Testimonials: Making a Case for Oversight

Many members of the homeschooling community support oversight of homeschooling, including current and former homeschooled students and current and former homeschool parents. At CRHE, we are working to change the conversation. We believe that the voices of homeschool alumni should play a role in conversations on homeschool policy, and that the voices of homeschool parents who support oversight should not be ignored or minimized.

If you would like to contribute your own testimonial, you can! We invite homeschool alumni and current and present homeschool parents who support accountability for homeschooling to lay out and explain their reasons. You may use a pseudonym if necessary. Click here to learn how to submit your own testimonial! We would love to feature your thoughts.

To view all of our testimonials to date, click here.

Homeschool Alumni Testimonials [Read All]

• Catherine S.: “Everyone needs a checks and balance system”
• Bea M.: “Unchecked power is perilous”
• Jackie H.: “You owe your child a proper education”
• Elle S.: “Some years I had science, most years I didn’t”
• Erika S.: “Verbal and physical abuse was a norm”
• Jane N.: “We were completely cut off from the outside world”
• Rai Storm: “There was no gratefulness. There was no escape. It just went on and on.”
• Brittany Randolph: “As time went on, our schedule became looser and looser”
• Rebecca F.: “The physical abuse and neglect was obvious to me from a very early age”
• Jennifer I.: “All that was required was a note every year”

Homeschool Alumni/Parent Testimonials [Read All]

• Jane Morgan: “I was the homeschooled kid who grew up to become a homeschool mom”
• Chandra B.: “Protections are a necessary part of all educational systems”
• Jerusha Lofland: “Ignorance leaves people vulnerable”

Homeschool Parent Testimonials [Read All]

• Faye Marcinko: “Homeschooling in America is full of contradictions and extremes”
• Linda P.: “I wish I could paint a happy ending to this story”
• E. Bradshaw: “Some kind of oversight for me would help me out”
• Roianna: “I think complete dysregulation is dangerous and harmful”
• Amanda Smith: “I want a professional looking at what I’ve done”
• LaDonna Sasscer: “We home educators should welcome accountability”
• Lara Kondor: “I had never actually intended to homeschool my son”
• Jackie Cordon: “I always felt very fortunate with Iowa’s homeschooling laws”
• Keith and Gail Brightbill: “We are strong believers in accountability”

Across Experiences

Homeschool alumni who support oversight have had a variety of experiences, some positive and others negative. Alumni with negative homeschool experiences often want to save other children from suffering the harm they did while alumni with positive homeschool experiences want to ensure that current and future homeschooled children have positive experiences too.

Testimonials by Alumni with Negative Experiences [Read All]

• Catherine S.: “Everyone needs a checks and balance system”
• Bea M.: “Unchecked power is perilous”
• Elle S.: “Some years I had science, most years I didn’t”
• Erika S.: “Verbal and physical abuse was a norm”
• Linda P.: “I wish I could paint a happy ending to this story”
• Jane N.: “We were completely cut off from the outside world”
• Rai Storm: “There was no gratefulness. There was no escape. It just went on and on.”
• Brittany Randolph: “As time went on, our schedule became looser and looser”
• Jennifer I.: “All that was required was a note every year”
• Rebecca A.: “I feel I have been denied the opportunity to live up to my potential”

Testimonials by Alumni with Positive Experiences [Read All]

• Emilie Huffman: “This has been a love letter to my mom”
• Alisa Harris: “Even growing up, I knew I was one of the lucky homeschoolers”
• Giselle Palmer: “Good home schools will show progress”
• Ryan Stollar: “Not everyone had parents like I did”
• Kathryn Brightbill: “I’ve seen how wonderful homeschooling can be”
• Rachel Coleman: “Good homeschooling … is not something that happens automatically”
• Jeremy C.: “For a long time, I did not support regulation of homeschooling”
• Arielle G.: “I was a homeschool poster child”
• Amethyst Marie: “The students most affected … were girls”

Testimonials by Alumni with Mixed Experiences [Read All]

• Jackie H.: “You owe your child a proper education”
• W. S. Hunter: “Parents are flawed people, like all of us”
• Katrina B.: “My parents sincerely tried their best”
• Eleanor Skelton: “I saw no balance”
• Jane Smith: “I am haunted by the question of what might have been different”
• Jane Morgan: “I was the homeschooled kid who grew up to become a homeschool mom”
• Jennifer P.: “My parents broke the state’s homeschooling laws knowingly”
• Caitlin T.: “In New Jersey, things fell apart”
• Jerusha Lofland: “Ignorance leaves people vulnerable”

Across the Country

Our testimonials are written by individuals across the country. While the level of oversight in each state varies, nearly every state’s system of homeschool oversight has serious flaws and loopholes. Alumni testimonials shed light on a wide variety of problems that plague current homeschool accountability measures, and touch on points for change.

