Even though I have posted several blogs recently about homeschooling, in no way does this mean that I am anti-school.  There are great schools and great teachers.  I have friends that are teachers.  I also have friends that I care very much about who send their kids to school.  In no way do I wish to alienate any of them, or any of you, by pushing some sort of elitist "My kids are better than yours" message.  I also don't want anyone to feel like I have the attitude that I'm a better parent because I homeschool.

Homeschoolers often seem to feel like they need to push back against anything school related.  I have heard my schooling friends say that this is one of the things that turns them off about homeschoolers.  I understand that, for some, this is part of the process of transitioning from a school mentality to a homeschool one.  Others they may feel the need to be anti-school whenever they are feeling insecure about their decision to homeschool.  In my opinion, the ones that really give homeschoolers a bad name are the ones who constantly go on the attack.

I believe homeschoolers have so much to offer when it comes to parenting and fixing broken school systems.  Why not refocus some of the negative, anti-school energy into something positive?  Give some ideas at school board meetings.  Talk to a teacher or two about what works well for you.  Help a neighbor, friend or relative that is struggling with school.  Or just focus on helping parents who want to transition to homeschooling.

I hope that if you are reading this and do homeschool, now or in the future, you will eventually realize that just because it's the best decision for you and your family doesn't mean that school is a bad decision for everyone else.  Generalizations like this cut potential friends out of your life and divide people.  We all want to be the best parents we can be for our children.  Making the right choices for our own families does not have to involve diminishing other parents' decisions.