■ 27 January 2008 | 4:44 PM
Okay, there are several and I can only speak for myself.
I was sitting with another hs mom. We were talking about how any time it comes up that we homeschool, we brace ourselves. The most popular response from strangers is "Oh, I could never do that. I don't have the patience."
Speaking from experience, this is not the worst response. Yet it often leaves me thinking back to when my kids did try public school. I would cringe and often end up in battles with my kids, trying to get their homework done.
Homeschool is not like that. Not for us anyhow. It's more about finding things that work, be it educational videos or hands-on training to learn a tricky subject; or kind of breezing through subjects they 'get' easily and have a full grasp on.
Then there is "Why? What's wrong with the school in your area?" Or similar. These parents will go on and on about how wonderful the school in their locale is wonderful and if my kids went there, I'd never homeschool. Yes, that's why we homeschool. Not!
The worst though, if you can imagine it, is when folks actually QUIZ my kids. They look at them and say something like "Oh, really?? Well, who wrote The Gettysburg Address and in what year?" Ohmygosh. I don't run around quizzing other people's children. I don't quiz their parents either. But it constantly astounds me how many strangers or even typical neighbors or relatives feel that giving my children pop-quizzes if fair game. It's so tacky and rude. That's the worst for me.
I love homeschooling. My kids don't have it easy when it comes to what they are learning and we don't skip stuff either. We just have the smallest class size possible and a teacher who has the time and ability to sculpt every need they have, as far as education, to the way they learn best.
Lesson for today: If someone says they homeschool, just say, "That's nice!" or "Well, good for you!" or even just "Have a great day in school."
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one more thing...
Your sample of that one homeschooling family seems as inane to base the judgment of an entire population on as me assuming everything you write is as ignorant and prejudicial as your last post. Let us both be wrong.
-B
A sample of one
I will tackle this person's post now:
"The social skills that you may not see or be aware of are one of the biggest losses to these children."
I do teach my children social skills from school. At least once a year, I push them into a bathroom gruffly and demand their lunch money ;)
" I know, I know, their are groups and they have friends. That fact doesn't provide the structure that is needed to be succesful in life."
Really? Okay, so by that standard, most, or at the very least a reasonable percentage, of the people in prisons came from homeschooling families. No. This starts by assuming all p.s. produce great thinkers and that no homeschooling families could.
"The reason people ask your kids questions is because the majority of people have made a judgement about home schooled kids. "
You mean like you? Oh, and "judgment" isn't spelled an "e" there.
My children take Latin, music, logic, and computers from other teachers. I teach them math, visual art, English arts, geography, and manners, another subject ps students *sometimes* have trouble with.
Your sample of that one homeschooling family seems as inane to base a judgment on as me assuming everything you wr
your question please
I will tackle the easy question first; I can tell you the Gettysburg address, spoken by Abraham Lincoln was written on a train ride to that town (no I didn't have to look that up) in * 1863, which I did have to look up. We don't teach our kids everything, we teach them how to access all information, and not always using a computer or books. Some of the most valuable things I teach my kids are critical thinking skills.
Two, asking why someone home schools is a nice question, as long as you actually care about the answer. Asking, and then knocking down any answer that comes out will be just as bad as all those other questions.
-B
Hahahahahaha!
Some of these comments make me laugh :) For me, the people who bring up socialization are usually tv-aholics who only know mom swapping shows filled with crazy homeschool moms who don't let their children go outside to play or interact with anyone who isn't in church twice a week. That, or they secretly fear that homeschool parents feel above everyone else, willing to go to great lengths to be sure their children get the very best. Well, we hs parents go to those lengths and are blessed to be able to...but we trudge along in life just like you do. We don't feel you are a slacker because you put your kids' future into the hands of the public school teacher.
While I could go on and on about all the homeschoolers who have gone on to college and made lives for themselves and taken up medicine or politics or invention or drama - I won't. I will take a moment to remind you of all the non-adjusted kids in public school. The kids you see on the news or the "I'm So Spoiled" tv shows that are all the rage.
So...
Why did you choose to homeschool? Is that an ok question? You can ask me why I chose Montessori for my kids. I don't mind.
Once ever
I have only met one parent who was qualified and successful at home schooling.The majority of the rest are simply over protective mothers. The social skills that you may not see or be aware of are one of the biggest losses to these children. I know, I know, their are groups and they have friends. That fact doesn't provide the structure that is needed to be succesful in life. The reason people ask your kids questions is because the majority of people have made a judgement about home schooled kids.
sooooo....
.... who did write The Gettysburg Address and in what year? ;)