Xilka Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) Is there something about you that would surprise people to know, because you're a homeschooler? like - a special situation in which you live, work schedules, strange profession, background, physical or financial limitations... that people wouldn't normally associate with a typical homeschooling family. In other words, is there something that makes you very atypical within the homeschooling community? Or something that you think is generally uncommon amongst homeschoolers? Edited February 22, 2012 by Xilka Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 That I work (part-time, granted)---most people can't really understand that. Also, that we're secular, politically liberal homeschoolers :D But that's probably just around here..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 We have school from July to April. May and June are our "summer break." It's especially strange since ps here doesn't get out til mid-June. We still find time to swim on hot July and August days, but we spend the rest of the hot months inside doing schoolwork. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 I work full time and homeschool my only child. (Oh, the horror!) Disclosing either of these things have earned me odd or sad looks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 I work full time and homeschool my only child. (Oh, the horror!) Disclosing either of these things have earned me odd or sad looks. You go girl! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 We take our big break from Thanksgiving through New Year's Day. I'm an atheist. We school for academic reasons. I'm politically liberal but fiscally conservative. All of the above earn me some weird looks in homeschool groups around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) That my husband's a tattoo artist who owns his own shop and I've got quite a few tattoos myself. My red minivan has my husband's tattoo shop vinyl plastered on it for advertisement (complete with his little voodoo guy holding a tattoo gun and ink bottle logo)...as well as vinyl for my homeschool meetup group haha. My homeschool group (which I organize) is quite accustomed to it but I do get double takes sometimes when I pull up to some big homeschool day program or field trip and whatnot. ;) That we're not at all religious and I homeschool secularly in a relaxed manner (we're not classical, we don't unschool, we get stuff done but in a relaxed, hands-on, go with the flow kind of way). We're also very liberal politically. We listen to rock, hip hop, play video games, watch TV, all the standard pop culture kind of stuff. :P Edited February 22, 2012 by NanceXToo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 I work, part time, five days a week outside the house. We are secular, politically liberal, fiscally conservative - don't fit any political "box". AND we homeschool for academic reasons. I have not met any other family IRL for which all three of the above are true. Plus, we are first generation immigrants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 I also work..full-time from home. My dh owns the business, so my hours are pretty flexible. Faithe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErinE Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 We homeschool so we could travel with Dh. I get lots of strange looks for stating the truth, but it was a driving force behind pulling the kids out of school. We also school for academic reasons. I was very disatisfied with my son's schooling experience: "[DS]'s a great student. He helps teach the other children math and reading." Yeah, I didn't put my kid in PS so he could do your job. Now I have family members telling me I shouldn't teach the kids too much, because "Otherwise what would they talk about with kids their own age?" I also work part-time from home, but I don't have a set schedule. I can work 60+ hours a week when a deal is in the works, and I can go weeks with minimal work. We are a secular homeschool, in a large community of religious homeschoolers. IRL, I've met very few HSers who've heard of the WTM or SWB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Is there something about you that would surprise people to know, because you're a homeschooler? like - a special situation in which you live, work schedules, strange profession, background, physical or financial limitations... that people wouldn't normally associate with a typical homeschooling family. In other words, is there something that makes you very atypical within the homeschooling community? Or something that you think is generally uncommon amongst homeschoolers? Hmm single parent comes to mind first. running a homedaycare or having multiple kids is not necessarily atypical but certainly not the norm either Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xilka Posted February 22, 2012 Author Share Posted February 22, 2012 Hoorah for Atypical Homeschoolers! Y'all rock my world. Lovin' the tattoos, single moms, purple hair, and other kick-ass-ness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momof2cm Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 I work, part time, five days a week outside the house.We are secular, politically liberal, fiscally conservative - don't fit any political "box". AND we homeschool for academic reasons. I have not met any other family IRL for which all three of the above are true. Plus, we are first generation immigrants. Minus the working outside the house, that pretty much describes us. Oh, and hubby is the CEO of a company. You can imagine the questions and the looks we get when attending social gatherings with board members and VP's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janie Grace Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 I am a Christian (Calvinist) yet I only homeschool for academic reasons, not religious.I am also homeschooling an only child (kind of an odd-man out in my circle friends who all have between 3-9 kids). And...I homeschool as a single parent. ("What are you thinking?!") But I think the biggest "shocker" is that I don't look like a mom or Christian or homeschooler. Period. I think it's the 12 tattoos (including a sleeve) that throw them. Maybe the usually-purple hair too. You sound really cool. