Funny reaction to homeschooling...

[Amy loves Bud]

Last night we had our monthly neighborhood bunco game, and there were two ladies there that are fairly new to the neighborhood and both happen to be former PS teachers.

 

They got going on all the problems with the PS system, it was really sad to hear two teachers so negative about it, honestly.

 

Then they found out that I homeschool. They asked about my curriculum -do I get it from the state. I told them that I put my own curricula together for the most part. They were surpised.

 

Then they wanted to know if the state reviewed it. I explained that in TX homeschools are viewed as private schools and the state doesn't get involved with us. They turned a little red.

 

No TAKS testing - :eek:? No we don't do that, I'm not all that impressed with it. Smoke was coming out of their ears.

 

I just smiled, ;) but refrained from asking why it would be a good idea for such a broken system (their words) to interfere in our homeschool. I wonder if it ever occurred to them how twisted their logic sounded. Likely they were too busy fretting over my children's futures. :D

[lollie010]

Yes, I have a Sunday School class that is FULL of teachers and they do get quite concerned. I guess they think it is kind of like practicing medicine without a license. They worked hard for their credentials and have a hard time thinking that a regular "mom" could do it. I think alot of times it is just a new concept to them, so I just talk about it alot until its old news.

 

Laurel T.

[elegantlion]

That is ironic when you think about the logic. It hard for some people to believe that we can be accountable to ourselves and our children without government intervention. :D

[Gretchen in NJ]

Well, actually in one of my education classes, I was taught that homeschoolers are a bunch of right wing Christian extremist.:001_huh:

 

 

 

Yes, I used to be one of them.

 

 

But, I have reformed.:001_smile:

 

 

Gretchen

[ArwenA]

lol

If they'd been homeschooled they might have learnt logic.

 

I read logic books for the entire morning and my head is spinning from all the questions.

[Jenny in Atl]

My "almost" SIL is a teacher to the deaf in my area. She asked what standard test I gave dd12 this year (part of the GA reqs to test every three years starting in 3rd). I told her the Iowa. She said she would be curious to see how well dd12 would do on the state tests kids take in GA. Since last year she blew the Iowa away, we both figured she would test into at least grade or two above her current age level (6th). And these results come from a kid who was struggling in a small private school at the start of our hs journey back in K/1.:tongue_smilie:

[susie in tx]

My step-mil was always very concerned about my girls' education. In the beginning, I think that she was seeking information. As time went on, though, I think that she was trying to ensure that the girls' were actually learning something. She was the same way about vax, truth be told, though she had a higher priority there as one of her dd's worked in that area for the state.

 

The end result was that I often told her about our social activities, and she seemed satisfied that at least the girls weren't "unsocialized".

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Last night we had our monthly neighborhood bunco game, and there were two ladies there that are fairly new to the neighborhood and both happen to be former PS teachers.

 

They got going on all the problems with the PS system, it was really sad to hear two teachers so negative about it, honestly.

 

Then they found out that I homeschool. They asked about my curriculum -do I get it from the state. I told them that I put my own curricula together for the most part. They were surpised.

 

Then they wanted to know if the state reviewed it. I explained that in TX homeschools are viewed as private schools and the state doesn't get involved with us. They turned a little red.

 

No TAKS testing - :eek:? No we don't do that, I'm not all that impressed with it. Smoke was coming out of their ears.

 

I just smiled, ;) but refrained from asking why it would be a good idea for such a broken system (their words) to interfere in our homeschool. I wonder if it ever occurred to them how twisted their logic sounded. Likely they were too busy fretting over my children's futures. :D

 

Given how often public school at home programs (charters and special district programs) are depicted in the press as homeschooling, I'm not that surprised that they didn't have a firm understanding of what homeschooling means for your family. And it is worth remembering that these teachers probably don't have the liberty to choose the curriculum for their own classrooms.

 

One of my favorite articles ever about homeschooling was in American School Board Journal. They surveyed a group of school principals. Despite the fact that a large percentage admited having no actual interaction with homeschoolers in their district, they all had opinions about the efficacy of homeschooling.

