An informal poll
Jun 24th, 2006 by scrappitydoodah
Dear Person Who Has Landed in this Blog,
Please leave a comment if you are a secular homeschooler.
I have no ulterior motive, other than assuaging my curiosity as to how many non-religious homeschoolers are out there.
If you are a refugee from a certain other homeschool blogging site, I’m curious about that, too.
Sincerely,
The Blogger Formerly Known as 3 Part Harmony at The Other Blogging Site
Well, it depends on what you consider a secular homeschooler . . . LOL! I came to homeschooling for secular reasons, and continue to homeschool for the same reason, so how we do so reflects that. However, I am a Christian, and that certainly colors everything in my life. Put on top of that my consideration that my unschooling life is a lifestyle, I have two things that color everything in my life. I think both complement each other. Sooo, where do I fit? LOL! Last, I was not on that other blogging site
No, I am just some random freak that found this site by googling the words “children” and “underwear”.
We are not fundamentalist homeschoolers, I feel like this is what most people are referring to when they say “religious homeschoolers”. We are not part of that circle. We began homeschooling for reasons that had nothing whatsoever to do with religion. But two curious things have happened since then - we’ve naturally gravitated towards unschooling and we discovered a spiritual path we felt compatible with.
Eventually we realized our unschooling lifestyle jives perfectly with our spiritual views, because it affirms the inherent worth and dignity of every person; provides an environment that supports a free and responsible search for truth and meaning; and promotes respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.
For this reason, I cannot say that we are 100% purely secular, because these principals guide the way we raise our kids and live as a family, which in turn affects the way we homeschool. But in the traditional sense, we are not religious homeschoolers, so if I had to select between religious or secular, I’d pick secular. Also, the materials we use are not religiously oriented and I strongly prefer to belong to inclusive homeschooling groups. Does any of this make sense or am I just talking out my wazoo?
As to the other inquiry, I did not come over from that other place, but when I decided to start a homeschool blog I specifically picked Homeschool Journal over that other place because the ongoing issues. And I get the reference to the plumbing hardware in your blog description. Can I have my cookie now?
I ditto what Cindy and Susan have said. We did not begin homeschooling for religious reasons. My oldest son was not happy at school and we decided to take him out and then we liked the lifestyle of homeschooling so much we continued for everybody. But homeschooling has been a signfigant part of our religious journey so they are intricately related.
I am not a refugee. I found homeschooljournal by accident and on impulse decided to take up blogging.
Blessings,
Faith
Secular through and through, though only part home educator - children are flexi schooled atm. No kind of refugee, started out blogging on blogger three+ years ago, then moved to my own site. Think the distinction between religious and secular isn’t quite so meaningful in the UK - a few ppl on our blogring who home educate and are religious but I don’t think the latter was necessarily the motivation for the former iyswim.
We are secular homeschoolers! I am not a refuge from some other site. I started blogging here after the “boycott” was started.
Count me in as well! Like Susan I find that the longer we homeschool, the more I realize that my reasons for hsing can not really be seperated from my beliefs, however I would not classify myself as a “religious” homeschooler. I am a Unitarian Universalist which I find meshes with my unschooling beliefs perfectly! Above all I believe that we are each on our own journey and there is no one “true” path…in learning or in spirituality!
I made my way over here from blogger.com to be part of a homeschooling community as well as because I loved the increased functionality that HSN has (love those categories!!)
~Steph
[…] I picked this up from *Scrappitydoodah* and thought it was a great idea ’cause I wonder too. […]
Hi, I started homeschooling because my daughter was unhappy in school (that was in January). At that time I had not attended church for over 20 years. My partner (her father) is an athiest. But my daughter (who I call Tigger in cyberspace) wanted to go to church (not sure why) so I found a church that I was more or less comfortable with and have now joined myself. It is an Anglican church (I was raised in the Anglican church) but is more radical than much of the Anglican communion in Canada. It is a welcoming and affirming congregation (to lots of people but lesbians and gays in particular) and I’m enjoying it. Like some of your other commentors, I guess the religious journey is part of the same stuff as the homeschooling — exploring our interests, etc. We unschool, I think.
No, I’m not a refugee from the other place and have never read many of the posts over there because of the particular version of Xtianity that they espouse (which I’m not convinced is really based on the teachings of Jesus but that is a whole other thing). I started blogging because I knit and have a whole pile of knitting friends made in cyberspace. I blog over at Typepad. Homeschooling is now one of the topics I blog about but there is still a lot of knitting and spinning in there (though the trouble with homeschooling is that there ceases to be a distinction between schooling and the rest of your life).
I’ve been online irritating the HSLDA crowd since early 2001
I never blogged at “the” site nor did I ever consider blogging there. Had homeschooljournal been available when I started my blog, I would have chosen it. (I’m too lazy to switch over now.)
I call myself a Christian, but most Christians out there would disagree. I also call myself a spiritualist because I believe in some new age ideas.
When I started researching homeschooling years ago I quickly learned that the religious lists were not for me. I joined every secular group I could find. That is where I fit the best.
I prefer secular homeschool resources. That said, we do use some Christian curricula. I would consider myself a secular homeschooler because religion (bible study) is not a part of our homeschool whatsoever.
I really don’t fit into any group out there (secular or religious) but the secular crowd is where I am drawn to and I can identify with more readily.
