An Atheist Homeschooler

“You are a homeschooler? And an atheist???” I have heard this question several times in the last 1.5 years since I started my homeschooling journey with my children. The idea seems absurd. Don’t people homeschool for the lack of religious education and prayer in public schools? Isn’t it “you people” who have banned those things from our public schools? Why, in “God’s” name would you homeschool? It seems I’m breaking into an elite. I’m going somewhere that only Christians should be allowed in. I’m the minority of a minority.

Of course it wasn’t atheists who have banned prayer from public schools. Although it is quite convenient to blame us for that. After all we are the personified evil, therefore anything that’s bad is blamed on us. Atheists are so unpopular in America that even former President Bush announced we should not have the right to call ourselves citizens. We simply lack patriotism. Oh good, I’m NOT a citizen (I’m German), so at least I can be an atheist all I want.

So why do we homeschool? I’ll be honest. My initial reason has nothing to do with religion and everything with a very poor public school system. I still lived in Arizona, when it was time for me to decide which elementary school to send my daughter to. I drove past the school that she would most likely go to… and I was horrified. The brick building had no windows, a very high fence, and it was hermetically sealed, it seems. You can’t get in and you can’t get out. You are their prisoner for 6 and later 7 long hours. My child in there? My child who feels locked in even when she does have a window? No way. I researched my alternatives and soon met a homeschooling Mom of two incredibly cute little girls. And while she homeschooled for religious reasons the idea sounded wonderful to me. I read books, joined homeschooling groups in the area and was soon convinced that homeschooling was the way to go.

We have since moved to Oregon and joined a homeschooling “school” (offering supplemental classes) in our town. People from all walks of life come together to do one thing for our children, provide the best education they can get. Obviously I have had my encounters with Christians who, after several months of knowing me, had to find out that I’m atheist and are now struggling. “Do I treat her nicely or just stop talking to her altogether?” The latter is almost impossible since I am putting a lot of volunteer hours into this school. I’m part of their inventory. The reaction I get a lot of the time is “Ooooh, you’re an aaaatheist. Well, isn’t it nice that we are adults and can discuss these things nicely…” accompanied by the sweetest smile. I don’t see why I need to discuss these things, but if it makes them feel better, so be it.

About 30% of homeschoolers are non-Christian these days… I would call this a success, and I know the numbers are constantly rising. There are now secular homeschooling yahoogroups, secular curricula, secular homeschooling coops. Don’t have one in your area? Start one. As they say… if you build it they will come. You will be surprised how many atheists are out there, still a little shy about coming out, just waiting for others to do it first. So here… I am atheist homeschooler, and it feels darn good.