Do you and your children go outside during public school hours?

[Guest WeAreBlessed]

My children (ages 6, 3, and baby) and I are used to playing outside in our front yard at any time. And if we feel like it, we go on walks or to the corner store. But today, while we were enjoying our morning in our front yard, a man was looking at us as he walked along. He looked confused as he said, "Don't you have school today?" My 6 year old daughter just smiled and said, "Yes!" and he just kept looking, probably wondering how we could possibly be in our own front yard during school hours. We are private types, and not interested in carrying on conversations about our lives with total strangers, so we said nothing else. This has got me wondering if we should stay in the back yard and not go anywhere during school hours so as to not attract attention. You never know what people will do. Has anyone else experienced anything like this? What are your thoughts? Do you change your habits during the public school year? If so, how do you explain it to your children?

[Tutor]

We go out during the day. The library is much less crowded during school hours. So is the grocery store and doctor's office.

 

I used to be very self-conscious about it when my kids first grew old enough (and tall enough) for people to start asking whether or not it was a school day, and we often stayed home, hid in the backyard, or went out maybe an hour before school let out so people would think I just got my kids out early for an appointment or something. My skin has grown thicker since then, and although we still get the questions, comments, and looks, it doesn't really faze me anymore.

 

As to my kids, they are getting old enough to appreciate the less-crowded stores and library, and they have made a game of picking out the other homeschoolers. :D (Apparently, the first day of gov't school is "Home Depot" day around here for homeschoolers... the place was crawling with them... us. :001_smile: )

[Nakia]

We do not change our habits during the school year. We generally stay in the house in the morning to do school, but most afternoons, the girls are playing outside or we run errands. I don't worry about people asking me anything. If they do, we just tell them we homeschool. It hasn't been a problem for us. :001_smile:

[Miss Peregrine]

We just go about our lives. Today was the first day of P.S. in our area and we went grocery shopping. We do have a pretty large contingent of homeschoolers up here, though. Sometimes we get questions and sometimes not. No one has ever said anything negative.

[NevadaRabbit]

Has anyone else experienced anything like this? What are your thoughts? Do you change your habits during the public school year? If so, how do you explain it to your children?

 

Hehe my first reaction when I saw the title of the post was to say "no, we stay locked in the dungeon till after dark."

 

Our local schools run on a year-round schedule, with 1/4 of the student population off during any given month. So it's not unusual for kids to be outside playing on a school day - they're just "off track". I hadn't realized how much this probably shields us from the prying type of questions you experienced!

[Samiam]

We go anywhere and everywhere during school hours. Actually, alot of times, that is the BEST time go to, cuz you miss the crowds...if you are going to a child-oriented place.

 

As far as anyone wondering about us, who cares! If they want to ask, we tell them. We should not be ashamed and made to feel as if we have to hide in the house. We are proud to be homeschoolers. Alot of people have commended us when told we are HSers.

 

I dont' think that you want to give that idea to your children "We can only be in the backyard during school hours" Why? "Because we don't want people to know we are at home doing school".

 

Leave your house, walk the streets, go to the playground, enjoy life!

 

K

[Peek a Boo]

are you kidding?!??!!

 

I'm practically a BRING IT ON kinda gal --I would almost forfeit school hours to go hang out around people who think we should "be in school" lol.......

 

ok, well, maybe i don't REALLY do that, but only cuz i never get any rude comments, lol.

 

We do enjoy the freedom to go out and about during the day.

 

and yeah, I'm just itchin' for someone to be rude about us being out. but alas, i only get positive comments :D

[Mom-ninja.]

Yes, we get comments, but I'm considered to be weird anyway so what's one more comment? ;)

 

The best was when we were in the grocery store. An employee looked at ds and asked how old he was. When ds replied that he was 6, the man looked at me and said, "Don't you know that he's supposed to be in school right now?" :confused:Um, how exactly does respond to that? I was baffled and yet amazingly entertained by his comment. Did he really think he was giving me useful information? Still makes me chuckle.

[Mom2boys]

We are private types, and not interested in carrying on conversations about our lives with total strangers, so we said nothing else. This has got me wondering if we should stay in the back yard and not go anywhere during school hours so as to not attract attention.

