Give the Homeschoolers a Break

What's long-haired, denim jumper-wearing, over-achieving, society-improving, unsocialized person called? If you guessed "homeschooler" then you are correct. Homeschooling is becoming more and more popular these days and according to the U.S. Census Bureau the home-educating population has been steadily growing since the census taken in 1996.

 "There are about 2.04 million home-educated students in the United States. There were an estimated 1.73 to 2.35 million children (in grades K to 12) home educated during the spring of 2010 in the United States. It appears the homeschool population is continuing to grow (at an estimated 2% to 8% per annum over the past few years),"  says Brian D. Ray, Ph.D. Although it is a controversial form of education it is by no means losing popularity. Obviously. The United States Census Bureau recorded over sixteen different reasons that parents decide to homeschool their children. The three most popular responses being:

1. "Poor learning environment at school (29.8%)"
2.  "Religious reasons (33.0%)" 
3. " Can give child better education at home (50.8%)"

All three of these reasons have aided in creating the super-race of awkward, denim-donning super geniuses known as homeschoolers. Homeschoolers not only do homeschooolers excell at    their schoolwork at home but according to the HSLDA website, "Standardized test results for 16,000 home educated children, grades K-12, were analyzed in 1994 by researcher Dr. Brian Ray. He found the nationwide grand mean in reading for homeschoolers was at the 79th percentile; for language and math, the 73rd percentile. This ranking means home-educated students performed better than approximately 77% of the sample population on whom the test was normed. Nearly 80% of homeschooled children achieved individual scores above the national average and 54.7% of the 16,000 homeschoolers achieved individual scores in the top quarter of the population, more than double the number of conventional school students who score in the top quarter."   Now THAT is some serious brain power.  

The unfortunate truth about being homeschooled is that when one is homeschooled one is forced to undergo a certain level of oppression. Very seldom something one can't just ignore, but there are times when the exclusion becomes persecution and unfair discrimination. In 2008 the homeschooling community was scandalized by a stipulation in the rules of a contest created by the international sandwich chain, Subway.

"Contest is open only to legal US residents, over the age of 18 with children in either elementary, private or parochial schools that serve grades PreK-6. No home schools will be accepted."-Every Sandwich Tells a Story contest rules

Apparently some are more equal than others to Subway and it's founders. As for me and my house, we shall eat Quiznos. 


-Yours Truly