Who are homeschoolers? They are everybody! They are your neighbors and the neighbors of your family members and your friends. They live in the cities, in small towns, in the suburbs, and in the most remote rural areas. They live in apartments and on houseboats. They live in huge mansions and in government housing. They live in housing developments and in trailer parks. Although most are middle income families, some are downright poor, and a very few seem to have money to burn.

The family faces reflect their racial composition: Caucasian, African, Asian, American Indian, they run the racial gamut. Many families are a wonderful combination of races and cultures. For instance, some have adopted or fostered children of different ancestry from the parents. In other cases, grandparents have custody of grandchildren who they are educating at home. Single parents. Fathers at home, mothers working. Families working together at a home-based business. In short, the homeschooling community is beginning to mirror the greater community in terms of its composition.

The children, too, are a complex group. There is every range of ability, disability, gift and attribute. Some are so bright their stars shine out into the world, some so sweet and giving their gifts are a blessing to all they meet. Some are troubled and healing. Some are afflicted and learning to cope in ways education experts declared would never be possible. Each is special in some particular way. You could not possibly be in a room filled with homeschooling children and fail to recognize their uniqueness.

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The above is an excerpt from an article titled, "Homeschool Soup," by Laura Derrick.