Homeschooling Acceptance In Your Area

[Hockey Mom]

Do you find that most people are more or less supportive of your decision to homeschool? I'm not talking about relatives or your inner circle of friends/church. I mean strangers that you run across. If you reply to this post, list the general area where you live.

 

In the past month I'd say I've told about a dozen cashiers or people waiting in line with us that we homeschool (if they ask my boys which school they go to). Every single person regardless of age, race, or religious preference, has been very supportive of homeschooling. I've even run across two older ladies (cashiers) who homeschooled their children and are now "retired".

 

I live in south Florida. :)

[Dandelion]

People are pretty accepting of homeschooling in this area... We live right outside of Colorado Springs, CO.

[LisaKinVA]

Well, living in the south...they are to my face :glare: I know better than to think this is what they *really* think.

[Mom22ns]

I get very positive responses in general. Some ask questions, some say they are considering it, lots know someone who homeschools. I occasionally just get a look that says they don't really approve, but its rare. No one in public has ever asked a rude question or been openly negative. People I know on the other hand... :glare:

[Dmmetler]

Since red-shirting is so common here, and DD is only 5, I suspect a lot of the people who she tells that she "does homeschooling" assume that it's just for this year and that she'll be back in school next year for Kindergarten with the other 6 yr olds who are held out a year.

 

I'm not sure what the ones who ask what she does in school think when she tells them "Spanish, Latin, Greek, and 3RD GRADE Spelling"-apparently, that's what is important to my word-loving kiddo:tongue_smilie:.

[kwickimom]

Southern Illinois here....mixed results. Everywhere we went last week someone asked my DD about school. So we had to tell like 20 people that we are HS'ing. The older folks just said "thats nice" but I could tell they either didnt like it or didnt know much about it. An older librarian asked me where I taught at and I said "home?" LOL I truly have no clue what she meant by that or what.

Other than that people tell me "thats cool" or "good for you"

[Amy loves Bud]

DFW area. Everyone is generally very supportive. Of course there are a bazillion of us.

 

Although one day this spring my kids and two of their hs buddies were riding bikes up to the grocery store at around 3. The crossing guard was already out, but the ps wasn't dismissed yet. He's an older, pretty gruff guy. He asked the kids why they weren't in school and, when they told him they were homeschooled, he said they should be in school anyway. ;) I told the kids they should go everyday and ride right by this crossing guard. They prefer to avoid him, though. :lol:

[Farrar]

I'm in DC, where there are very few homeschoolers (at least in the city). People are generally accepting, but also flummoxed. Like, you're doing WHAT? Wow, that must be really hard!:001_rolleyes:

[Nakia]

I'm in NC, and most people are supportive. The others usually only say something like, "I don't know how you do that" or "I could never do that" so I wouldn't really call that unsupportive.

[Jugglin'5]

Houston area - everyone is generally supportive with an occasional exception. There are those who get defensive because we are in a "good" school district. Generally speaking, though, I get a lot more 'I wish I could do that" with truly envious looks, than "you are invalidating my teaching certification" comments or looks. The longer I have homeschooled, the more accepting people have become in general.

[Rivka]

I'm in DC, where there are very few homeschoolers (at least in the city). People are generally accepting, but also flummoxed. Like, you're doing WHAT? Wow, that must be really hard!:001_rolleyes:

 

Right up the road in Baltimore, it's the same thing. Nobody asks why, because, you know, inner city schools, but they are shocked and amazed anyway.

[Mejane]

I've homeschooled in CT for seven years, and have yet to have anyone challenge me on it. Most people I run into gush about how great it is that we're doing it.

[tennismomkelly]

I'm in NC, and most people are supportive. The others usually only say something like, "I don't know how you do that" or "I could never do that" so I wouldn't really call that unsupportive.

:iagree: This has been my experience so far. I live in a suburb of Atlanta.

[shalom22]

Also in the Houston area. I hardly ever get a negative comment from the general public. Usually I get a "good for you" response.

[I talk to the trees]

Those who do comment are mostly positive. The fellow who came to clean our furnace last year (dd and I were doing history at the time) just shook his head and said, "Wow, that's fantastic. Really fantastic!"

 

I also get quite a few, "Wow! I could never stand being with my kids all day long!" Sometimes, I'm tempted to say, "Why? Do they have really bad b.o. or something?" but I hold my tongue!:D

[Tidbits of Learning]

I live in Louisiana and I get mixed reactions. Cashiers seem to be the worst. I get kind of ticked off about it sometimes. There is one lady cashier at the local grocery store that likes to tell other people in line behind me that we home school and that is why the kids aren't in school. No one in the line asked. We shop on Wednesdays and the little old ladies from the retirement home are shopping en masse. They love my kids and love to tell me how great it is that I have a "big" family or that they remember the days where they had 4 in tow. The same cashier also asks me each time if I am still home schooling? Um, yeah.

