Many people have many different ideas about homeschoolers. Some people think that all homeschoolers are very smart kids, who just sit around their house and take advanced classes online. Some people think that homeschoolers are sheltered kids who have no social life, and no idea about the world around them. Some people think that homeschoolers don't actually do school, and instead, do random things with their spare time. In my experiences while homeschooling, I have found that many people do homeschool differently, and that not all homeschoolers treat school the same.

Many homeschool families have a large amount of children in their family. Homeschooling is an easier way of educating one's kids if they have a lot of them because one can keep all of their children together, and this keeps life from being incredibly hectic. This method of education is often very helpful for people with large families.

One thing that most people who aren't homeschooled, or haven't been homeschooled in the past, have never heard about is homeschool co-ops. These are groups of classes taught by parents who have taught before, but haven't been able to teach due to a busy schedule. This is incredibly helpful for homeschoolers who are in high school, who often struggle with finding adequately challenging classes. Kalamazoo Area Tutors is an example of this sort of co-op. Every Monday, one will attend their class and receive homework, then complete that throughout the week. The classes are taken with other homeschoolers who are at the same grade level.

Many people who know homeschoolers know that the idea of homeschoolers having no social life is not true. Through things like co-ops and homeschool sports, homeschoolers from the same area get to know each other quite well. In comparison to people who attend a regular school, and go to the same building for seven hours every day, it should seem that homeschoolers are not the sheltered ones, but instead, it is those who attend regular school who could be viewed as sheltered.

Homeschool sports is another feature of homeschooling that many people do not know about. Homeschool sports, especially basketball, are big with homeschool organizations around the country. There is a local homeschool team, the Kalamazoo Cougars, who compete against public schools, private schools, and other home schools. Throughout the state of Michigan, there is usually more than twenty homeschool basketball programs. There is even a national homeschool tournament, which includes teams from all around the country. Currently, the no 8. recruit in the class of 2014 is homeschooled and plays for HCYA, a homeschool group from Houston. This team recently played a game on ESPN, and are one of the top high school teams in that area. Homeschool sports are big and include a variety of sports.

After homeschooling for five years, I have found that it is a great way of education, and have met plenty of new people from it. Also, I have had the ability to take classes that meet my academic needs, and are great for people like me. Homeschooling is great, and not what most people think it is. It is a method of education that provides a more individualized learning experience.