[Plucky]

I think the tide may be turning. I know 2 principals whose wives homeschool their kids. There are just oodles of public school and private school teachers that homeschool.

[JWSJ]

I think the tide may be turning. I know 2 principals whose wives homeschool their kids. There are just oodles of public school and private school teachers that homeschool.

 

Yes, there are at least 6 former PS teachers in our HSing group. I know of one principal that homeschools their children.

 

That told me something.

 

When my wife (a PS teacher) told her co-workers that we would be HSing they started making suggestions about alternatives. They made the assumption that we chose HSing as a last resort. It was our first choice.

 

To them, for an active PS teacher to HS their own children seemed like a slap in the face.

[Valerie in Chicago]

I find that the pendulum of opinions of hs-ing swings dramatically with teachers. The first real-life hs-er that I met was a colleague where I used to teach with DH. Some seem to be very enthusiastic about hs-ing. They see the problems with the system and understand opting out of it. And the ones that are on the other end just seem to take it very personally. They are actually OFFENDED that we don't turn our kids over to them, as if we have insulted them to their faces somehow.

[astrid]

I think the tide may be turning. I know 2 principals whose wives homeschool their kids. There are just oodles of public school and private school teachers that homeschool.

 

12 years of teaching 7th grade English and now I"m teaching adult ed. so I can teach part time.

 

When we withdrew dd in April of her 2nd grade year, the principal asked us what curriculum we were planning on using because he and his wife planned to homeschool their kids, who at the time were 3yo and 6 months. ;)

[LG Gone Wild]

They worked hard for their credentials and have a hard time thinking that a regular "mom" could do it. Laurel T.

 

It explains a lot of the hostility and resentment from unions, hurt pride.

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

They worked hard for their credentials and have a hard time thinking that a regular "mom" could do it.

Laurel T.

 

Actually, I think this is one of the biggest image problems of homeschooling. Most of the Moms (and Dads) I have met are anything but "regular." Many have higher education, have quit their professional lives to homeschool, many have unimagined skills and talents that come into play, many put more time and effort into preparing their homeschool curriculum than some of the ps teachers I know. Most homeschooling parents spend a great deal of time on "continuing education" to improve their skills as homeschool educators. Unfortunately the media and teaching fields seem to want a very narrow view of who is actually homeschooling. I have learned that the more homeschool families I meet the less you can put them in one mold. No one sterotype fits. IMHO much of this sterotype is based on the assumption that a parent stays home with their children or homeschools because they are incapable of any other work. This would be a gross misrepresentation of both the homeschool community and stay-at-home parents. And it really irritates me!

 

(and said with much sarcasm) Now pass the bonbons and let me get back to my soap operas;)

[Jackie in AR]

I just smiled, ;) but refrained from asking why it would be a good idea for such a broken system (their words) to interfere in our homeschool. I wonder if it ever occurred to them how twisted their logic sounded. Likely they were too busy fretting over my children's futures. :D

 

I'm getting a little bolder as I age. ;)

 

I think that after several of their questions, I would have asked them about their own negative comments about the local public schools, and why you should be interested in sending your dc into a "broken system" (their words).

 

I wouldn't have done it rudely, but I would truly have been interested to know why they think the "system" is the answer for everyone, no matter how "broken" they perceive it to be.

[MomofSeven]

I'm always amazes how at soccer games, dance lessons, etc. the parents do nothing but complain about their child's school. It just seems to be the conversation du jour everywhere I go. Obviously, I don't participate and usually when I mention that we homeschool it's like I drop a seriously wet blanket on the conversation.

 

Yet, despite all the angst over ps that I hear , no one ever asks me about the homeschooling option. I think a lot of people complain just to complain. :)

[Oak Knoll Mom]

Well, actually in one of my education classes, I was taught that homeschoolers are a bunch of right wing Christian extremist.:001_huh:

 

 

I had a dear friend call, in tears, and ask me if I hated her kids and didn't want my kids to be around them. "Umm, no." She was in grad school and her professor told her the only reason people homeschool is "so their kids won't have to be around the public school kids."

 

I had to calm her down and tell her there are many different reasons I knew for homeschooling...