It is normally the cashiers at Walmart or the grocery store that say things.

[Dawn in OH]

I am in northeast Ohio, Geauga county specifically. When I'm in the county, no one looks at us twice. When I go into one of the neighboring counties, people notice us and ask, "No school today?".

[Pretty in Pink]

Strangers are generally gracious if homeschooling comes up. Some are even complimentary. I've only gotten the feeling that a few actually disapproved. The couple that lives a few houses over from us are both retired teachers and they like to 'politely' voice their concerns from time to time. And Monday I had the children at the doctor's office and a new nurse inquired about school and just sort of raised her eyebrows when ds told her he was homeschooled. It wasn't really a big deal though.

 

We get far more positive reactions than negative. I even have a girlfriend who just graduated with a teaching degree who has been calling me for advice about setting up her classroom and such!

 

I live in eastern NC.

[abbeyej]

I live in Atlanta. There were home schooling conferences 30 years ago, and the numbers have grown steadily in the time since. It's just so common, no one ever bats an eye. On occasion someone will ask questions, but they do seem to be genuine curiosity, not snarkiness.

[Jugglin'5]

I live in Louisiana and I get mixed reactions. Cashiers seem to be the worst. I get kind of ticked off about it sometimes. There is one lady cashier at the local grocery store that likes to tell other people in line behind me that we home school and that is why the kids aren't in school. No one in the line asked. We shop on Wednesdays and the little old ladies from the retirement home are shopping en masse. They love my kids and love to tell me how great it is that I have a "big" family or that they remember the days where they had 4 in tow. The same cashier also asks me each time if I am still home schooling? Um, yeah.

It is normally the cashiers at Walmart or the grocery store that say things.

 

 

LOL - In my neck of the woods, it seems like it is the Walmart cashiers who say "I wish I had done that with my kids" or "I wish I could do that".

[Hockey Mom]

LOL - In my neck of the woods' date=' it seems like it is the Walmart cashiers who say "I wish I had done that with my kids" or [b']"I wish I could do that".[/b]

 

That's exactly what my boys' pediatrician and his nurse said. :lol:

[mommaduck]

South Eastern PA is very homeschool friendly.

[patchfire]

I'm in metro Atlanta.

 

On occasion I get the "I could never do that!" response, but that's usually from someone I already am acquainted with. With perfect strangers, I've gotten:

 

"Good for you!"

"I think they learn so much more when you do that."

"Oh, how wonderful."

"They have so many opportunities for homeschoolers now, it's like the best of both worlds."

"My [insert relation here] does that, do you know her?" (Because of course, I know every homeschooler in the metro Atlanta area!)

"My [insert relation here] does that, but she lives out in [insert different state]."

 

Nothing negative. We are still in the south, after all. ;)

[justamouse]

In NJ and it's widely accepted here. Mostly I get, "Oh, my (some relation/friend) homeschooled and now they're in such and such college." It makes me wonder how many are homeschooled in NJ.

 

We're a non reporting state and I would love to get hard #s on how many kids here are homeschooled. I bet it's a huge amount. I never even had to report my last 5 children to any schooling authority-how many other families are just like me? You know?

[lisabelle]

North of Seattle -- mostly everyone's been supportive to my face, but there's a sense I have, in some people, that they're biting their tongues. Other moms flat-out say I'm crazy, that they could never spend all day with their kids and try to teach them--some will be watching with curiosity, others will be waiting for me to fail.

[Embassy]

I'm in the Toronto area. I would say it isn't as popular here when comparing it to Michigan. I've even run into an adult who had never even heard of such a thing. I've received "advice" from a couple local educators I have encountered too. The advice was pretty similar - stop by the local district and find out what I am supposed to teach. LOL, I pointed out to one of them that it was quite easy to find that information online. They hadn't thought of that.

[Disney Dreaming]

Well, I am in Georgia and before I homeschooled my youngest I always heard what people really think about it. My oldest two went to ps so I wasn't a part of the hs crowd. Now when they hear I hs my youngest they smile and say something polite but I know how they really feel. I think some of it is because we live in one of the best counties in GA for public schools.

[Desert Rat]

Here in Vegas, homeschooling is accepted as a good alternative. Opposite to Angel, it's accepted because we live in one of the worst districts for public schools.

[Alenee]

We're in SW WA. It sounds like we've had the same common reaction, "Oh that's great! I could never do that!" or "Wow! I don't know how you manage!"