 

I absolutely would go out during school hours. If you get a prying question regarding school, I would just say "strep throat" and I bet they will leave you alone in a heartbeat. ;)

[Nakia]

Oh, I forgot about this until just now. About a year ago we went out to a department store one afternoon. We were checking out and the cashier looked at my oldest and asked if she went to school. Anna said that she was homeschooled. Then the cashier said, "Why, are you too smart to go to school?" I said, "Nope, but her mommy is too smart to send her!" That woman had a lot of nerve, but I got her! :D

[Pamela H in Texas]

Seriously, I'd just leave it the way you did or say, "oh, we homeschool" and not worry about it. It really isn't anyone's business and you don't owe anyone an explanation. There is no reason at all to hide AT ALL though. Please don't do that.

[Jean in Newcastle]

In our area we are required to carry a copy of our "letter of intent to homeschool" on us if we leave the house. I have a copy in our purse so it usually is with me unless we're just walking in our neighborhood. No one has ever asked to see it. But I did hear that some police officers were asking teens hanging out at local malls to produce some proof that they weren't being truant. (As far as I know these teens were not homeschooled and were really truant.)

[swellmomma]

We go out during public school hours, things are way less crowded. We do get asked occasionally if it is a school day, and we jsut tell the person we homeschool and that is that. The funniest is once I took the kids to Walmart during the day, the clerk right away ask if we were homeschoolers, which I said yes to, so she said then we better make this have an educational spin. SO for each item she rang it she labelled it a subject, sot eh produce was health and nutrition, the glue sticks were arts and crafts, receiving and total and paying was accounting etc. It was hilarious. As for the neighborhood, pretty much everyone knows I am the homeschooler of the block, all their kids keep asking if they can do school at my house, so nobody questions it when my kids are outside playing during school hours.

 

The only time it posed a problem was one day at about 10 am I sent the older kids to the corner store to pick up some eggs, a well meaning person in a car thought they were playhing hooky and forced them back into the school they were passing. The school promptly phoned me and informed me what happened and that they had 2 little children that did not belong there sitting in the office, they sent the kids back on their way to the store when I requested, after all I still needed the eggs (I was in the middle of baking and tending to my then 2 year old.)

 

So I just don't send the kids on errands during school hours, but as a family we run them, and the kids go out to play in the yard no problem.

[teamturner]

We go about our business and I'll answer the questions with a reply such as, "we homeschool." There's a lot of us around so it doesn't really phase anyone. I do notice the weird looks too. When I am at Walmart during school hours and my dc are being a bit squirely behavior wise, I have said to them to straighten up because we need to be a good witness for homeschoolers. And I will glad to have the library all to ourselves again!:D

[cathmom]

We go out whenever we need to. We have a big yard and laissez-faire neighbors so no one has ever cared on our street whether we are home or not. There are a lot of year-round schools here too. Once a long time ago, I went to Mass on a weekday and saw another family there. I was just sure they had to be homeschoolers! So in the parking lot, I asked the mom, and she was extremely offended that I would think she homeschooled. She told me that her dc were in a year round school and were off that day. Uh, sorry, asking if you homeschooled wasn't meant to be an insult!

[Alphabetika]

I don't mean to sound cavalier, but we do what we want during school hours. We're not breaking any law by homeschooling, and I won't teach my kids that we need to hide inside just because of our chosen lifestyle.

[fivetails]

Yeah we go out if we have somewhere to go - whether it's a trip to the library for books, store for some crafty item we need, nature walk/phys ed sort of time, break, or just whatever if we're 'done' for the day....and yep, we get questions all the time .... there's about 200 homeschooling families in my province (I was told) but I only know of one other family in my town and I've never met them (I was told at one of the provincial hs group events that this particular family doesn't really come to the events and pretty much "keeps to themselves" - direct quote) .....so having a dd11 with me *does* get questions and looks during school hours.

 

We'll answer that we homeschool - and sometimes it's fine...other times we get "well why aren't you home then?" ARGH :tongue_smilie:

[hsmamainva]

I was at the library once with my oldest daughter. It was around 11 in the morning on a Tuesday or something. And this 30-something man was sitting at one of the computer chairs watching us check out our books.

