Homeschool Hype!
 
As a homeschool dad of nearly 25 years and the pastor of a church with many homeschoolers for 12 years, I have seen a great deal of discouragement among homeschool moms. These brief articles are offered with the hope that they will shine a light on some things that are causing discouragement and provide some right words to lift hearts.

You must learn to recognize “homeschool hype”. You’ll see it come at you in two ways. One is the model family. The family on the front of the homeschool magazine is perfect, right? They all play the violin and sing regularly in the area nursing homes. The older children are holding good jobs, going to college at home, and teaching the younger children. The younger children all can sit quietly for hours without complaining. The father works a low-paying job so that he can spend more time with the family, but they have a 10 bedroom home with no mortgage. The mom has had 15 children and can still fit into the dress she wore at her high school graduation. In fact, she looks like she just graduated! 
 
This is the model family. You might know this family. You might know some who are just about like this family. But let me tell you a secret – this family isn’t real! Oh, they exist of course, but what you see isn’t real. What you see is the result of the same kind of “retouching” done in the glossy advertisements for weight loss products.  
 
Another way this will come at you is through formulas and promises. If you just do this – use this curriculum or product, follow this daily schedule, pray this prayer, whatever – then your success will be guaranteed. If it doesn’t work for you, you must have done something wrong. You will hear of how Johnny learned to read at 2 years old because Mom used this certain curriculum. You’ll be told how Billy was called to the ministry or went into a multi-million dollar business right out of the homeschool because the family followed a certain program. If you buy it today, at the special price, you’ll see amazing results in your own family. 
 
This is called marketing. Just like in the commercials on TV (oh, I know, you don’t watch TV – but you still know what I mean), the people are actors and the products are usually mediocre. Sure, the family on the front of the magazine exists, but they aren’t typical. All of these things should come with that little caveat, “Results not typical!” It is the nature of marketing to oversell, to stretch the truth so that you desire the product. But it is still just hype! Don’t ever expect to live up to someone’s marketing hype. 
 
I have counseled with some of these “model families” and have heard how they struggle to maintain that image. They don’t want anyone to know the truth and they pay a high price to make it look real. I have seen some of these wonderful products at garage sales and used bookstores. Some of them have just the first few pages filled out and then they were obviously abandoned. I have seen the results of some of these programs and have heard how people were told that the program didn’t work because they didn’t follow “all of it”.  
 
Homeschooling has become an industry and many families spend thousands of dollars on books or programs because they want the very best for their children. Like any other industry where money can be made, homeschooling is overflowing with marketing hype. Instead of being overwhelmed by all that is offered, why not just relax and enjoy your children? Follow the Lord instead of someone’s program and use materials that connect with your kids. You don’t have to be perfect and you don’t have to have the latest gimmick. 
 
And, remember, the Lord accepts you and loves you without the hype. You don’t have to be the “model family” to be acceptable to Him.  
 
 David Orrison, PhD 
 
(This is the second in a series of brief articles on homeschooling discouragement. Read the entire article and find more encouragement at www.gracefortheheart.org)  
 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 
Dr. David Orrison has been a homeschooling dad for nearly 25 years. He and his wife, Alice, have 8 sons. He has been a pastor for nearly 30 years and is now the director of Grace for the Heart, a ministry designed to proclaim the sufficiency of Jesus Christ in all areas of the Christian life.