Definitelt secular. In fact, I often get frustrated when much of the homeschooling community concentrates on something other than education. We’re just in it for the learning.
We homeschool because we love it and because public school will kill the love of learning in a child. Plus, I can do it better because no one knows or cares about my kids more than I do. We have a blast!
Most of the materials we use are secular, but we are religious. Catholic to be precise. Not fundamentalist and not judgemental.
And yes, I am a refugee from that other site. I had no idea when I started blogging there just what they were all about. I just thought they had pretty templates. Still do, but too bad.
I have no clue how Doc got lucky enough to come here by googling “children” and “underwear” because when I tried I got sent to a fetish site. LMAO j/k
I just typed in Evil Homeschooling People and right after Doc’s name was yours.
j/k again.
Yes, I’m secular.
Secular. Not religious. I was raised Episcopalian, but I’m not really anything now. Maybe I’m Christian, but I’m definitely not into church or churches. I’m not a refugee from that OTHER place either. I found this one through some other blogs I like. Soooooo happy to see all the folks who are not training up a child! :p
I don’t like to put myself in a category … I am just ornery that way.
I am religious - I have never been baptized, but consider myself a Christian because I believe in God and the divinity of Christ. My husband and kids are Catholic. We are a Christian family, though definitely not a fundamentalist/evangelical one. Our reasons for home schooling are academic and personal, rather than religious. We teach the existence of God and the divinity of Christ as facts, and also teach evolution as a fact. We do not do a lot of Bible study. You can out me into whichever catgeory you feel fits. 
And … as you know … I am also a refugee from that other place; that’s where we met. I think I moved right before you did.
Darn, I wish I could edit my comments. You can *put* me in whichever category you feel fits. I don’t suppose you’re going to “out” me, unless you’ve discovered any of my scandalous secrets.
Secular through and through. We’re a family of heathens. LOL We’re not atheist, just have a more Taoist view of things.
I am the only secular homeschooler I know of in my area. My two homeschooling neighbors are Christian as are all other homeschoolers I’ve met locally.
And I’m not from any other blog site. I had a blog many years ago and I had been meaning to start a homeschooling blog but never got around to it. I found this place through an email.
Secular, baby.
I am a refugee from the “other” homeschool blog and left more than a month ago. I’m Christian, but that’s not why I homeschool (the list is way too long). I boycotted the pathetic child abusers who claim they’re Christian (I’m ashamed they even associate themselves). It’s unfortunate that the “loudest” homeschoolers are those Christian fundamentalists which often scare off others who are considering it.
Secular. Not a refugee. I blog elsewhere, visit where my wanderings take me. I am aware of the issue over at that other place, and have gone a few times over there, just curious about the freakshow.
Secular. Not a refugee from that other site.
I’m a christian who started homeschooling because my kids needed that and no other reason. I still really don’t do it for “religious” reasons. I believe it’s best for my children - I guess that a religeous reason could be argued but I don’t know anybody with time to waste to do that. LOL Unschooling is what is best for my family, it fits with my beliefs -*shrug* - as far as I know I’m no refugee - I have an xanga blog but I like Ron and Andrea and decided to come play here. I like it and have pretty much moved here to stay.
Thanks for the welcome on my new blog. I am a secular homeschooler and also a refugee originally from HSB. I believe I still have a blog under the same name of laraszoo there with quite a lenghthy discussion and comments on why I left. I had a blogspot blog for a while but I missed the small homeschool community.
We’re secular… mostly. I started homeschooling because my child (M) was being destroyed by the public school system. I’ve continued homeschooling because it gives my kids what they need educationally, emotionally, and spiritually. I am Catholic (but not practicing) and also not fundamentalist or judgemental.
I am a refugee from the “other” site, and am one of those whose blog was deleted when I used it to scream out in outrage against people who advocate abusive child rearing practices.
I’m definitely secular but am not a refugee. I started on blogspot and am still there.
If I had to put us into a group, I would say secular. We are not homeschooling for religious reasons. We are homeschooling because our state is rate at the bottom of all the states when it comes to education. They are trying to make it a big deal because my county is one of the best in the state. But would you trust the 2nd best county in the state when the state is ranked 48th? We don’t.
I am from the other site. I left for a couple of reasons. The first being the overall feeling of the site. It is extremely religious and I was feeling like I was being smothered and not being myself, because I wasn’t able to be myself. I also left because of whom the aligned themselves with.
Thanks for the welcome.
Secular? We are Christians who don’t necessarily believe all they read and all they hear. We are Christians who believe in the Indian spirits and some of the “old ways” of doing things. So I guess you could call us “Secular Christians”? (I am sure there is a word to accurately describe us but I don’t know that word) We don’t discard Christian curriculum if we find something we like and that works but we definately don’t go in search of it. That is what drew us to homeschooling…we get to pick and choose.
I did come here from the other site. I was feeling a bit drowned and a little lost among the community. It doesn’t stop me from visiting the blogs I have grown to like but it made me want to find a different blogging community…so here I am!
Thanks for stopping by and saying hi!
We’re sort of new-agey, pantheistic Christians, if there is such a thing. But our homeschooling is 100% secular.
I did have a blog on that other site, but I only made a few entries. I left due to the boycott and have been a more active blogger lately.
We are most definitely secular homeschoolers. It is hard for us because the majority here look down on our type. However, I think as homeschooling grows, there will be more and more of us as time goes on.