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommy22alyns Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 I "only" have 2 kids. Around here, that's weird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 I work full time and homeschool my only child. (Oh, the horror!) Disclosing either of these things have earned me odd or sad looks. Ditto. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 I work full time and homeschool my only child. (Oh, the horror!) Disclosing either of these things have earned me odd or sad looks. This pretty much describes my situation also but my full-time work is in the business that dh and I own so my schedule isn't a typical 9-5. Dd has a desk next to mine at the office and we both go to "work" every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acurtis75 Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Ditto. I'm feeling less unusual the more I read this thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 I "only" have 2 kids. Around here, that's weird. We only have one, with no plans for more. We're a bit strange for that around here, too. And we fit into the tattooed liberal Pagan demographic, which is also not the norm for hsers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 I'm feeling less unusual the more I read this thread. I also work part-time. I used to feel more of a weirdo in homeschool circles but I've met more and more working homeschooling mothers online and IRL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gentlemommy Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 My dh is in the film and television industry...when we hang out with his friends or co-workers, they think we are weird...usually the wives or girlfriends of these men are in the industry as well, or trying to get into it. I'm the odd one out, I don't recognize any famous people, I can't name the films my dh has been in, and I haven't watched them either. :001_huh: We are Christian, but do not fit in with any of the Christian HS groups...the one we mesh with best is secular. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperDad Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 I am a homeschooling dad.... not terribly unusual, but certainly not the norm. My wife and I have no biological children, even though we both are physically able to (we have other reasons). So, all of our kids are adopted. We are Jewish - again, not unheard of, but not the norm either. We do choose to keep all of our school curriculum and materials secular. We homeschool for purely academic reasons (well, mostly, anyway. But not for religious reasons, though that is certainly a plus). My native language is French. I also fluently speak English and Modern Hebrew. We are fairly liberal, in terms of politics and social issues, though we certainly do not fit into a neat political box. I work part-time (I know, the horrors!) as a researcher studying the linguistic side of comedy and humor. There are many other atypical elements about my family's life, but I think that's enough to get us started. :D This is such a fun threas to read! Keep it coming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperDad Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 I am a homeschooling dad.... not terribly unusual, but certainly not the norm. My wife and I have no biological children, even though we both are physically able to (we have other reasons). So, all of our kids are adopted. We are Jewish - again, not unheard of, but not the norm either. We do choose to keep all of our school curriculum and materials secular. We homeschool for purely academic reasons (well, mostly, anyway. But not for religious reasons, though that is certainly a plus). My native language is French. I also fluently speak English and Modern Hebrew. We are fairly liberal, in terms of politics and social issues, though we certainly do not fit into a neat political box. I work part-time (I know, the horrors!) as a researcher studying the linguistic side of comedy and humor. There are many other atypical elements about my family's life, but I think that's enough to get us started. :D This is such a fun thread to read! Keep it coming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Element Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) We're agnostic liberal homeschoolers who do not unschool. As far as I know, there's no one else like us in our community (town or county.) I'm very thankful to have access to this board so that I don't feel like a total outsider all the time! ETA: I'm probably atypical on this board due to the fact that I come from a family of ps teachers... who support homeschooling. Edited February 22, 2012 by Element Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heatherwith4 Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 We homeschool for academic reasons even though we're Christian. I'm atypical in lots of ways that are hard to put into words. Luckily, I have been this way my whole life, so I'm used to it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CupOCoffee Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 OK, I'll bite: I am the work FT parent, DH is the stay at homer. I am the teacher; he is the supervisor -- there's no way he has the temperment to do the teaching. My family stays up till all hours of the night, er morning (I go to bed at around midnight) and don't even call my house before 1 p.m. My husband has Crohn's disease and I have Rheumatoid arthritis, and we just keep moving along one day at a time, happy that usually we are having bad days the opposite of each other so we can hold each other up. Oh, and my kids would NOT whooop anyone's butt (can we say that?) in any academic challenge -- we are beyond Joe-Schmo average. There ya go. ~coffee~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 I'm politically liberal and atheist. Most people don't associate either of those things