Snarky Homeschool Memes

Depending on where you live, you may find the need to educate your children at home this year. From school closures to murder hornets, protests, and riots, 2020 has been a really strange year. You don’t have to watch the news very long to feel overwhelmed with anxiety. Humor is often an outlet for our stress. Snarky homeschool memes seem to be a new trend on social media.

When schools initially closed last spring, I began to see a lot of homeschool related memes on social media. Most poked fun at how homeschooling had suddenly become popular. Initially, I laughed and shared a few. Although I understand humor is subjective, I noticed the jokes have turned increasingly bleak:

• It takes a village to raise a child, and a vineyard to homeschool one.
• Today’s homeschool lesson plan: turn on the TV.
• If you see my kids locked outside today, mind your business we are having a fire drill.
• Alexa, homeschool the children.
• If you see my kids crying outside and picking weeds, just keep driving. They are on a field trip.
• In 20 years our country will be run by people homeschooled by day drinkers.

There are many more.  The messages usually imply parents are neglectful and unqualified to teach, and children are a burden. In my social media feed, the memes are most often shared by parents I know to have children in online public schools. I get it, homeschooling can be hard. It’s a lot of work.

As a culture, we’ve been conditioned to believe our worth comes from a paid job and financial status, with little regard for family. We send our kids to daycare for someone else to babysit. We’ve believed the lie that kids must attend an institutional school because only the experts are qualified to teach.

Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him. Psalm 127:3

Children are a gift from God, and He gives good gifts. They are amazing little people that require our love, attention, and guidance. Parents are qualified to teach and are biblically directed to do so.

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6

Before you share the snarky homeschool memes on social media, take a moment to remember that your children are not a distraction or burden. Their care and education are not someone else’s job. There is no more important work for you to do. They are your most important work. No place in scripture have I found a verse declaring parenting will be easy, but I have read often of the blessing children bring.

Our kids are watching how we are reacting to the events around us. They see the jokes. My daughter looked at my social media feed over my shoulder one day. After reading a homeschool meme she commented she didn’t think it sounded very nice. She was right and I told her as much.

We are in a time our kids need us more than ever. Many are overwhelmed and grieving the loss of social activities and separation from friends. Some feel fearful of an unknown future. We must validate their feelings. They need our encouragement and comfort.

We have all made a choice in how to educate our children. Homeschooling is independent and funded by each individual family. Public-school-at-home uses the funds and resources provided by taxpayers and operates under different rules. If you public-school-at-home, please stop calling yourself a homeschooler. It is not the same.

Parenting and homeschooling truly have some hysterical moments. Being able to laugh is great therapy, but not if it’s at the expense of our kids. As humor is subjective, I expect I will continue to see memes I do not find amusing. I won’t be outraged or unfriend anyone. I do hope to offer encouragement to think twice before sharing snarky homeschool memes. At the very least, change them to poke fun at public-school-at-home when that’s what it really is. I assure you, the statements do not apply to homeschool.