by Asha Oshun'Mali

Created on: September 03, 2009   Last Updated: September 05, 2009

When I told my mostly middle class family that I was thinking of homeschooling my children, I was met with a host of negative responses. My mother, in particular, was mortified. "Home school!" she said exasperated. "Now why would you want to do that? Don't you know home school children don't get into good colleges? And, how will you socialize them?"

I did not know how to respond to her then. What I did know: was that I was not crazy about the education my children were receiving at their respective schools. I did not blame their teachers at all for this - I knew they were doing the best they could - and honestly, I feel it's a parent's job to ensure their children are getting a quality education.

But still, I did not know how the home school processed worked. So, I turned to what I am good at; snooping. I stalked internet websites on homeschooling for weeks, learning all that I could. I also took a trip to the library-a handy free resource-and read books on the subject as well.

Added to this, I found out through word of mouth-which friends of mine knew home schooling parents. I learned a lot from my quest, and I certainly learned a lot about home schooling misconceptions.

Misconception number one:

One of the most common misconceptions is that home-schooled students will not be able to socialize with other kids. Having my children not only socialize with other kids their age, but also participate in community service programs, was very important to me when considering the option of homeschooling.

I wanted to make sure they had hands on experience for their perspective career interest and I also wanted to make sure they understood the importance of volunteering their time to help others in need. My thirteen year old wants to be a Veterinarian. I wondered how I would be able to make sure she was able to learn more about animals.

I found out through my research, that she could not only get experience by working at animal shelters , but that she would also be able to fulfill a community service component by volunteering her time.

And as far as socialization is concerned, there is plenty of information available on the internet. Home-school.com (www.home-school.com) is just one of the many sites where you can find home school social groups for your particular state.

There are also sites that can help strengthen your child's skills by allowing them to interact with other learners their age. Helium.com is one such site. Helium offers teenagers, 13 and up, the chance

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