Homeschool myth #7,092: kids will become lazy, awkward, antisocial weirdos if removed from the classroom environment.
A dear friend asked me, âWhat are your boys best memories about doing school at homeâ? The perfect answer would be: Our gracious, selfless, caring mother put her life on hold to cherish and teach us- we love her so much for making this sacrifice. NOPE…that ainât it!
Hands down the best part for my 2 boys was sleeping in, and wearing pajamas all day if they could. In the beginning I tried my level best to fight this truth…I quickly gave up – seeing that it wasnât hurting them in any way. In fact, I could see many positives. They werenât tired and cranky all the time- able to take on huge/difficult class loads with less exhaustion and stress. And despite that freedom they both taught themselves (I helped a littleđ) how to manage time- learning to get as much done as they possibly could rather than squeaking by with minimal effort.
No (ok, less) âburn outâ was another big bonus…we dealt with less teenage angst and upheaval than most folks we know. Another bonus was the ability to work AND volunteer during normal school hours (they got dressed for this haha). Out there in the real world learning about responsibility, making money, giving back to the community- interacting with all kinds of folks- seems to have left our kids well rounded and well adjusted. Both kids transitioned into college life easily – getting good grades, making good friends- working, playing, both living off campus now doing some real adulting. Not lazy. Not awkward. Not antisocial.
If you donât want sleeping in and all day pajama wearing then donât! You get to make the rules. Of course all kids are different – school outside the traditional classroom might not work…Iâm here to tell you from experience that it CAN work wonderfully- without the stereotypical negative repercussions people envision for homeschool kids.
I can vouch as their grandmother how well they are doing in life now!!!