 

I think a lot of people have been biting their tongues but I have only really received one negative comment that I can remember and that was recently when my doctor told me I need to mainstream my middle dd by 6th grade...because she needs to learn to cope with bullying.:001_huh: I considered a number of different replies like, "Oh really, how then would you explain how your choice has worked out with your children?" Because his kids have quite the reputation in town for being less than stellar students, character-wise. I chose to just let it go, yet reminded him that my kids are not locked up in the house all day everyday.

[Rosie_0801]

An old lady was talking to me on the train the other day and made some comment about going back to work when the kids went to school. I replied "uh, well, no. I'll be teaching them." All she asked was whether I was a teacher and I said no, but I will be. She seemed satisfied with that. ;)

 

Rosie

[Dolphin]

About 50-50. I think a lot of people are biting their tongues. There is also a pressure to put him in school as the schools are suffering and why would I want our school to do without the money (something that never was a mentioned when he was in private school, but now that I am doing it on my own...)

I am in SW Portland. There are a lot of home school families around, not so much in my neighborhood.

[Jenny in GA]

I live in metro Atlanta, and I would agree with the other comments. The rare times that people seem dismayed/concerned is because we live near the "best schools" and they don't understand why someone wouldn't take advantage of them.

 

I remember a few years talking to someone who had just moved down from either Boston or Connecticut. She told me that "nobody homeschools" there because the schools were so good. She said that "they've heard of the concept of homeschooling, and are aware that some people out there somewhere do it," but other than that, it's unheard of.

 

Jenny

[Jen in PA]

I am in SW PA and people are pretty comfortable with the idea because of the cyber charters. We don't use one, but they have been growing so rapidly that having your kids with you during the day is becoming pretty common.

[Wheres Toto]

In NJ and it's widely accepted here. Mostly I get, "Oh, my (some relation/friend) homeschooled and now they're in such and such college." It makes me wonder how many are homeschooled in NJ.

 

We're a non reporting state and I would love to get hard #s on how many kids here are homeschooled. I bet it's a huge amount. I never even had to report my last 5 children to any schooling authority-how many other families are just like me? You know?

 

NJ here too and I agree - it would be interesting to see the numbers. I'm definitely hearing about a lot more homeschoolers than I would've thought before we started.

 

The usual comment I get, which usually comes when people ask if ds is going to K this year or not and I tell them we're homeschooling, is "I could never do that". I usually talk about how it's pretty easy here in NJ but I doubt I'm changing anyone's mind.

[NanceXToo]

Where I live in PA, I've never had any negative comments or feedback. Occasionally I get an interested/curious question or two (usually it's: "Where do you get your materials? Does the school give them to you?" or "Are you going to do it all the way through high school?") but for the most part I get friendly, positive comments, if anything.

[Guest Cindie2dds]

Where I live in PA, I've never had any negative comments or feedback. Occasionally I get an interested/curious question or two (usually it's: "Where do you get your materials? Does the school give them to you?" or "Are you going to do it all the way through high school?") but for the most part I get friendly, positive comments, if anything.

 

These are the exact same questions I receive from people who just find out. No one here has been negative. The only other comment I get is: "I could never do that."

[Belacqua]

Where I live in PA, I've never had any negative comments or feedback. Occasionally I get an interested/curious question or two (usually it's: "Where do you get your materials? Does the school give them to you?" or "Are you going to do it all the way through high school?") but for the most part I get friendly, positive comments, if anything.

 

Interesting, that. Until we got to Grade 9, I encountered very little negativity about homeschooling. But apparently, the expectation was that I would, of course, send the kid to public high school. As I'm not doing that, I'm now getting a bit of tut-tutting.

[AngieW in Texas]

Every person with school-aged kids in my dh's group at work is now hsing. There was one holdout who swore that his kids would not be hsed. His wife informed him this summer that they would indeed be hsing their dd for K this year. Now he's all for it.

[southcarolinamom]

In SC I've had lots of positive comments ... especially from our favorite public librarians :001_smile:.

 

One gentleman once told me he thought I shouldn't have to pay property taxes to the local public school system, since we don't use it. :D

 

Cashiers are polite and curious ... "How long have you been homeschooling? Is it hard? I could never do that!" type things.

 

Whenever new families move onto our street, I introduce myself and my children and let them know we are a homeschooling family, "just in case you see my children running around outside at odd hours, they aren't skipping school, they are home-schooled!" Makes people smile every time.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

North of Seattle -- mostly everyone's been supportive to my face, but there's a sense I have, in some people, that they're biting their tongues. Other moms flat-out say I'm crazy, that they could never spend all day with their kids and try to teach them--some will be watching with curiosity, others will be waiting for me to fail.