 

He called out, "Shouldn't you be in school?"

 

Before I could say a word, the librarian countered with, "Shouldn't you be at work?"

 

It was priceless!!! :D

[JoyfulMama]

I enjoy the less crowded areas during the week - the library, zoo, museums, parks. And for the last few years we have counted Saturday as one of our heavy school days at home, so that we don't have to fight the crowds of the rest of the world!

I don't want my children to be ashamed of who we are or what we do. During the day at home, we will often spend more time in the backyard than the front, but that is more so that the kids can be more contained, as I may not be out with them. (They might be outside while I prep lunch or dinner.)

[TraceyS/FL]

:lol:

 

THAT is perfect!

 

We go do what we want - rarely are we even asked, but we live in FL - kids always go visit their grandparents in FL. Heck, sometimes i want to ask them the ones out how come THEY aren't in school :p

[gamommy]

In our area we are required to carry a copy of our "letter of intent to homeschool" on us if we leave the house. I have a copy in our purse so it usually is with me unless we're just walking in our neighborhood. No one has ever asked to see it. quote]

 

Wow, I was not aware that was a requirement in some places.

 

To address the original poster, we did feel self conscious during the day when we first began. But now we go about our schedule unabashedly. Usually we are home in the mornings. It's rare that we venture out much before 2pm or so, but if we need to we certainly do. I suppose it helps that there are a relatively large number of homeschoolers here and folks are generally quite polite. I'd actually say that I've received about as many positive comments from folks as negative ones. Older people often tell me that if they had to raise a family again today they would homeschool.

[Closeacademy]

I run a daycare as well as homeschool and we would go crazy trapped in the house all day. I take them outside for at least 3 hours a day. We even watch the busses go by as we play in the front yard.:tongue_smilie:

[Kris]

I was at the library once with my oldest daughter. It was around 11 in the morning on a Tuesday or something. And this 30-something man was sitting at one of the computer chairs watching us check out our books.

 

He called out, "Shouldn't you be in school?"

 

Before I could say a word, the librarian countered with, "Shouldn't you be at work?"

 

It was priceless!!! :D

 

:smilielol5:

[Asma_08]

I was at the library once with my oldest daughter. It was around 11 in the morning on a Tuesday or something. And this 30-something man was sitting at one of the computer chairs watching us check out our books.

 

He called out, "Shouldn't you be in school?"

 

Before I could say a word, the librarian countered with, "Shouldn't you be at work?"

 

It was priceless!!! :D

 

:lol: ohhh that was good!!

[JFSinIL]

I do - but usually after most school work is done, since I hate loosing the prime morning hours when I feel more able to cope with it ;)

[Kate in Arabia]

We go wherever/whenever we want as well. It's less of an issue here because some schools go in shifts. In fact, the "bus stop" for one school is right outside our property wall. Most days around 3.30 pm there's a group of young men out there milling about waiting for the bus -- their school day runs from abt 4 pm to 8.30 or so (not exact on the timings). I actually went out there one day to ask them what school they went to and was it a "regular" school, lol, they must have thought I was insane! But in my defense, there are also religious schools that meet for fewer hours outside the regular school day, so I thought that might have been the case here. But, in fact, there are some schools that have a morning session and then a late afternoon-evening session.

 

We never get asked anything, at least not just for being out and about at different times.

[Jenny in Atl]

Yup!

[Snickerdoodle]

Do we go outside during school hours?

 

The world is our oyster.

[Mama Lynx]

Yes, we get comments, but I'm considered to be weird anyway so what's one more comment? ;)

 

The best was when we were in the grocery store. An employee looked at ds and asked how old he was. When ds replied that he was 6, the man looked at me and said, "Don't you know that he's supposed to be in school right now?" :confused:Um, how exactly does respond to that? I was baffled and yet amazingly entertained by his comment. Did he really think he was giving me useful information? Still makes me chuckle.

 

That begs for a response like this: You look up, eyes wide in shock. "Oh, no! SCHOOL! I knew I forgot something! Gosh, will I EVER get the hang of this parenting thing?"

