Declan: “I want in any way I can to be the person I needed to advocate for me”

I have suffered with imposter syndrome for the last 15 years; feeling like I have somehow lied or tricked my way into getting a seat at the tables where I find myself seated, not being able to feel… Read More

Candice K.: “I do not think my story is rare or even exceptional.”

“I am sharing my story now because I have seen the society that I live in repeatedly fail its most vulnerable members, those who have no volition over their own lives. I have seen my neighbors’ children endure… Read More

Valerie: “I know that not everyone in my position is so lucky”

At first, being home seemed fun and easy. However, as the subjects progressed, I felt myself falling behind. I would overhear other kids at the co-op talking about their classes and I was never learning about any of… Read More

Abbey L.: “If anybody ever saw something concerning, nobody ever said a word.”

If I had been in a normal high school I would have noticed that other people lived differently. I also would have been around mandatory reporters who would have noticed my Dad’s obvious psychosis and the emotional, spiritual… Read More

Song HyoA: “They mold me into an identity that is perfect for them, but not for me”

“It takes time, dedication, experience, expertise, money, resources, and structure to homeschool your children, not just spending dollars on a curriculum that will not help them get into university. You give your children a future that changes their… Read More

Amber Moore: “Nobody could help me except myself”

“The cognitive dissonance grew so intolerable that it took me down a road that led me to throw away many of the beliefs I grew up having.” I am 25 years old and I am the middle child… Read More

Mary T.: “Homeschooling tends to attract parents who value control”

“I was terrified to make my own decisions, unsure of my ability to survive outside of my parents’ controlling framework.” I was my family’s “first.” The first to learn to read at home. The first to complete K-12… Read More

Sage N.: “My parents were clearly unprepared to be teachers”

“Some level of oversight would have really helped me because I think my parents would have felt compelled to keep up with my education far more than they did, and it may well have prevented my experience from… Read More

Hope M.: “I don’t even know how many people knew we existed”

“There were certainly several years in which we didn’t take any sort of test. There was no way for me, as a child, to connect with anyone outside of my household. There was no way for anyone to… Read More

Danielle C.: “The state never followed up on my education”

“Enforcing the current requirements that Indiana has in place could help to prevent children like me from slipping through the cracks.” As Gloria Steinem said, “The final stage of healing is using what happens to you to help… Read More