On Being Homeschooled / "I Fell in Love with an Alien" - The Kelly Family

When I worked at the library last year, the homeschooling group met once a week during the day in the Community room. I recognized them right away with their alternative lunches, the home-made t-shirts, the vintage clothes, social awkwardness, the close-knit band of mothers that accompanied them. It brought back so many memories.

Now for the true confession: I was homeschooled.

And to answer your questions - Yes, I had friends. Yes, I learned how to read, write and do math. Was I a little weird? Definitely yes.

As a homeschooler, being weird is sort of a badge of honor. Whether it's your anachronistic outfit, an obsession with a particular era of history, musical genre, an instrument, wacky hair, or goth leanings, it's a must for a homeschooler. In general, homeschooled kids (they hate being called "kids") go out of their way to prove that they are really smart, mature and unusual. It's a coping mechanism for when you are already considered the strange outsider.

I could go on and on. I have a lot of thoughts and opinions about it -- too many for one blog.

In case you are confused, here is a clip of "The Kelly Family" (pictures are worth 1000 words!). While little known to American audiences, to me they represent the absolute pinnacle of homeschooling culture and aesthetics. They are a large Irish American family that moved to Spain in the mid 60s (they said it was to escape TV and the American culture). They started traveling around in Europe and homeschooling their kids. The kids ended up being discovered busking in Koeln while they were all living on a houseboat. They became a super pop group. In their case, the homeschool aesthetic became their signature look and sound:


"I Fell in Love with an Alien":