weird things you have heard as homeschoolers - Page 7

[umbrella]

I mostly am constantly amazed at how many people think that other people have thought about any given topic, only as much as they have.

So many people, who are not homeschooling, love to tell me all these great ideas for homeschooling, and interesting things they recently learned about homeschooling. All with this assumption that of course it's news to me too.

It's nice that it's all with a positive spin, but it still strikes me as weird. Do they really think we started this completely blind, and have STILL done no research? What do they think we do all day?

[majikfaerie]

Originally Posted by brendon

("oh, but you read to your kids. You're one of those people." Huh?? Oh the complaints I have about her.)

Yep, we are one of THOSE people. You know, the kind...they read to their kids, give their kids books. Yes, we are evil.

wow! you're one of those too? I;ve heard about you people! have you considered attending a support group? you know there's a good 12 step program at the local community centre; I've been attending for ages now, and its been at least 2 hours since I last read to my daughter

you know, the thing that amazes me the most is that most of our friends and acquaintances are coming up with these ridiculous socialisation and education and routine, etc arguments against homeschooling; and these people are really some of the most left wing radical folks you can find.
it spins my mind how deep the social conditioning goes; I mean, people who are rabid vegans, forest activists, consipracy theorists, dreadlocked hippies, and all kinds of general counter-culture people of every flavour, who will talk your ear off about how vaccinations are evil, and only organic raw food is healthy, and hospitals are terrible places - they fully support homebirthing, and non-circ, non-vax, extended BFing, baby-wearing, co-sleeping, all that stuff. but when we say we're going to be homeschooling (before I even mention unschooling) they come up with all these lines about the need for interaction with other children and learning to line up and react to fire drills and all that nonsense!

this is just so astounding for me, like we've all been brainwashed :

[Mamato3wild ponnie]

I haven't read much of this thread but my neighbor suggested to me that i "buy one of those white boards and some cool markers and teach the kids that way".....OMG so when did she become like the expert on teaching my kids anything?

[LeftField]

I really needed this thread. I've had a bad week and it really cheered me up. I cracked up at many of the quotes, but I haven't personally dealt with many weird hs remarks IRL.

My father grilled me about "the 3 Rs" once. It was a very weird conversation. When we talk about what we do, I guess I go on about how we learned about things that school considers non-essential nowadays. We saw a show about the Mars Rover, we talked about DNA, we learned how to scat (ok, not very well, but it was fun!), we painted, etc. We had this surreal conversation in which he kept saying, "But what about the 3 Rs? Wouldn't you agree that they're important??". : He also, in a completely unrelated conversation, said that I was going to turn my oldest into a "social retard". I know that people have that perception that homeschooled children are weird. I went to public school (and had very extroverted and popular parents) and I've always been very weird. School is not a kind place for weird kids like me.

[smocklets]

I think a funny question that I get often is, "Are you going to do it all the way through high school?"
My oldest is in 2nd grade!

[frogguruami]

Originally Posted by smocklets

I think a funny question that I get often is, "Are you going to do it all the way through high school?"
My oldest is in 2nd grade!

I always say "If Drake asks to go back to PS then I will let him." This is usually followed by a "NOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" from Drake. and then I say, "It is my hope that Kyllian will never want to go because it would be a bad match for him." I usually get a raised eyebrow or an "Oh?" Well, except from my mother that is, because I won't be able to teach the hard stuff! :

[Brisen]

From a very nice lady I met at the park recently (I almost feel bad posting it, but it fits, so here it is):

"So does he go to school?" (referring to my 5 yo)
"No, we homeschool."
"Oh, where do you do that?"

From the rest of the conversation, I realized that she thought it was maybe like a home preschool or something. When I told her that I did it at home, she asked if I took in other kids... so I imagine she was thinking preschool. She didn't ask about my 7 yo, and probably assumed he was in ps

[3esmom]

I have a new one right from MIL!

she came to visit this past weekend, and we begin to talk about unschooling and self-modivation and college...ect.. and she says
"What if something happens?"

I say "what do you mean "something??"
she says "like to you"
I say "what do you mean, like if I die or something?"
she hesitates..."yea.."
I say " well, I dont think about dieing much, do you?"
she says "no, but what would happen if they had to go to school?"

"I guess we would cross that bridge if we had too!!"

meanwhile I am thinking....WTF??
"maybe she wants me to die or something!!!"

[majikfaerie]

Originally Posted by Brisen

From a very nice lady I met at the park recently (I almost feel bad posting it, but it fits, so here it is):

"So does he go to school?" (referring to my 5 yo)
"No, we homeschool."
"Oh, where do you do that?"

this cracked me up! and my twisted logical thought progression got me to thinking: no, we actually LIVE at the school; that's homeschooling! :

[Leersia]

When I mentioned to a dear friend of mine, who also happens to be an elementary teacher, that I was planning to homeschool, you could have cut the tension with a knife. She then laid this doozey on me. . . "Oh, well, I want my kids to be more out in the world than that."

Yeah, we'll be down in the basement dungeon just plowing through workbook after workbook . . . .

I still love her though . . .

[Brisen]

Originally Posted by umbrella

I mostly am constantly amazed at how many people think that other people have thought about any given topic, only as much as they have.

So many people, who are not homeschooling, love to tell me all these great ideas for homeschooling, and interesting things they recently learned about homeschooling. All with this assumption that of course it's news to me too.

It's nice that it's all with a positive spin, but it still strikes me as weird. Do they really think we started this completely blind, and have STILL done no research? What do they think we do all day?