 

:lol:

[Mama Lynx]

I might choose to not take the kids into stores during school hours, on days when I don't feel like fielding the questions we inevitably get. Other than that, we go where we like, when we like.

[lauranav]

I just started homeschooling a 14 year old, so he definitely looks like he should be in school. I work full time from home so we won't be out and about too often during the school day. But this week I have let him go for a walk and bike ride around the neighborhood. I don't think it will raise any issues, but we'll see. One street over are some boys about the same age who cause some trouble, so it is possible someone will be more vigilant than usual.

[Carrie12345]

We don't change our lifestyle for other people. If we did, my kids *would be in school, lol.

 

Our area does have a real problem with truancy. There are some people in our private development who want to establish a day time curfew. I did speak up and insist that my kids (who I don't allow to roam the neighborhood) should be allowed to roam the neighborhood if I permit them, so long as they're behaving themselves. I was told that I could put them on a list so that security would know who they are.

 

Um, no.

 

Fortunately, the curfew hasn't come to pass. Yet.

 

I do feel weird about opposing it, since I'm just as frustrated with the vandalism that's going on during school hours, but the libertarian in me just can't support having our governing body (Board of Directors) taking on the parental role.

 

Catch the offenders. Leave the rest of us alone.

[sleepy]

Oh yeah, we go out whenever we want or need to. I never think twice about it.

[Trivium Academy]

Yes, we go everywhere we want or need to. If asked, we just say we're homeschoolers. When we first started homeschooling I did worry about this, now two years later, it's no big deal.

 

We're not accountable to anyone, especially strangers.

[Tammyla]

Yes. ;)

[dragons in the flower bed]

This has got me wondering if we should stay in the back yard and not go anywhere during school hours so as to not attract attention. You never know what people will do. Has anyone else experienced anything like this? What are your thoughts? Do you change your habits during the public school year? If so, how do you explain it to your children?

 

Well, if it's that important to you not to attract attention, I guess you could do this. But it's perfectly moral and legal to homeschool, so if someone has a problem with it, that is quite actually their problem. It's not an issue for you to remedy by changing your own behavior.

 

I would be grateful to you if you would continue playing in your front yard. It makes it easier for my own kids to play in their front . . . er, on their porch stoop.

 

We were reported to child protective services last year. The reporter said that our kids were playing with a ball during school hours, and had chased it into the street while no parents were visibly present. Our kids happen to have been at a homeschooling bowling club that morning. I believe one older woman on our block became concerned because our kids were repeatedly outside playing during school hours, so she phoned in a made up report. The social worker immediately ruled out any possibility of neglect. but I was still scared for a while. However, my kids need fresh air and sunshine. One of the reasons I homeschool is so that my kids can spend more time playing, more time out of doors. So they are outdoors again everyday, during school hours, and will be so throughout the semester.

[Jenny in Florida]

When mine were younger, we were active with various homeschool groups, so we were out and about doing field trips and park days all the time during school hours. We did have a couple of incidents with police officers stopping small groups of our teens to ask about why they weren't in school, but the moms were always fairly close by and simply explained that we were homeschoolers. There's a fairly large number of homeschoolers in our area, so it was never a big deal.

 

As my kids got older, we just got busier with desk work and didn't have the flexibility to be out and about so much. But, if I have to run to the grocery store or the bank or we just happen to have time to goof off (my son takes most Wednesdays off from desk work), we never hesitate to head out.

 

If someone expresses confusion or asks if they shouldn't have school today, we just shrug and say we homeschool. That often leads to a follow-up comment (Cool, my sister-in-law homeschools.) or question (Oh, isn't that hard?), but, again, it's never been a big deal.

[Tracey in TX]

Yes! Our lives don't stop b/c people are curious as to why DCs not in school. Yesterday we went to the library, grocery store, fast food and park for lunch. This was after most of our work was finished.

At the library I met someone, who is now also homeschooled, that used to be in DD's class previously. Both kids thought it was ironic.

