Tim Tebow is a successful baseball player, football player and broadcaster, but did homeschooling get him there?
Tim Tebow was homeschooled by his mother up until the first day he attended the University of Florida. He split his earlier years between working on the family farm and attending classes at home with his siblings.
Read on to learn more about Tim Tebow’s educational background.
It’s Good To Be Different
In a 2018 interview, Tim Tebow explained at length about his homeschooling and upbringing. In his opinion, homeschooling offered him advantages in many ways. First and foremost, it enabled him to be ‘different’.
He explains that he was taught reading, writing and arithmetic, but it wasn’t the biggest concern for his parents. Primarily, they wanted Tim and his siblings to learn homely values, such as love, dedicated and a work ethic.
Tim Tebow penned an instructional book in 2017. In this book, titled Know Who You Are, he explains how homeschooling can help a child “discover their true identity.” He explores his positive attitude towards homeschooling further on YouTube.
Tebow has explained that his upbringing was deeply traditional. He would engage in Bible study and chores out on the farm, before returning to study at home with his family. Surprisingly, this somewhat socially restricted method of upbringing didn’t impact Tebow’s ability to play as part of a team.
This fact proved true in 2007, when Tebow became the first home-school athlete to win the Heisman Trophy. This trophy is awarded to one outstanding player in the NCAA every year. He would also be nominated for the trophy in both 2008 and 2009.
Not just adept at football, Tim Tebow transitioned into baseball in 2016. He began playing as an outfielder for the New York Mets, and immediately became a fan favorite. His success with a string of teams in the NFL simply continued into the next sport.
Homeschool The World
The Tebow family were eager to spread the word about homeschooling from as early as 1982. They subsequently homeschooled each of their five children, and urged other parents to do the same.
There are mixed debates on the nature and efficacy of homeschooling. Some people feel the results will vary wildly depending on commitment and ability, but this is arguably the same as regular schooling.
In 2018, around 1.7 million children in the United States were officially homeschooled. This stood at around a 2% figure per state. Through the 2000s and 2010s, there was an upsurge in home education. The biggest increase was in the state of North Carolina, with annual figures rising from around 30,000 in 1997, to just under 150,000 in 2018.
In cases such as Tim Tebow, the results are clear-cut, and positive. Although he was diagnosed dyslexic, it never stood in his way, particularly as he was able to write his own book later in life. His sporting achievements and academic achievements are way above average. Further, he reportedly has values and traits instilled in him that make him a better person.
Tebow has even founded his own charitable organization, called the Tim Tebow Foundation. This venture seeks to help disadvantaged children through God and prayer. This is a nature that Tebow learned during his home-focused upbringing in the United States. He also supports this causes on social media.
Aside from that, Tebow has also voiced his support or advocacy on a number of topics. He’s outspoken about poverty, adoption, disaster relief, homelessness and hunger. The nation-famous sportsman from humble beginnings ultimately grew into an inspirational and caring figure.
In fact, all this work earned Tebow the title of super hero, afforded to him by Marvel Comics in 2017. He became immortalized in print by the popular comic book company, commemorating the iconic “Tebow Time”.