:

That about sums up the reactions that really boggle me. I can understand if someone has never heard of it before, or even assumes that the school board gives us all of our material and we really "school at home," but having people tell me about hsing as though I have no clue and have done no research... :

[GoodUserNamesTaken]

Do you know my MIL?? She asked me something very similar... LOL

Originally Posted by 3esmom

I have a new one right from MIL!

she came to visit this past weekend, and we begin to talk about unschooling and self-modivation and college...ect.. and she says
"What if something happens?"

I say "what do you mean "something??"
she says "like to you"
I say "what do you mean, like if I die or something?"
she hesitates..."yea.."
I say " well, I dont think about dieing much, do you?"
she says "no, but what would happen if they had to go to school?"

"I guess we would cross that bridge if we had too!!"

meanwhile I am thinking....WTF??
"maybe she wants me to die or something!!!"

[Brisen]

Originally Posted by ManiacMama

Most people are positive. The most common response is "Oh, I could never do that!"

That's actually a comment that really bugs me. I'm not sure exactly why. When I try to pin it down, I end up contradicting myself.

I don't like the implication that hsing is unattainable to most families -- that it is too difficult for most people to do, or you have to have a certain personality or grade point average or credentials. I know they're just saying that they themselves could not do it, but from the rest of the conversation, the attitude is that a parent/family fitted to hsing is an anomoly.

I also don't like the implication that I must have some special skill that means hsing comes easily to me. I don't. It doesn't. I have always done very well in school -- but that's as much of a liability as it is an asset when you're trying to break away from a schoolish mentality and actually achieve real learning in your home. I'm not naturally a "kid person." Never liked babysitting; still don't. I'm not naturally a people person, period; I'm an introvert. If I can do it, there are probably few people who can't.

Sometimes, I also get the feeling that it's not really a compliment -- more of a polite way of expressing their horrified recoil at the idea of homeschooling. "What? Cut off my children from the outside world and stunt their social growth forever? I could never do that!" OK, probably not. But sometimes, I wonder...

[KaraBoo]

Originally Posted by Brisen

That's actually a comment that really bugs me. I'm not sure exactly why. When I try to pin it down, I end up contradicting myself.

I don't like the implication that hsing is unattainable to most families -- that it is too difficult for most people to do, or you have to have a certain personality or grade point average or credentials. I know they're just saying that they themselves could not do it, but from the rest of the conversation, the attitude is that a parent/family fitted to hsing is an anomoly.

I also don't like the implication that I must have some special skill that means hsing comes easily to me. I don't. It doesn't. I have always done very well in school -- but that's as much of a liability as it is an asset when you're trying to break away from a schoolish mentality and actually achieve real learning in your home. I'm not naturally a "kid person." Never liked babysitting; still don't. I'm not naturally a people person, period; I'm an introvert. If I can do it, there are probably few people who can't.

Sometimes, I also get the feeling that it's not really a compliment -- more of a polite way of expressing their horrified recoil at the idea of homeschooling. "What? Cut off my children from the outside world and stunt their social growth forever? I could never do that!" OK, probably not. But sometimes, I wonder...

This. All of it. Exactly the same for me.

[momof2princesses]

great thread! enjoying it...it is comforting to know that i am not alone in the "crazy comments" recieved!

[phroggies]

Originally Posted by Jennifer3141

A good friend had someone freak out on her because she'll be HSing her DD. Evidently, in kindergarten EVERYONE learns to line up. Her DD will never get that if she doesn't go to school. Can you just seen her in college wandering around the bookstore unable to checkout because she can't figure out how to get behind someone??

Not exactly homeschooling, but when I attended an oddly structured one-room fundamentalist Baptist school as a child, my neighbor told me I would never make it in college because I wouldn't know how to change classes. Fortunately, I ended up going to a public high school before college, because, jeez, that would have been a totally insurmountable obstacle!

My neighbor, incidentally, flunked out of college because apparently among the things she did not learn in high school was that spending all your scholarship money on booze is not the best academic strategy. Not that I'm gloating, after all these years.

[majikfaerie]

Originally Posted by phroggies

My neighbor, incidentally, flunked out of college because apparently among the things she did not learn in high school was that spending all your scholarship money on booze is not the best academic strategy. Not that I'm gloating, after all these years.

So is this something we should be adding to our HS curriculum? how to get through college without blowing all the scholarship on booze and whores? :

[Sasha_girl]

Another one that I hear is, "If they want to go to 'real' school you'll let them, right?"

Um, are you going to homeschool your kids if they want to?

It kind of annoys me, frankly. Just another assumption that public school is the standard and that one must have a good reason to homeschool.

[HilMama]

"I could NEVER homeschool, but your husband is a teacher, so that makes it different for you." Huh? He teaches high school AP physics and my kids were elementary age.

When I told my parents I couldn't go on a three-week cruise with them:

Dad: "Oh, come on! Someone else can do the cooking and cleaning for a few weeks."
Me: "Um, I homeschool? The kids are too young to leave alone (smile). . ."
Mom: "I guess we forgot you homeschool. You aren't going to do THAT next year AGAIN?!"

So great on so many levels. They really are bitter that I'm wasting my degrees; they obviously don't understand my life. On the other hand, my policy of avoiding the hs topic is working so well they forgot!

"Homeschooling is only possible with a special mother and children. Yours are so well-behaved that you can do it."

A neighbor's son asked if he could homeschool and she said, right in front of him, "I could NEVER be around my children all day long!" The poor little guy.

"I don't know how you do it. I would have killed you children." Yes, my mom.

"How do you know what they SHOULD know WHEN?!"

From my MIL, bless her heart, "Is M. going to take any advanced classes? He is so ahead." I had to tell her he's already working at his own level and he's too young for community college!