The Homeschool & Etc blog asks "Should Homeschoolers Keep a Low Profile". That got me thinking. Just recently at a small gathering, the topic of conversation once again turned to homeschooling. It was very uncomfortable because many of the women there were public school teachers. My only saving grace was that they were slightly disgruntled teachers.
I tried to tell myself "girl, shut-up", but I felt like I had diarriea if the mouth, just droning on and on until someone changed the subject... thank goodness. I then asked myself, why does this always happen?
I realized of course, that it is NOT MY FAULT! If I have my kid with me, someone will inevitably ask, "what school do you go to?" She answers, I am homeschooled, or I homeschool and go to a
hybrid school part time. Then eyes move from her to me, and the questions start, and so goes the usual explanations, and a little mild bragging.
So I would say that in today's culture, it is nearly impossible to be a homeschooler and keep a low profile without lying.
...And why do people even ask what school kids go to anyway. Kids are so much more than the school they go to. I can think of a dozen more fitting questions for a school age kid:
- What is your favorite subject?
- What is your favorite book?
- What is your best fun fact that I might not know?
- What is your favorite food?
- What is your favorite color?
- What is your favorite cartoon?
- What is your favorite movie?
- What do you want to do when you grow up /or graduate?
- What do you do in your spare time?
- Are you in any groups or clubs?
- What type of music do you like?
- What is your special talent?
Because kids are so much more than cattle to be warehoused in a building... so the school they go to is pretty much a moot point. But as long as people are going to ask kids what school they go to, I guess they are going to have to hear about homeschooling.
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2 comments:
Ohhh it's always fun to talk to disgruntled teachers, actually. Especially if they are very, very tired of bad behaviour in class and the new Common Core curriculum.
My kindergartener's very excellent teacher (in an autism classroom) is not happy that she must test the children every week and drill, baby, drill.
Actually if homeschoolers do poorly on standardized tests in comparison it would not surprise me, as they are nowhere near as exposed to them as these children.
I happen to know many teachers who constantly need explanations from me...
All after they complain about budget cuts, school district problems, student behavior, etc...
It's kind of ironic, eh?! LOL
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