School-at-home, offensive term?

[8filltheheart]

after reading the newest responses, I have come to the conclusion that this is a cultural difference depending on where you live, the other homeschoolers in your area, and how long you have been homeschooling.

 

I was thinking about all my friends that started homeschooling in the late 80s using Seton and the ones that started around the same time as me in the early 90s. They all used and continue to use Seton bc having their kids graduate with an accredited diploma is very important to them. By going that route, they forfeited the HoPe scholarship since their kids did not graduate from a high school in the state whereas homeschoolers are considered graduates from the state. They consider Seton their school and they are graduates of the school.

 

Ironically, Susan wouldn't be aware bc it was in the early 90s, but there was a huge debacle in the Catholic homeschooling community over the big homeschool providers.....Seton, OLR, OLV.....and those promoting building your own curriculum. Those not using providers were essentially told they were not authentic Catholic homeschooling. It was a huge issue. The whole school at home phrasing is a non-issue bc it is what they view themselves as doing.

 

I think using it as a slur is awful. I will have to start thinking about who I am talking to when I use the term (I have been using it for 20 yrs and homeschoolers weren't quite as diverse or cliquey as they are these days.). I think traditional schoolers is prbably about the best term suggested.

[IsabelC]

Yes, I have often heard 'school at home' used in unschooling circles to denote somebody who does not subscribe to unschooling principles.

[KSinNS]

Ah, school at home. It is so often used as an insult, but that's kind of sad, because there's nothing in this world wrong with doing something that more resembles school at home than what someone else does. But it's so easy to judge someone else, rather than understand their point of view. 

 

Funny story though. My mom and her best friend decided to "homeschool" me and her friend's two daughters during a long teacher's strike when we were in grades 1 and 2. My mom's friend had us doing worksheets and colouring and playdoh and centres. My mom wasn't sure what to do, so she rang a bell and sat us in a row in the living room. Then she put up a map and  picture of the queen. She wanted us to sing "the Maple Leaf Forever" like she sang at school. We didn't know that, since the national anthem had changed 20 years previously, so she taught us that. And then she was stuck. We looked at the clock for a while, and then she rang the bell for recess, which went until lunch! I'm not sure what you'd call that....... :-}