Testimonials across the Country

Alabama

• Giselle Palmer: “Good home schools will show progress”

Alaska

Arizona

• Jeremy C.: “For a long time, I did not support regulation of homeschooling”

Arkansas

California

• Alex H.: “I often wonder at what cost”
• Jessica A.: “Homeschool is an abusive parent’s dream”
• Bethany Brittain: “It didn’t take long for me to lose my excitement”
• Sierra S.: “My mom … was obviously overwhelmed”
• Ryan Stollar: “Not everyone had parents like I did”
• Jeremy C.: “For a long time, I did not support regulation of homeschooling”
• Arielle G.: “I was a homeschool poster child”

Colorado

• Eleanor Skelton: “I saw no balance”
• Cynthia Jeub: “I wasn’t really taught anything after I was ten years old”

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

• Sierra S.: “My mom … was obviously overwhelmed”
• Giselle Palmer: “Good home schools will show progress”
• Kieryn Darkwater: “It’s so easy for people like me … to fall through the cracks”
• Kathryn Brightbill: “I’ve seen how wonderful homeschooling can be”
• Amanda Smith: “I want a professional looking at what I’ve done”
• LaDonna Sasscer: “We home educators should welcome accountability”
• Lara Kondor: “I had never actually intended to homeschool my son”
• Keith and Gail Brightbill: “We are strong believers in accountability”

Georgia

• Amanda Smith: “I want a professional looking at what I’ve done”

Hawaii

Idaho

• Arielle G.: “I was a homeschool poster child”

Illinois

• Maria M.: “I’m still playing catch-up”
• Amanda Smith: “I want a professional looking at what I’ve done”
• Megan P.: “I do not wish my experience on anyone”
• Jamie G.: “I want to see that change, now”

Indiana

• Rachel Coleman: “Good homeschooling … is not something that happens automatically”

Iowa

• Jackie Cordon: “I always felt very fortunate with Iowa’s homeschooling laws”

Kansas

• Jane Morgan: “I was the homeschooled kid who grew up to become a homeschool mom”
• Jerusha Lofland: “Ignorance leaves people vulnerable”
• Amethyst Marie: “The students most affected … were girls”

Kentucky

Louisiana

• W. S. Hunter: “Parents are flawed people, like all of us”

Maine

Maryland

• Jennifer P.: “My parents broke the state’s homeschooling laws knowingly”

Massachusetts

Michigan

• Jerusha Lofland: “Ignorance leaves people vulnerable”

Minnesota

• Cynthia Jeub: “I wasn’t really taught anything after I was ten years old”

Mississippi

Missouri

• Jane Morgan: “I was the homeschooled kid who grew up to become a homeschool mom”
• Chandra B.: “Protections are a necessary part of all educational systems”
• Amethyst Marie: “The students most affected … were girls”

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

• Jennifer P.: “My parents broke the state’s homeschooling laws knowingly”
• Caitlin T.: “In New Jersey, things fell apart”

New Mexico

• Alisa Harris: “Even growing up, I knew I was one of the lucky homeschoolers”

New York

• Elizabeth W.: “I am a survivor”
• Jennifer P.: “My parents broke the state’s homeschooling laws knowingly”

North Carolina

• W. S. Hunter: “Parents are flawed people, like all of us”
• Emilie Huffman: “This has been a love letter to my mom”
• Sarah Jones: “I’ve been lucky”
• Holly S.: “If there had only been some protection in place”
• LaDonna Sasscer: “We home educators should welcome accountability”
• Jane Morgan: “I was the homeschooled kid who grew up to become a homeschool mom”

North Dakota

Ohio

• Teresa M.: “P only cared about her check clearing.”

Oklahoma

• Jane Smith: “I am haunted by the question of what might have been different”

Oregon

• Kimberly R.: “Every abuse had a magnified effect on us”

Pennsylvania

• Rebecca A.: “I feel I have been denied the opportunity to live up to my potential”
• Sarah M.: “These assessments turned out to be easily avoided”
• Jane Smith: “I am haunted by the question of what might have been different”
• Megan P.: “I do not wish my experience on anyone”
• Jennifer P.: “My parents broke the state’s homeschooling laws knowingly”
• Caitlin T.: “In New Jersey, things fell apart”

Rhode Island

South Carolina

• Holly S.: “If there had only been some protection in place”

South Dakota

Tennessee

• Giselle Palmer: “Good home schools will show progress”

Texas

• Roianna: “I think complete dysregulation is dangerous and harmful”
• Eleanor Skelton: “I saw no balance”
• Jane Morgan: “I was the homeschooled kid who grew up to become a homeschool mom”
• Lana Martin: “I suffered severe depression, suicidality, and disordered eating”
• Amethyst Marie: “The students most affected … were girls”

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

• Lynne A.: “I wasn’t protected at all”
• Sarah Jones: “I’ve been lucky”

Washington

• Katrina B.: “My parents sincerely tried their best”

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

The testimonials presented here are the opinions of the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the positions of CRHE.