with homeschooling. Also, I was a public school teacher. I don't think that's uncommon though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 I am very liberal and UU. I was also raised Jewish, which seems a very uncommon background for homeschoolers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarreymere Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 We're tattooed libertarian trailer park dwellers, complete with the rottweiler-mix mutt. We homeschool for both academic and social reasons though we are not adverse to using Christian materials if the quality is good. We attend a Unitarian church where we team-teach RE, we are both avid online gamers, and Dh plays and sings his own original music in a local band. Dh works as a case manager in our local county human services office where he takes time out to educate children's services investigators about the positive benefits of homeschooling, especially homeschooling in the classical model. He also teaches mindfulness classes to inmates at the county jail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tutor Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 We take our big break from Thanksgiving through New Year's Day. Ditto that. We also school 6 days a week. (unusual around here, but not sure it's that unusual in the homeschooling community at large) We watch A LOT of movies. A LOT. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deniseibase Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 I'm divorced and remarried and homeschool kids from both marriages. That right there puts me in a class by myself as far as I know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 My native language is French. Me too! I work part time, and I used to wear a stormtrooper costume. I was heavily involved in starwars fandom at the beginning of the millenium, to the point that actors knew me by name, and would call home to wish me Merry Christmas. In fact Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca)'s wife is the reason we're now homeschooling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperDad Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 We also school 6 days a week. (unusual around here, but not sure it's that unusual in the homeschooling community at large) We watch A LOT of movies. A LOT. Same here (to both). I consider being well-versed in movie classics (Star Wars, etc) is just as important as being well-read in literary classics. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 We're Catholic, but homeschool for strictly academic reasons. I also make a point of only joining inclusive homeschooling groups because faith statements that exclude my friends irritate me. The most unusual thing though is that I'm a bellydancer. People seem to have trouble putting 'homeschooler' and 'bellydancer' in the same category. It confuses them :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 I was told that I didn't fit into a home school stereotype that this woman held. I asked her how I was different than her perception of home schoolers. She said, "Well, you don't sew your own clothes." :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommymilkies Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 We're Catholic, but homeschool for strictly academic reasons. I also make a point of only joining inclusive homeschooling groups because faith statements that exclude my friends irritate me. The most unusual thing though is that I'm a bellydancer. People seem to have trouble putting 'homeschooler' and 'bellydancer' in the same category. It confuses them :D I bellydance, too. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 I'm divorced and remarried and homeschool kids from both marriages. That right there puts me in a class by myself as far as I know. That is cool that you school all your kids! Faithe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Hm, only child, plan to homeschool through high school. Son is currently not involved in any outside activities. While dh is fairly protective in real life, we are more free range with technology. Ds has his computer in his room. He's had Led Zepplin and Black Sabbath on his Ipod since he was about 10. I curse from time-to-time. We allow M rated games. Ds and I bought wooden swords for Christmas so we could spar together. Every life lesson can be tied back to an episode of Star Trek or Star Wars. We're christians who don't attend church, and we homeschool for academic reasons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 I am very liberal and UU. I was also raised Jewish, which seems a very uncommon background for homeschoolers. I was raised Jewish too....still consider myself Jewish, although I am born again Christian. My kids consider themselves Jewish Christians as well. I know a few UU who were raised Jewish, but they don't homeschool. We don't go to church, but we hang out with lots of pastors...lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmom2011 Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 We HS because our children are on the Autism spectrum, and have special needs we feel are better met at home. Oh, we are Christian and go to church, but don't HS for religious reasons. I pretty much find I am a bit of misfit when it comes to HS circles. I'm too liberal for the Christian HS groups in our area, and too conservative for the rest. :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 We're Catholic, but homeschool for strictly academic reasons. I also make a point of only joining inclusive homeschooling groups because faith statements that exclude my friends irritate me. The most unusual thing though is that I'm a bellydancer. People seem to have trouble putting 'homeschooler' and 'bellydancer' in the same category. It confuses them :D I can picture that, you do have a very cute and fury belly KungFuPanda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chepyl Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 We are Christians, but I hope school for academic reasons. I do use religious materials, but that is just a bonus benefit of homeschooling. That makes me a misfit among church and co-op friends. We own two businesses...a window cleaning business and a dance and theatre academy. My son goes to bed at 11pm most nights, DD goes to bed with me at midnight. I get up around 10am, eat lunch at 2-3 and we eat dinner at 9 pm most nights. We get our money's worth out of Netflix and Wii. :) We have 16 nieces and nephews....11 of them are or will be homeschooled. So with my soon to be three kids that is 14/19 kids homeschooled. Not necessarily unusual, but so helpful when you need support! