Aren’t children important enough to make a few sacrifices, rearrange a schedule, be inconvenienced, compromise, be creative while they’re still living at home and you still have them in your care? Homeschooling isn’t easy, but neither is being a parent.