Homeschooling: Will My Kids Be Weird?
From Oddity to Option: Homeschooling Then and Now
Growing up in the nineties, I was scarcely aware of homeschooling. To me, it seemed like a cultural oddity—something on the fringes of society. The image I had was of an insulated bubble inhabited by religious fundamentalist parents and their socially awkward children. Given how uncommon homeschooling was at the time, my skepticism was understandable. After all, homeschoolers made up only a tiny fraction of the population. Many people, including myself, had never even met one in real life. The concept felt so radically counter-cultural that it bordered on dissidence.
Today’s homeschooling landscape is vastly different. With one in ten U.S. children being homeschooled and colleges and universities competing to attract homeschool talent, it’s safe to say that homeschooling has become mainstream. But one thing that has not changed is the pervasive suspicion held by many that homeschooled kids are… well… weird. This prejudice is so pervasive that we might wonder if there’s a kernel of truth to it.
Will Homeschooling Make Your Kids Weird?
Yes. Homeschooling your kids will make them weird. But let’s qualify what we mean by that! What does it mean to be “weird”?
A Powerful Word with a Surprising History
Weird had a funny etymology in the English language. In the old days, weird meant fate or destiny. Eventually, this word came to refer to a person who could predict one’s fate. In literature, “weirds” were wizards or witches who had the ability to influence fate. Hence, Shakespeare’s Macbeth features the Weird Sisters, who represent fate. Their oddities or unusual behavior often characterized these sorts of characters. Recall how in The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf says the Shire folk view him with a mix of suspicion and awe, “a nuisance and disturber of the peace.” Through artistic interpretation and evolving use of language, weird gradually came to take on its current meaning, denoting odd or unusual qualities.
The takeaway here is that weird originally meant someone powerful, who, by his unusual abilities, possessed a singular influence over the unfolding of destiny. That’s pretty darned cool! When your child asks, “Mom, am I weird?” you can say, “Yes, dear, the way Gandalf is weird.”
What Does “Normal” Really Mean Today?
In all seriousness, though, when we say someone is “weird,” we generally mean that their character, behavior, or demeanor is outside the pale of what is considered normal or expected. Weirdness, therefore, can only be understood in relation to normality. We must, thus, ask what is considered normal today?
- Most children spend the majority of their day in a classroom, grouped exclusively with peers their own age.
- Curriculum content is dictated by state education boards, politicians, and distant academics rather than parents or local communities.
- Kids are increasingly encouraged to question their biological sex and, in some places, are given access to hormone treatments without parental consent.
- A typical day includes hours of screen time, much of it consumed passively through low-value or even harmful content.
- Faith formation and virtue education are absent from most children’s lives, leaving them spiritually adrift.
- The great books and classical foundations of Western civilization are no longer part of their education.
- Teenage sexual activity is normalized, with most becoming sexually active by 15–17 and over a million contracting STIs annually.
If this is considered normal, then yes, by all means, I’ll take my children weird!
The Catholic Homeschool Advantage
As Catholic homeschoolers, we are always going to be going against the grain of secular society and its institutions. This will make us “weird” because we are outside the norm. But that is not a negative thing. If anything, all the data suggests that homeschoolers’ weirdness is a net positive. Current research suggests that homeschoolers are just as well-socialized as their public school peers, if not more so. Homeschoolers generally show strong college performance, often achieving higher GPAs and graduation rates than their public school peers. Research suggests that homeschool graduates have higher college acceptance rates, better first-year GPAs, and higher college retention rates. They are also more likely to retain their GPA throughout their college years. Homeschoolers also have excellent outcomes in the workforce, sometimes preferred by employers because of their diverse skill sets and work ethic.
So, let’s raise our weird kids with pride, educating them to shape their own destinies outside the confines of what is considered “normal.” As Catholic homeschoolers, we’re not just defying the mainstream—we’re forging a path where virtue, intellect, and creativity thrive.
What are your thoughts on this topic? I invite you to join me and other homeschoolers in the Homeschool Connections Facebook Group to continue this discussion. I would love to hear from you!
