Ritsumei Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 Odd people have odd children. My child is odd. I suffered greatly for this as a kid, ... Odd can be hard, but what can you do? Lead a double life? Since odd kids are mistreated, it yet one more reason we homeschool. I haven't read the thread, so I'm sorry if I'm repeating someone. My dh and I were just talking about this the other day. I think that kids in general (and by in general I mean I know there are exceptions) tend to be like there parents. If their parents are quirky they tend to be a bit quirky. I know plenty of quirky ps kids! :001_smile: :iagree::iagree: I think that parents have a lot more to do with socialization than type of education. It drives me a little bit batty, actually, that people get so hung up on educational choice as the Source of All Oddness. Case in point, we have a family at church that is often cited as an example of People Who Should Not Homeschool. Their kids did really poorly. The problem with them as posterchildren for reasons to public school is this: their kids started in public school, then homeschooled for a while, and then quite a few of them went back to public school. The one that did the best actually graduated from homeschool, I believe. The rest of the story? There's abuse problems, mental issues, and all sorts of unpleasantness just under the surface. It's not school at all that's giving those kids such a difficult time; it's the other issues they face. Dealing with that sort of difficulty makes academics seem like pretty small potatoes. But I don't think that's the whole story, as far as what makes homeschool families different. Look at what the blog post lists as the "socialization" of homeschoolers: Homeschooled children participate in (and win!) math olympiads, spelling bees, geography bees, science competitions, and debate teams.Homeschoolers join choirs, orchestras, book clubs, athletic events, and they even go to homeschool proms! Homeschoolers take classes and compete academically in community college, adult education programs, museum events, online forums, summer school, and at camps, etc. It's not fashionable to be academically rigorous! Being "smart" is seen as incompatible with having fun. I was just reading the other day about gifted kids learning to hide their gifts - and being so successful at it that it is sometimes very hard to identify them, particularly girls. The homeschoolers I have experience with, both online and IRL, almost all value academic excellence. That alone will set them apart from the crowd. Make them "odd." Again, it's not the school choice, exactly, that makes them odd. More that the different value placed on academics leads to oddness. My guess would be that it's a shared value that's very pervasive in the HS community, since the test scores are consistently higher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted April 9, 2011 Share Posted April 9, 2011 I was odd/quirky and I went to public school. I think some people are just that way, and lots of them homeschool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elizabeth Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 As someone who happily lets her freak flag fly; I am raising my kids to do the same. Oh yes indeed. Why would anyone want to disappear into the crowd?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama2cntrykids Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 If you call wanting to stop Cub Scouts b/c most of the other boys are wrestling each-other and walking around when the leader is talking/trying to get projects done odd, then yes, my oldest is def. odd. I think odd is relative really. We're ALL odd in ways. Most hsing kids are of a different character and that's GREAT. Many of them will be the adults running things in the future and have the "odd" character to get stuff done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eleni Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 Tonight we had friends over and my 10.5 yo son picked daffodils and wanted to play football while holding them because he likes them. My husband thought that was very odd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrogMom5 Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 Oldest and youngest - yes Middle - not so much Mom - yes Dad - No They would all be what they are regardless of how they are schooled. Denise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 It's not that my kids are odd because we homeschool. It's more that we homeschool because they're odd. Yep. Frankly, I was odd as a child and am still odd as an adult, if we assume "odd" means I don't follow the crowd. I frequently cannot participate in conversations, because I watch no sports or reality TV. I almost never care about the latest blockbuster film. I like to read. I went to public school until I dropped out, which I guess means going to school doesn't prevent oddness. My kids are odd, too. But I'm pretty sure they never had a chance to be otherwise, regardless of where they obtained their educations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 I also think to some degree, in some ways, society these days is more accepting of oddness than it used to be. My mother was remarking on how much of a non-event it is for kids to get glasses. When she was a child, it was a major humiliation; she was teased ruthlessly. I was also teased for having glasses. Whereas a huge number of kids now seem to have glasses, and it's not a big deal. We have also seen a much different attitude towards things like hearing aids, prosthetic limbs, and wheelchairs compared to our childhood. It may not be perfect, but it's less of the "you must be perfect" type of model. Also the types of names people have has changed. Names that are different from the traditional ones are very common. When my parents were kids, children of immigrants almost uniformly had names like Ann and Bob. Whereas names from other cultures and languages are in many cases seen as beautiful. (Except for the bias against creative African American names, at least according to what I've seen on this board.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 I'm in agreement with the author of the article. my kids are much more themselves than he other kids their age. They don't know that they shouldn't be. When people have complained that my children "Won't be like all the other kids", I tell them that I don't want them to like the other kids. I want them to be better. IMO mediocrity is a very poor goal. Bet that goes over like a lead balloon. I know I'm repeating myself, but the lack of assimilation is a big thing and I agree with the author that not being assimilated results in an 'oddness' regardless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginevra Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 Yes. Next question? :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Strawberry Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 Bet that goes over like a lead balloon. QUOTE] Not really. Don't all parents want their kids to be good at something? Better than everyone else? But the school environment does the opposite. It supresses those who might stand out. There is so much emphasis on keeping up with the pack. If you produce large numbers of people who are all at the same level, not only do you bring up the bottom, but you also bring down the top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura in CA Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 No offense, but I've always thought homeschooled children are a little bit odd and quirky (mine included - I think this may have happened whether or not we homeschooled - the apple doesn't fall far from the tree:001_smile:). Here's some excellent proof! http://www.homeschoolnewslink.com/blog/?p=629 I love Diane Flynn Keith! My husband and I attended a talk she gave (in Modesto) before we even started homeschooling (2003?) and she was so inspiring -- she talked about how her sons were struggling with "school" as young kids, but by their teen years they had really found their own paths -- one son had become a helicopter pilot, etc. Even my (then-dubious) husband was impressed :001_smile: Thanks for sharing! ~Laura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 I think that one of the reasons we homeschool is because my children are odd. They don't necessarily fit in and their spirits were being beaten down. I love that my unique son can be himself without being the victim of daily bullying anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Yes. Next question? :001_smile: :lol: You're so on the ball. Bet that goes over like a lead balloon. Not really. Don't all parents want their kids to be good at something? Better than everyone else? But the school environment does the opposite. It supresses those who might stand out. There is so much emphasis on keeping up with the pack. If you produce large numbers of people who are all at the same level, not only do you bring up the bottom, but you also bring down the top. Sure! Ime, though, saying you're doing a better job (or using any comparitive words, superior, easier, &tc) just shuts people down... Then, that's my experience. You may have a nicer way of saying it ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delaney Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Nope-very normal on all levels. My ped said that I was so far from the typical homeschooler he didn't worry about my kids lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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