I'm upfront with questions regarding school and why we chose to homeschool in an "exemplary" rated district. Only once have we ever received a rude comment--from a Sam's Club employee. He was quickly put in his place.

Most people are curious about homeschool. And in our area so many parents actually want to do it, but are afraid. Being open to talking about it allows others to learn, in case they ever decide to homeschool their own children.

[~Tara~]

We are always out and about during 'school hours'. Like others have said...less crowded..how nice! The kids and I each enjoy THAT.

 

We haven't gotten too many comments. Most that we do receive are 'Oh, you home school?' :)

[abbeyej]

Yes, we go out. As my kids have gotten older, I find we have less *time* to be away from home during school hours, but it's still not at all uncommon for us to have somewhere to go or something to do. We do happen to live in an area (Atlanta) where home schooling is *very* common, so I'm sure that helps. But I also have no problem giving someone a big smile and saying, "Yes, we home school!" It does *not* generally become a big conversation even after that, unless perhaps that person was seriously considering home schooling or already had questions they were just *waiting* to ask. :)

 

Really, we've not found it to be a big deal. I let my kids play in the yard. Or we might go out to lunch, or run an errand. Most people *don't* take notice. And if they do, it's rarely negative. Though I've come across a number of people whose initial question can sound sharp or abrasive and I have to force myself to hear them out. In all my years as a home schooled kiddo (back when it was far less common) and as a parent now, I've *very* *rarely* run into anyone who was truly hostile about home schooling. Ill-informed? Skeptical? sure... Rarely hostile though.

[mysticamethyst]

Here in Houston, there are plenty of homeschoolers out and about during the day, so I would never consider not going out. Most people assume we are home schooling, when they do ask it goes more to the tune "Oh,you home school, how does that work?" I honestly cannot imagine staying in or not doing what I wanted to do because of some nosey busy bodies. Take your kids out in the front yard and play away!:001_smile: That is what they are suppose to be doing at their ages anyway.

[Melanie]

The questions did bother me when we first started, but we just did our thing and eventually I forgot to get nervous when someone made a comment while we were out enjoying our day. :001_smile:

[Plucky]

Yeah, people can be annoying about homeschoolers being out and about. Just ignore them. We used to run errands early when the kids were younger. Now we are home most of the day and don't leave until 2 p.m. I rarely hear anything anymore. It's nice.

[elegantlion]

We don't have a car during the day, but yes we go out. We had a nice light saber fight last spring in the front yard. It was great watching the cars drive by. :lol:

 

However, we are the suburb of a city with a daytime curfew. Here's a copy of the law from our local website if you're curious.

 

On October 18, 2000, the City Council amended Section 13-5.2 of Code of Ordinances, which prohibits children between the ages of six and sixteen from being in any public place in the City of (removed) except in attendance at school between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. during any official school day. The ordinance provides an exception for children who are enrolled in a home school program approved by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. However,

1.home schooled children must maintain on their person a written, signed, and dated permission from their parent or legal guardian allowing them to be in any public place without the presence of their parent or legal guardian.

 

2.Also, the children must maintain on their person a copy of the approval form verifying that they are enrolled in an approved home study program.

[tibbyl]

My 15 year old daughter was doing daily P.E. jog/walk through our suburban neighborhood when she was detained by police. They held her long enough to confirm with me by phone that she was indeed homeschooled.

 

The officer was not familiar with the state homeschool laws. He was operating under assumption (1) that all homeschoolers were registered with a certain local cover school and (2) that that particular cover school did not allow students outside home unaccompanied during traditional school hours.

 

I told him that we were not registered through that particular cover school and reminded him that TN Code Annotated states only that instruction must take place at least 4 hours per day but does not stipulate what hours it is to take place. Our state, city, and suburb do not have daytime curfew laws although there have been attempts to pass them.

 

Husband followed up with brief call to Chief of Police who stated that he would alert officers that "there is a homeschooler in the neighborhood." My daughter certainly was not the only homeschooler in the area, but she may well have been the only teen homeschooler.

 

There seems to be an accepted but unnatural tendency, especially in this somewhat stuffy neighborhood, toward suspicious mistrust of teens.

