What a Rebel

Anyone who knew me as a child or a teenager would describe me as a “good little Mormon girl.” I’ve never tasted alcohol. I’ve always worn super modest clothes. I don’t have any tattoos or piercings. And when I was 18, still living at home, and my parents changed my curfew to midnight, I obeyed with only a few grumbles.

But now that I’ve gotten married and have 4 children, I’ve turned into quite a rebel. I homeschool.

According to the Department of Education, in 2012 only 3.4 percent of children are homeschooled (although I suspect that number is higher if you consider children like mine, who officially do home study through a public charter school.) And that number is rapidly increasing as satisfaction with our public education system decreases.

Still, even though most people will agree that public schools have issues, homeschoolers are considered rebels. We’re challenging the status-quo. We simply don’t believe that the government knows best when it comes to how to educate our children. That rubs some people the wrong way.

I've said it about a million times on this blog, but isn't it wonderful to live in this "land of the free" and be able to have many different options on how to educate our kids?

To my fellow rebels: keep up the good work!

To the moms who are thinking about going against the grain and trying something different for your kids: go for it! You can do it!