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0mmaBuck Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Hmmmm... I don't know what a typical homeschooler is supposed to look like... We own our own business and DH and I both work from home for ourselves. I also work in a clinic 20 hrs/wk. DH and I tag team teach... He teaches 2 mornings and 1 full day while I teach 2 afternoons and 2 full days. We homeschool for academic, not religious reasons. I never knew there was such a thing as a "grade level equivalent." I just teach them at whatever level seems appropriate for that subject and if anyone asks the kids are in whatever grade they would be in if they were in PS. We are headbanging, Ancient Alien loving, D&D playing Trekkies who love to hike, rock climb, drink coffee, and eat Taco Bell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 I can picture that, you do have a very cute and fury belly KungFuPanda Oh yea, gotta shimmy that panda bod!!! I'm actually training minions so I'll be less of a freak. (Safety in numbers) I direct a student bellydance troupe comprised mainly of homeschooling families. I even have a few gentlemen enrolled this year. We make quite the impression when we perform on the homeschooling circuit :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virg Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 DH has full custody of his kids and I have full custody of mine (as in not even supervised visitations for the other parent) and I homeschool all of them. Each of our kids has special needs but there are all completely different. From auto-immune to dylexia and FASD to gifted. It is bizarre to try to teach to all of their levels. I run a daycare out of my home and not just an extra kid or two but a full daycare. Between special needs and the daycare I think I am the only homeschooler I know IRL not involved in any outside activities at all. I love this thread it is making me feel so much more normal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarymelon Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 It was fun to see so the posts; I think I fall into the typical atypical group. I am the breadwinner in our family, although we split the schooling. I am a "hopeful agnostic", my dh and I both come from a background of conservative christian evangelicals. We homeschool for academic/scheduling reasons. My husband was homeschooled all the way through and his Mom helps school our kids on the rare day when we both work, which I think is a little unusual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelAR05 Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 We're christians who don't attend church, and we homeschool for academic reasons. Same here. Add to that, we live in the bible belt so most of the homeschoolers are either trying to recruit us or witness to us. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphin Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 I'm feeling less unusual the more I read this thread. :iagree: We homeschool for academic reasons even though we're Christian. I'm atypical in lots of ways that are hard to put into words. Luckily, I have been this way my whole life, so I'm used to it. :) same here We are Christians, but I hope school for academic reasons. I do use religious materials, but that is just a bonus benefit of homeschooling. That makes me a misfit among church and co-op friends. I totally get this too. I am Episcopalian who was baptized in the Church of England. We go to church most Sundays, and sometimes during the week. We start each day with morning prayer. However, We homeschool for academic reasons. We sometimes use Christian Materials, but only if we think they are best for what we want to do. Most of our friends are not Christian, they think we are odd. We are the only family in our circle of friends and family who homeschool. We are politically liberal. When I lose all my weight I am rewarding myself with a tattoo, I don't care if I am in my 40's when I get my first tattoo, I am doing it anyway. Even though I am a Christian Stay at home mom and homeschool mom I am also a feminist. I will get on my soapbox about why children are taught about Betsy Ross and not Alice Paul and Lucy Burns! My husband and I both believe that we are completely equals. I love my life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chepyl Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 Oh yeah...we used Stargate SG1 as a upstart on our studies of ancient history. DS loves to pretend he is a gua'ould (no idea how to spell this...). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xilka Posted February 22, 2012 Author Share Posted February 22, 2012 (edited) Wow!!! I am loving these descriptions of your families! We are atypical secular homeschoolers because we live in a place with no library, no museums, AND we don't have money to buy packaged curriculum. So, I design and write workbooks for my (only one) son, and look for free stuff on the internet. We do not subscribe to any one religion and are, for all practical purposes, agnostic leaning to atheist - but we entertain the idea that Annunaki aliens might be controlling Earth. We homeschool because we believe that public and private schools are designed to create obedient conformists. I'm raising my son to question authority, rock the boat, and be a change-maker. But I don't think this is uncommon among secular homeschoolers. Edited February 22, 2012 by Xilka Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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