Do you look down on or think less of homeschooling families?

We made the decision to homeschool our children for a variety of reasons. 1) Our eldest is autistic, ADHD/ODD combo. He is most comfortable and learns best in his home. 2) I am a certified teacher and taught for 6 years prior to having children, so I feel more than competent. 3) We do not like our area’s public schools and private is unaffordable. 4) We want to have a more free lifestyle where we can travel and enjoy long holidays together.

I have received some rather harsh opinions whenever I mention that we homeschool. From other teachers, I’m often told I am doing them a disservice because they don’t get “socialized” enough. I mention well, my kids have best friends that they see often. They socialize with other children on scheduled field trips with other homeschooled kids. They get to choose who they socialize with as opposed to being forced into classrooms with possible bullies and people they don’t like. They enjoy time with their close friends, cousins, and family.

Another comment I frequently get is that they won’t be “toughened them up” for the real world because they won’t experience teasing or bullying. Which I always make the point- oh is that the point of school? To harden children? Give them trauma? I thought school’s purpose was to teach them. 🤷🏽‍♀️

I also receive the comment from other parents that “they could never homeschool because they don’t know everything to teach.” To which I always have to say internally, “do you not feel prepared because public school did not leave you with enough knowledge and competency to pass it down? If so, then the public school system failed you.” (I don’t actually say this, but boy would I like to).

There are such negative feelings and images of homeschooling families, as if we’re all weird, religious cults. But fact of the matter is, more and more people are choosing this route because of the ineptitude of their failing district schools. Now, there are some AMAZING teachers out there, but we cannot also ignore the mass exodus of teachers since the pandemic. They are leaving the field in droves because of abysmal pay, lack of support, and not to mention, a lot of them watched their co-teachers DIE because they were forced back into the classroom without proper PPE. In my own community, five teachers died after schools reopened. Schools are remaining understaffed, underfunded, and they are hiring temporary teachers WITHOUT degrees in some states, Arizona and Florida being two. The high school in my district has 42 children to a class. It is unacceptable.

So at this point, what is there really left to criticize about homeschool families? Both of my children are far beyond the academics of their grade level and blow the state mandated testing out of the water.