Authors

-Grace

Hello, and welcome to the site! I was inspired to create it by my own experiences, interest in homeschooling, and reading writings from other homeschool graduates. I was homeschooled for my entire K-12 education and lived all over the United States as part of a military family. Having graduated in 2023, I am now a college student living in the Intermountain West. As an older sister to several younger siblings, I still enjoy spending time with my family while at home. My interests include literature, earth science, biology, and flute, and I am fortunate to be able to study science in college.

My feelings toward homeschooling are complex. I am certainly not against it, and it did save me from the stress of having to switch schools every year or two. I am also very fortunate that my mom took academics seriously and worked hard teaching my siblings and me. However, I do wish that there was more acknowledgement of homeschooling’s potential shortcomings within the community.

It concerns me that some homeschoolers I knew did not seem as academically successful as my family, and that some parents did not seem to be preparing their teens to even have the option of college. It also concerns me when I realize the ideological biases in my family’s trusted curriculums, or that my homeschooled “friends” may have been more like acquaintances given how little time I actually had to interact with them. What happens if caring parents sincerely believe things that may not be true? Can a few activities a week really socialize a child? What are the real benefits to, and disadvantages of homeschooling for the student?

Since graduating, I have struggled to find spaces online dedicated to homeschool alumni, spaces where there might be answers to my questions about homeschooling. I have seen a few existing websites that publish testimonials from former homeschoolers, but it is not much compared to the seemingly endless parent blogs. That is why I hope Homeschooled Voices will be a place for nuanced discussions that include all homeschoolers.


-Steven

I was homeschooled K-12 before earning a bachelors degree and entering the workforce. Growing up I was very active in the local homeschool scene with my family taking regular part in homeschool support groups, co-ops, and planning and attending homeschool conventions. There are many aspects of homeschooling which can be tremendous benefits to children, but there are also some potential pitfalls that can and should be addressed, and I hope to be a part of that here at Homeschooled Voices.