 

This is pretty much the same for me. Northeast Ohio area. Affluent suburb with "great" schools.

[Sasharowan]

Central Florida. The worst I've heard is "I could never do that, but I admire you for doing it." We have a large homeschooling population here.

[Elizabeth in WA]

Seattle area. I haven't heard any negative comments beyond "I could never do that." The Math Counts thread on the K-8 board has me a little concerned about general trends in acceptance at the national level, however. The perception that homeschooling is used as a way to "cheat" on competitions seems pretty negative to me.

[golfcartmama]

Well, living in the south...they are to my face :glare: I know better than to think this is what they *really* think.

 

 

Totally happens here in the Atlanta area. The look on his/her face and body language tell and MUCH different story than the words coming out of his/her mouth. A passing 'friend' told another friend she thought hs should be illegal. Nice.

[kewb]

In NJ and it's widely accepted here. Mostly I get, "Oh, my (some relation/friend) homeschooled and now they're in such and such college." It makes me wonder how many are homeschooled in NJ.

 

We're a non reporting state and I would love to get hard #s on how many kids here are homeschooled. I bet it's a huge amount. I never even had to report my last 5 children to any schooling authority-how many other families are just like me? You know?

 

 

Another Jersey girl. If it comes up at all I normally get a positive response. Now that we are going into our 3rd year of homeschooling I have had some local moms approach me with questions.

 

From what I can tell there are a fair amount of homeschoolers in NJ (just not in my town).

[kalanamak]

Approval and even some envy and admiration. Quite honestly I've gotten more "strokes" for hs than I have for my word-play, my extensive collection of sweaters, my profession, my antiques, and my books. Only my strawberry blonde curls come close to life-time compliments, and that from women who would have been young in the 1930s. I think it was "the" color then.

 

I can only recall one negative, and it was from a very nice, tall, athletic, handsome man, who said my son would miss out on all the positive things in high school. I politely asked how many teams he was on and leader of? I nailed it: basketball, baseball, and soccer, and he got a sports scholarship to the best school in town. I gently pointed out that not all had the wonderful highschool years he did, and he conceded that point.

[QueenCat]

Totally happens here in the Atlanta area. The look on his/her face and body language tell and MUCH different story than the words coming out of his/her mouth. A passing 'friend' told another friend she thought hs should be illegal. Nice.

 

Golfcartmama..... hmm.... your "name" would lead me to believe you live in the town we call home.... PTC, GA? Raised my kids there until they were 12 and 15..... so miss it.... I didn't homeschool there though....

 

Anyways, here in Middle TN, it depends on where I am.... at church, I get odd looks and comments, in my neighborhood, people understand and "wish they could"....

Edited August 14, 2010 by CathieC
my grammar

[texasmama]

I'm in NC, and most people are supportive. The others usually only say something like, "I don't know how you do that" or "I could never do that" so I wouldn't really call that unsupportive.

 

:iagree: Except I am in Texas. Most people have the usual weird questions about socialization and are appalled if they find out we don't have to "follow the state curriculum" or "submit testing", etc. One lady asked recently if I would have to have my kids tested if they ever went to public school. The implication is that they would be so far behind that they wouldn't place into their age-appropriate grade level. Honestly, I don't consider all of this so much unsupportive as it is ignorant.

[QueenCat]

:iagree: Except I am in Texas. Most people have the usual weird questions about socialization and are appalled if they find out we don't have to "follow the state curriculum" or "submit testing", etc. One lady asked recently if I would have to have my kids tested if they ever went to public school. The implication is that they would be so far behind that they wouldn't place into their age-appropriate grade level. Honestly, I don't consider all of this so much unsupportive as it is ignorant.

 

I do think a lot of the questions are out of ignorance. People who don't have any experience with homeschooling just don't know what homeschooling really is in 2010. I know the first homeschooler I met when my oldest was a baby turned me off from ever considering the idea.... and then I met a few more a few years down the road.... and still took many more before we made a go of it!

[dsmith]

I'm in NJ, in Bergen County, and I've had some people make negative comments. We have blue ribbon schools in town, and other schools in the area have good reputations, so maybe that is why. It's also kind of snobby around here, which I could see contributing to the negativity. Pretty much anything out of the norm around here will get negative comments. People in Morris County were much more open to homeschooling, and were friendlier in general. I'm kind of missing it there.:sad:

[happi duck]

When we lived in a state with required paperwork no one ever batted an eye. Now that we live in a non-reporting state most people think it is shady and wonder if it is legal.