A Homeschool Memoir
I was homeschooled.
I also have two degrees, a career, and friends. I haven’t killed anybody. I’m an intersectional feminist and an atheist. I only have mild phone anxiety.
By the way, did I mention that I’ve never killed anybody?
Homeschooling has a bad rap. It’s not completely unfounded, but it is a generalization.
Tara Westover, who recently published a memoir about her survivalist childhood, grew up in a rural area and was homeschooled — the Westovers’ version of this was “if you wanted to read a book you could, but you certainly weren’t going to be made to do that.” This isn’t a picture of homeschooling at all, as it describes no actual education. “Homeschooling” often acts as a catch-all label slapped onto to anything other than a traditional, brick-and-mortar education.
Horror stories include Robert and Michael Bever and the notorious Pearl family. The Coalition for Responsible Home Education conducts research, advocates for children, and catalogs testimonials from those who have lived these horror stories. Their catalog is extensive.
Let me be very clear: I am not arguing the existence of irresponsible homeschooling and abuse. I am trying to balance the narrative with my story — an honest, not unordinary story.
