I Didn’t Want to Be Broken, I Wanted to Be Whole: By Neriah

“I began to believe that my anorexia was a punishment from God intended to turn me toward him and my parents. It was my ‘pride’ and ‘haughtiness’ and my ‘lack of honor’ that caused me to come into such problems. Thus, if I listened to what God was trying to teach me, the hardships and pain of anorexia would be instrumental in my walk with God— and my depression and guilt and shame would go away.”

Ninja Training: Chloe Anderson’s Story

“I would never give back that experience. The glue that held it all together and kept my parents from being dysfunctional task masters, or chronic busy bodies with a messiah complex was that they loved us kids and wanted the world for us. And they sought every day to live out a faith that convicted them to serve, love and empower. That is perhaps the greatest example that they left me. “

Incorporating Thinkers: A Lesson in Debate Theory and Wolves

“If you acknowledge there are problems, and you actually care about fixing those problems, then by all means let’s work together! We can agree to disagree on many things — this is evident from the fact that the HA community consists of Millennials, Gen X’ers, Boomers, current homeschoolers, former homeschoolers, students, parents, conservatives, moderates, liberals, libertarians, Marxists, Christians, atheists, Buddhists, Protestants, Catholics, Universalists, and so forth.”

Why I Am Proud of Myself: Philosophical Perspective’s Thoughts

“Despite what the news articles would have you believe, I have not been successful because of my (lack of) education. I am thriving despite my homeschool experience. I have been successful because I have overcome every obstacle thrown in my path.”

Brainwashed Shock Troops

“Christian homeschooling parents, Michael Farris says, removed their children from the perils of Egypt (aka the public school system) and educated them in the wilderness (aka homeschooling them) in order to send them forth to conquer Canaan (aka take America back for Christ). This really is the entire point of Christian homeschooling.”

The Space To Be Human: Jayni’s Story

“It was very clear to me that I was an outsider. But by the end of the conference my mother was sold: her kids needed to do this NCFCA thing. And by the end of the conference I was hesitantly intrigued by debate: my mother would support me verbally fighting with people? Awesome.”

Resolved: An Index

The following is an index of our Resolved: series about homeschool speech and debate, including stories about NCFCA, STOA, ICC/CFC, and HSLDA debate.

Sharing the Burden of the Pedestal: Renee’s Story

“Tour was not a panacea: it did not fix my self-injury problem. Nor did it eradicate my performance anxiety. What tour provided was an outlet for my energies, a chance to do what I loved in a way that mattered, to help people rather than just collect trophies, and a group of close friends who understood and could share the burden of the pedestal together with me.”

Angry Emails And Thoughts On Why They Happen: By Andrew Roblyer

“We should continue to offer thoughtful criticism and tell our stories in full, with the hope of provoking thought and change to those institutions. However, I think that we must be cognizant of the ease with which a structure like homeschooling or the NCFCA can be conflated with the hearts and souls of those parents who created them.”

CFC Gave Me Confidence: Michele Ganev’s Story

“The strange reality is, despite the fact that CFC is part of the problems we at Homeschoolers Anonymous speak out about; for me it was also part of the solution. Because of CFC, I was equipped with the tools I needed to effectively get out of what I now look back on as a toxic community and make something more out of myself.”