A Homeschool Entitlement Mentality

There are many reasons to that people choose to homeschool. Almost all homeschool families have more than one reason why they educate their children in a non-traditional manner. Most homeschool parents are very involved in their children's various activities. Homeschool parents tend to be motivated, opinionated, like to make their own decisions without being told what to do. That doesn't mean that homeschooling parents are necessarily unable to work with others. Unfortunately, some homeschool families believe that they deserve special treatment because they don't attend public schools.

Problems arise when parents who enjoy having complete autonomy with regards to their child's education want to make decisions in areas outside of the homeschool parameters. If Johnny participates in group fund-raising with a community choir, does his mother get to decide how Johnny's share of the fund-raising is spent? When a vote is taken on the color of the choir robes, should Johnny's family expect a phone call asking their opinion when they disregarded the notification that the choir sent informing Johnny of the vote? If Sally disobeys the stated safety rules of an organization and is no longer allowed near the potentially dangerous areas, should Sally's mom expect the organization to overlook the offense because Sally thought that it would be acceptable for her to do whatever she wanted.

The families that choose to homeschool have wonderful opportunities to provide their children with unique, vibrant, and rich educational experiences. In many states, homeschool families have the freedom to make almost all educational decisions for their family. The homeschool families that demand special treatment within other organizations are doing their children and the homeschool community a huge disservice. When Johnny's mom and Sally's harass the choir director about every decision he makes, the choir director may decide not to allow homeschool children to participate in the choir in the future. All homeschool families are now regarded as not team players. The director doesn't want similar problems in the future. Not only have Sally and Johnny lost the opportunity to learn from the talented director and travel throughout the country with the choir, but all homeschoolers are now excluded from these experiences.