 

In our old neighborhood, the kids would sometimes take a lunchtime walk or bike ride together without me. Occasionally, a police officer would question why they were not in school. But they were never detained after stating that they were homeschoolers.

 

Our city actually had to pay a civil lawsuit settlement to a homeschooling family several years ago. The city police spotted a teen male riding bike around 10 a.m. Upon questioning, the young man stated he was homeschooler. However, the police took him straight to school or juvenile hall without bothering to confirm with parents. He was within a few houses of his own home.

 

Homeschooling has not had any impact on our being out and about in community during school hours. We enjoyed running errands and visiting local attractions at less crowded times. The kids were raised free-range style, at least in their own neighborhood. As more and more people took up homeschooling, the public curiousity as to why children were not in school declined.

[bettyandbob]

You have little ones so you'll be with them when you go out. You can answer a nosy question or ignore it. I guess the only time I remember being asked is when my oldest was 7 and he and his sister, 4 at the time, were fighting in the store. Then I felt like screaming "homeschool because my kids are a mess." But being able to get out when the library was empty, ect. was one of the great things I enjoyed during our early years. Another thing that was great for my ds was being able to learn to ride his bike when his nemesis was not around. My oldest has severe motor issues. He grew too big for bikes with training wheels. When he was 7, he went out front for about an hour each day around lunch time and practiced. His approach was very methodical and I didn't get involved. He stayed in the parking area of our court in front our house gliding back and forth. He eventually persevered. Even that young it was important to be able to work on that skill "privately".

 

Last year my 13 year old walked to and from his French tutor on his own. This is a mile away and in the direction of the high school. at 5'10" 150 pounds and carrying a backpack he looks like he's supposed to be in the high school. He was stopped one morning walking home (the opposite direction of the high school). A police office pulled his car over and stopped him on the sidewalk and said "did school let out early?" My son simply said he was homeschooled and he was walking home from his French tutor. The officer just said OK and that was it.

 

This year dd 10 (almost 11) is going to be walking a neighbor's dog during the day. I will walk with her. In the afternoon I'd have her do it on her own. However, the dog needs a 30 minute walk and she would look conspicuous at a time when very few people are out around our neighborhood. If she were a couple of years older I might consider it.

[TXMomof4]

This has got me wondering if we should stay in the back yard and not go anywhere during school hours so as to not attract attention. You never know what people will do. Has anyone else experienced anything like this? What are your thoughts? Do you change your habits during the public school year? If so, how do you explain it to your children?

 

Don't change your habits. You're not doing anything wrong for heaven's sake! Take advantage of the fact that you can go to the store without it being crowded, you can go to the mall, you can do the things you want to do, when you want to do them because you are in charge of your childrens' schedule! That's a HUGE reason why I homeschool. I want to be able to do what I need to do, when I need to do it, not at the whim of someone elses schedule.

 

If someone asks where they go to school and you don't feel like just saying you homeschool, think of a name for your school and tell them that. They dont know the schedule of every private institution around.

[5knights3maidens]

Yes we go outside for walks, grocery store on a certain day etc. One day while we were walking Katie was crying alot...very miserable;) and a police car drove past and then drove past again. I've always wondered if someone called to say there were kids walking around the neighborhood. Anyway, there is one police officer who knows we homeschool and I have talked to him a few times. Usually if someone hears we homeschool they are pretty friendly. (so far. ;) )

[iquilt]

It depends on my mood :). Our neighborhood will be silent next Tuesday when they all go back to school and we will be the only house with people in it all day. Although the neighborhood kids seem to be hiding in their houses or at camps this summer so it won't be too different than it is already (sad, but true). We love the library while it's almost empty and the grocery store can be so nice on a Thursday morning, but somedays I don't feel like being stared at. Last year we had an increasing problem with solicitors during the day while we were trying to get school work done, so we now park in our garage and have a "no solicitors" sign on our front door to cut down on our distractions.

[Desert Rat]

We do errands and the boys play outside after school is finished. Luckily though, we school all morning so by the time they head out it's afternoon. We are also fortunate to live in a city that has year round school for elementary. So people don't think much of us being out doing PS hours. They just think we're on track break!