By Grace Nilsson
Welcome back to A Homeschooler’s Perspective where we discuss books and issues related to the homeschool community. The homeschoolers in fiction articles will deal with media portrayals of homeschoolers. While this may not be the most important issue in the world, it is interesting! September means the beginning of a new school year for many students, so I thought it would be a good time to discuss the most common storyline for homeschooled characters.
If you are a homeschooled teen who enjoys reading, I have a challenge for you – name a book with a homeschooled character. As an avid reader, you may have encountered some. Now name a book where the homeschooled character actually stays homeschooled throughout the story. Chances are, this was more difficult. Seemingly, authors’ favorite thing to do with homeschooled characters is send them to a traditional school. I first noticed this trend while doing a research project on homeschoolers in literature. Fourteen of the twenty-five books I included had a character who stopped homeschooling at some point in the story. Out of curiosity, I have searched for new homeschool fiction. So far, six out of the eight 2023 books I’ve found and (at least) seven out of the ten 2024 ones follow the same pattern. Based on my findings, I believe the representation of homeschooling in mainstream children’s and young adult literature is incomplete. I will now describe common themes in stories about homeschoolers and name some books that fit the mold. To be clear, some of these are well-written stories that I still enjoyed. My goal is not to attack individual authors or their work but to discuss the fictional portrayal of homeschoolers in general.
The book will start out by introducing readers to the quirky, sheltered protagonist. They may be a hippie such as in Schooled by Gordon Korman, a math savant such as in The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty or live at a renaissance fair such as in All’s Faire in Middle School by Victoria Jamieson. Their unusual circumstances often necessitate homeschooling, whether it is extreme geographical isolation like in The Girl from Earth’s End by Tara Dairman, or special medical needs like in R.J. Palacio’s novel Wonder. They will usually be anything besides a kid living in civilization whose parents simply chose to homeschool. Or if they are, their parents will be overly controlling or religious like in After Zero by Christina Collins. While the homeschooled protagonist’s life is not necessarily bad, it is one lived on the fringes of society. And regardless of how interesting that life is, the author will not linger too long on it, because the real story starts when the main character somehow ends up attending a traditional school. This could be by choice (like in Wonder) or force, (like Schooled). Either way, the homeschooler must face the real world for the first time.
Coming from an isolated background the main character will be unprepared to function in a traditional school setting. Their social blunders may lead to bullying and rejection. However, even if academic needs go unmet (Lightning Girl), life is miserable (All’s Faire), or mental health issues develop (After Zero) they will not go back to homeschooling. In time they form their first meaningful friendships and expand their perspective on the world. The story ends with the main character happy and thriving in school, having reaped the irreplaceable benefits of a normal life.
Some books follow an alternative plot where most of the story takes place when the main character is still homeschooled. For example, they could be trying to escape an abusive situation such as in Devoted by Jennifer Mathieu, or preparing for the major transition such as in Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass. However, the end result is the same – the character is no longer homeschooled.
You might be wondering why this even matters. After all, a sheltered child learning to survive in the wider world does make for a compelling plot. It is also important to acknowledge that there are legitimate reasons to stop homeschooling, and that some real homeschooled kids do not have a positive experience. Without ignoring these points, I would like to give my perspective on why it is a problem that so many homeschooled characters do not find their happy endings as homeschoolers. First, such stories could lead traditionally schooled children to develop an inaccurate and biased view of homeschooling. If every book a young reader encounters with a homeschooled character ends with that character leaving their lifestyle behind, this could lead to the reader assuming that home education must always be inferior to “real” school. When homeschooled characters are often rare, isolated individuals in unusual circumstances, readers may not realize that most homeschoolers are ordinary children and families who have just chosen a different educational method. The most common story about homeschoolers does not do justice to a very diverse community full of families with countless situations, motives, methods, and outcomes.
The other problem is that real homeschoolers may struggle to find books that reflect their own lives. While one of the joys of reading is discovering unfamiliar places and people, it is also valuable for young readers to have stories to which they can personally relate. Homeschooled kids who love books deserve books that recognize them. They should be able to access stories that explore in an authentic way the unique challenges and benefits of growing up homeschooled. Such stories can help the reader understand their place in society and imagine their own future. Certainly, this includes books about students whose homeschooling journey ends with choosing something else. However, there is also a need for more books that show how it is possible to make friends, have adventures, learn new things and grow as a person without ever attending school.
As a homeschooling teen, what do you think about current portrayals of homeschoolers? Do you want to read any of the books mentioned? What specific things would you like to see more of in young people’s literature?
Grace was homeschooled for her entire K-12 education, and lived all over the United States as part of a military family. Having graduated in 2023, she is now a college student living in the Rocky Mountain region. Her interests include literature, earth science, biology, and flute. It was her love of reading and experiences with being homeschooled that inspired her to write for Homeschooling Teen.
1 Comment
Add a Comment