Thread by @tisaiahcho

In general, there are two different "worlds" within Christian homeschooling.

Many assume that all Christian homeschoolers choose this form of education because of the perceived "evils" of public education and to "protect" their children with a "biblical worldview and

education." There's a reason for this. Historically, Christian homeschooling, not unlike Christian private schools, saw a huge increase during fundamentalism and as a reaction against integration in the Civil Rights era (e.g. "segregation academies"). Much of the Christian

homeschool curricula finds its roots in this world of Christian homeschooling, which is ultimately defensive and reactionary. You can find really awful examples from curricula like Abeka and BJU press. You can find many examples of whitewashing of history, glorification of

"Western civilization," and a portrayal of a form of Christian nationalism in many of the curricula that's circulated. You can find more subtle examples in curricula that simply fail to provide multiple perspectives and tell the story from a single lens and framework (often

Euro-centric).

Many may not be aware of the second world of Christian homeschooling, which has seen an increase in the past decade. They are Christian parents who want to provide a diverse education from multiple perspectives rather than just a Euro-centered view of history

that's still found in public education and especially private Christian schools. They are Christian parents of color who know what racial trauma does to children in both public and private Christian education. They want to provide an education for their children that is holistic,

attending to academics, practical life skills, and emotional and cultural intelligence. Rather than taking a defensive and reactionary posture, this world of Christian homeschooling seeks to proactively engage in topics of justice, equity, truth-telling, mental and emotional

health, and diversity.

When you're a Christian homeschooling parent in the second world, it's very, very hard to find others in the same world. Many of the Christian homeschooling co-ops, support networks, etc. are all within world one. Those are the spaces that have high

profile, yet are often some of the most damaging to Christian parents who choose to homeschool children of color. They also are spiritually stunting for those who want to actively teach their children about anti-racism and justice.

I'm encouraged when I see the growth of more

world two Christian homeschoolers, not only because we have shared values and vision for our choice of education for our children, but also because we have some sort of solidarity because we have to always over-explain that we aren't the world one type of Christian homeschoolers.