Thread by @hcarolineking

I want to talk about educational neglect because it’s a very real thing ex-homeschoolers go through and it’s so damaging. So many stories of children educating themselves or not being taught even the basics like math and reading. And people don’t realize how much that stunts you

I was homeschooled from 6th grade on. We did okay in the beginning but as my parents went deeper into fundamentalism my education suffered. At one point, my parents were educating eight children

children at a time. How in the world is one parent(in most households, moms are the ones doing most of the schooling)equipped to handle that? The truth is they’re not. In highschool, I educated myself. I figured out the curriculum and took the tests. I was a voracious reader so

that helped with English and spelling. I knew my parents couldn’t help and it was up to me to get what education I could for myself. And because there is little to no oversight in homeschooling, no one knew enough to intervene. With barely a highschool education, college becomes

even more out of reach. I didn’t have transcripts or had taken my SATS. I assumed if my parents said college wasn’t for me they knew what they were talking about. This is the story of so many women I know. We weren’t taught math but boy could we run a house.

This is why oversight is needed. You might not need accountability to make sure you’re educating your kids but my parents did. I deserved an education. I’m still dealing with the effects of educational neglect. I am trying to go back to school. I have to start from the beginning.

I’m in my thirties and learning the elementary math I was never taught. I’m proud of myself and it’s humbling as hell. The idea of going back to school, finding a job, writing a resume is daunting. I feel like I am always playing catch up with my peers.

Education is freedom and I’m tired of feeling weighed down by what I never received. If this is your story, I see you. We deserved an education. We deserved so much more and this is why I’ll never stop talking about this. So other kids don’t have to go through what we did.

Since I have y’all here please follow, @ResponsibleHS. They are doing really important work giving homeschooled kids a voice.