Rethinking

I should probably stay out of the blogosphere. In the very least, I should probably try to keep my hand out of the cookie jar (i.e. reading what others are saying about me!).

I am an extremely provocative writer. I know that. I also know it drives some people absolute bonkers! Its kind of like that little boy who just can't help but place that stick in the bee hive....I know that my attitudes on homeschooling are, well, not popular.

Now, I am an educator in training and the many educators that I have spoken with feel the same way. But as of right now, that isn't my audience. My audience is pretty selective, focusing mostly on those who either have ties to homeschooling or fundamentalist church backgrounds. I know that my strong stance (which has been removed from the sidebar. Keep reading.) is a bit to restrictive for the libertarian mindset that most of you have. That perspective was shaped and formed by years of leadership in the homeschooling movement.

So I am going to begin to write about others, as well as my experience. I am going to start a new series, focusing on the girls and the stories that I know personally and in depth. I think that my blog has become such an outlet for my own personal healing that I just forget that people actually do read my blog. You see, I don't write for everyone. I write for me. I write because I love to write and it helps me process. This is truly how I think.

I hope to show those of you who are sceptics that feel my opinions are limited and finite that they aren't so finite and limited. My story is not unique. Sadly, its very common. That is why I feel the way I do.

Now, I believe that some external elements have changed. I believe that the homeschoolers of today, recognize what my parents, and the founding parents of the Movement, did not. Kids need structure and friends. I believe that they try to make those things happen. But sadly, I see many families who say that this is what they want and are STILL unable to deliver. My family of origin was in leadership in a large Midwest city for nearly 20 years. We served hundreds and hundreds of families. I was a poster child for the Movement, appearing at every homeschool function and homeschool Conference with a smile on my face using my God-given talent of speaking to promote the Kool-aid that I knew deep down was killing me. Now I just desire to use my God-given talent in another direction.

It has been suggested to me that I become a speaker and speak. I would love to begin a speaking career. Not only do I love to write, I am also one of those weirdos who loves public speaking. Just not sure how to go about doing that...

So perhaps y'all have successfully convinced me that maybe illegalization of homeschooling isn't necessarily the best answer, because maybe there would be that rare case where homeschooling would be genuinely better. But I hope that in the next few installments to show you that my story is not unique, I am not alone, and that homeschooling, in the very least, needs to be re-worked into far stricter standards and regulations in order to protect the innocent children who don't have a voice.