Don't Expect Every Homeschooler to Be a Homeschooling Advocate or Spokesperson

An advocate is one who speaks on behalf of another. A homeschool advocate is one who speaks out on behalf of homeschoolers. One does not have to be a homeschooler to be a homeschool advocate, likewise, being a homeschooler does not automatically make you a homeschool advocate. Yet, the general public constantly puts all homeschoolers in an advocate's role. This causes many issues for homeschoolers.

Homeschool opponents complain that homeschoolers are self-righteous. They claim that homeschoolers rub academic success in the face of non-homeschoolers. They claim that homeschoolers do not have good arguments or reasons for being homeschoolers. I am certain they get answers that make them feel that way too. I am also certain that they get these answers because they question the wrong people.

Homeschooling continues to grow at an astronomical rate, with an increase in home schooled U.S. students from 850,000 students in 1999 to 2.4 million children in 2006. Therefore, the chances of questioning a homeschooler seasoned enough to be an advocate is slim. I personally began homeschooling 5 years ago, in the fall of 2002. I have spent the last five years reading, watching, studying homeschooling, and forming my own individual opinions about homeschooling. Until about a year ago, all I was equipped to do was quote facts, figures, and opinions found on the internet and in publications.

I was not equipped to speak for homeschoolers. I was not qualified to be an advocate for homeschoolers until recently. I still do not even consider myself a homeschool advocate. I am an advocate for my children and my long-term goal is to be an advocate for quality education in any form that it is available.