Influential Homeschoolers - From Presidents to Pop Stars

Tidewater News featured a nice article by Virginia homeschooling-mom-of-five Carolyn West about how homeschooling has changed over the last few decades.

One of the things I enjoyed about this post was the reminder of how many famous people were home schooled.

You might be amazed at the famous and influential people who were homeschooled — 14 presidents, including Abraham Lincoln; 28 heads of state, including Benjamin Franklin; military leaders like Douglas MacArthur; Supreme Court judges, including Sandra Day O’Connor; scientists such as Albert Einstein; artists like Da Vinci; religious leaders, including Jonathan Edwards; inventors, such as the Wright brothers; composers like Mozart; writers, including Mark Twain; educators, such as Booker T. Washington; performing artists like Whoopi Goldberg; and many business entrepreneurs, including Andrew Carnegie.

And these are only a few of hundreds of famous people known to have been educated at home. Let us remember that there was a time when all education was homeschooling.

There are a number of famous people who are currently educating their children at home as well, including Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, John Travolta and Kelly Preston, and Darrell and Stevie Waltrip, just to name a few.

For an impressive and more comprehensive list of famous homeschooled Americans and influential people in history, visit www.homeschoolacademy.com/famoushomeschoolers.

Much in the same way I had the privilege of raising my children in the fear and admonition of the Lord, today's homeschooling families have the opportunity to teach their children through the grid of their particular worldview. I have actually known families who thought the public schools were too conservative!

Though I might have to take exception to the idea that Will and Jada Pinkett Smith or John and Kelly Travolta are educating their children at home constitutes an endorsement of homeschooling on any level. Most of us who were homeschooling back in the day did NOT do so in order to encourage our children to create videos like this.





Perhaps the Travolta's children will author a sequel to Dianetics.