Four Easy Ways to be a Homeschool Ambassador
Homeschooling has grown tremendously over the past few decades, but growth brings responsibility. As more families encounter homeschooling for the first time, many of their impressions will be shaped not by statistics or social media debates, but by the homeschoolers they know personally. That gives each of us an opportunity to present the homeschooling lifestyle in a positive, realistic, and approachable way.
While homeschooling can feel like the world for us homeschooling families, we have to keep things in perspective. Despite our growth, we are a pretty small demographic. The fact is that over 85% of children in the United States still attend public school. There are still tens of thousands of people who know little about homeschooling and only consider it through the lens of crude stereotypes. You may even encounter people for whom you are the first homeschooling family they’ve ever known. Homeschooling just isn’t on the radar for the vast majority of American families.
This means we all have a duty to be “ambassadors” for the homeschooling lifestyle. Like it or not, our non-homeschooling friends are going to make us into examples that people judge homeschooling against. We’d better do a good job, then!
Here are some effective strategies you can implement to serve as a homeschool ambassador to your non-homeschooling friends and family.
1. Let Your Children Be the Argument
Many people have preconceived notions about homeschooled kids: that they are socially awkward, academically behind, isolated, sheltered, etc. The most powerful rebuttal to this is not a debate about educational philosophy; it’s the example of your own children.
I have been homeschooling for a long time, and over the years, I have noticed that non-homeschoolers tend to be particularly impressed when homeschooled children
- converse comfortably with adults
- play well with children of different ages
- pursue interesting hobbies
- demonstrate curiosity and confidence
- are knowledgeable about various subjects
When they witness your children demonstrating such traits, they are getting a firsthand experience of the benefits of homeschooling. It is not necessary for you to have arguments about the merits of the homeschooling lifestyle; your kids are living witnesses to it. So always keep in mind that the good fruits of your children’s character will always be the first and best argument.
2. Don’t Debate; Tell Stories
When homeschooling gets attacked, many parents tend to instinctively reach for statistics, research studies, test scores, or critiques of public schools. Those things certainly have their place, but stories are often more persuasive. People can argue all day about statistics; they can’t argue with your experience.
For example, instead of “Homeschoolers consistently outperform public schoolers on standardized tests,” try, “Last Tuesday we spent the afternoon at the local museum because we had just finished studying ancient Egypt.” Instead of “Homeschooling allows for a greater degree of individualized instruction,” try “My son became fascinated with astronomy, so we spent three weeks building a unit around it.”
Personal anecdotes are an effective way to make your case; they demonstrate flexibility, family closeness, intellectual freedom, and a delight in learning without coming across as a sales pitch. Many people often get interested in homeschooling because they envy aspects of the lifestyle well before they become convinced by the educational theory, so don’t underestimate the importance of sharing your homeschooling story!
3. Be a Resource, Not a Recruiter
People often become hesitant when they feel that someone is trying to “recruit” them or “convert” them to a new way of thinking. A better way to handle discussions about homeschooling is to present yourself as a resource for information rather than an evangelist. You might share what a typical homeschool day looks like, explain curriculum choices if asked, recommend books or podcasts, or invite interested parents to observe co-ops, field trips, or group activities.
Here’s some food for thought: When a public school friend expresses frustration with their child’s education, resist the urge to immediately say, “You should homeschool.” Instead, ask, “What would your ideal educational situation look like?” This allows your friend to start thinking through educational possibilities on their own—essentially, it sets them on the path toward taking initiative for their kids’ education, even if only as a thought experiment.
Many parents who eventually homeschool begin by simply realizing that they know a normal homeschooling family and that homeschooling is something ordinary people can actually do.
4. Demystify the Lifestyle
Many public-school parents imagine homeschooling as far more complicated than it is. They think homeschooling requires things like a teaching degree, a stay-at-home parent who does nothing else, a dedicated classroom space, endless print-offs, spending thousands of dollars on curriculum, and a heroic degree of patience. None of this is true. (Well, except for the patience, you definitely need a lot of that!)
The problem is they have “mystified” the lifestyle behind a wall of obstacles to the point where successful homeschooling seems like a superhuman endeavor. Casually sharing practical realities about the lifestyle can be eye-opening. They may need a reality check about:
- what curriculum costs
- how many hours of formal instruction it actually takes
- the place of co-ops and extracurricular opportunities
- dual enrollment opportunities
- sports participation,
- social networks among homeschool families and options for socialization
Often, the biggest obstacle isn’t opposition to homeschooling; it’s the assumption that homeschooling is impossible. If you can help your friends see homeschooling as a realistic option rather than an exotic one, you’ve already done much of the work of being an effective ambassador.
Whether people ultimately choose to homeschool or not, a positive example can go a long way toward helping them understand what homeschooling is really all about.
What are your thoughts on this topic? I invite you to join other homeschooling parents and me in the Homeschool Connections Community or our Facebook group.
