Are you an obvious homeschooler?

[Mom-ninja.]

It seems when someone comes to the house (repair person, delivery person, whoever) they can tell that I home school when they come inside. If the kids are home that is usually a big sign, but I've had people ask if I home school even it's not school day hours or the kids are not home. I guess my house gives me away. 

 

Does your house scream homeschooler? 

 

How about when you are out and about? I've had people ask if I home school based on different things. I've been told they can tell due the way my kids talk, how I interact with them, the type of questions they ask, the fact that they talk to adults, how they dress (!), and such.

 

Of course, one time my ds was wearing a t-shirt that said, "Warning: Unsocialized Homeschooler approach at own risk" and the lady laughed and pointed at him when I asked how she knew I homeschooled. 

 

So are you glaringly obvious? 

[Outdoorsy Type]

My bulging bookshelves, puzzles at the table, and art in progress in the dining room give me away.

[Miss Tick]

At the airport once a lady asked me. She said she guessed by the way my kids were all listening to me read-aloud. I was reading quietly!

[Mommy22alyns]

In our small abode, it is not possible to disguise our homeschooling.

 

When we're out and about, I don't think we're obvious.  We don't have t-shirts or anything.

[Mom22ns]

No.

 

I think the only thing that gives us away are the kids in the living room. The books strewn about could be a sign too, there do tend to be a lot of books. But my kids are shy. They don't talk in front of people they don't know unless it is required for politeness, so conversation would never give us away. We don't dress differently than non-homeschoolers, so that wouldn't do it. I think most people would assume my kids were home sick if they came to the door. The UPS guy who is here all the time has probably figured it out :)

[marbel]

I don't think so, but maybe that's because homeschooling is not really well-known around here.  People who don't know us wouldn't think to ask that question despite piles of library books in the living room and such.  I know lots of non-homeschoolers with books all over the place, science and art projects in the kitchen, etc, so I don't think that is necessarily a sign.   

[mom2scouts]

My house gives away our homeschooling.  I did have a dentist ask me about school and then tell me that she "thought i was a homeschooler" for some reason. I never did figure out if that was good or bad, but at least she said it with a smile.

[Cindy in FL.]

Yes, our house gives us away as homeschoolers frequently. Large wall maps and periodic tables, lots of full bookshelves, computer work table, and the boys spread out all over doing school work. I've also been asked often when we are out and about.

[Rachel]

I figured out some neighbors were homeschoolers but it wasn't that they looked or acted a certain way. I happened to notice that their sons were frequently home when other kids in the neighborhood were in school.

[Arcadia]

People who don't know me guess that I am working instead if my kids are not with me (my typical attire is like the tech industry). Even when my kids are with me, I have been asked if school is out e.g spring break.

 

I know lots of non-homeschoolers with books all over the place, science and art projects in the kitchen, etc, so I don't think that is necessarily a sign.

I agree. I know afterschoolers who have science fair projects, curriculum (more than me) and music stuff all over the place as well.

[LucyStoner]

We had the same number of books and maps and projects when my older son was in school. So that's not a give away to me.

 

I don't know if I am obvious or not. I have had people ask if we homeschool but that's because I'm with kids when school is in session.

[kewb]

My house is a dead give away since our dining room doubles as the school room.

Out and about I don't think so.

[pehp]

My house does not (we have a dedicated homeschool room; otherwise we have a ton of books, but that's just more 'bibliophile' than 'homeschool').

 

But once, in a faraway state, at a luncheon following a fabulous sewing workshop (my children were not in attendance, rest assured), the lady who sat down next to me said "do you homeschool your children?"  WHAT?? Apparently when I was sitting down I said "I forced my children to read all these books about Helen Keller" (whose home we visited on that trip).  From that comment alone she was sure I had homeschooled them....and SHE homeschooled her daughter (now she's an adult, and was at the workshop with her!).  

 

I think we are 'obvious' in that my children are never in school--they are with me!

[Annie G]

I have a 2 by 3 foot whiteboard mounted in my living room, and it's been there for 20 years. So yeah it screams homeschooler.  Which is pretty pathetic because look at my siggy- my youngest is 20, nearly 21. Been finished with homeschooling for years, but the board is just such a part of us now.

I dress in jeans and t-shirts, with plain long hair and no makeup. So maybe that doesn't scream homeschooler, but it does scream frumpy. 

[mellifera33]

Yes--I think it's the denim jumper. 

[SarahW]

When I was stuck at the WIC office for hours recently, I saw another mom there with a bunch of kids, oldest maybe about 6? She was reading a beat up copy of The Trumpet of the Swan that was missing the front cover aloud to them in between the bureaucratic shuffle. I wondered whether she was a homeschooler.

 

For me, my kid loudly sharing that he hates school and is glad he doesn't have to go sort of gives it away.

[T'smom]

My house probably screams homeschooler. The school room has a large table with a map mod podged to the top. One time it was moved to the dining room so we had lots of table space for a specific event. I had a friend come over before it got moved back. She still teases me about that! (Good naturedly)

 

I don't think we are ever identified as homeschoolers outside of the house during non-school hours. I have had people ask when we are out and about during the day.

[scoutingmom]

This last fall, one of my assistant scouters told me that one of my new assistant scouters had said that he couldn't tell my kids were homeschooled.

 

I did kind of go 'blink blink.... blink blink blink....'  'ok?'   So obviously they had been discussing me and my kids, but also that this was said like I'd find it a huge compliment - like homeschooled kids are all so socially inept or something that they would stand out in that way.    

 

Our house does have the big whiteboard.   Our world map has been wrecked though.  So those are give-aways in the house - although the scouting stuff is even more obvious.

[*Lulu*]

Nope.

 

Most people are surprised to learn it.

 

My favorite is when one of my older son's OTs said, with surprise, "I wouldn't have guessed he is homeschooled, he has such good eye contact!"

[Jean in Newcastle]

Out and about - no.  People will often ask if school is out that day etc.  We are fairly well known in our community though and so many people know that we homeschool now because they've asked where the kids go to school.  

 

I've had repairmen ask if they are in our house.  Doesn't everyone have test-tubes and beakers in their living room instead of knick-knacks?  

[Butter]

Well, since the first room to the right when you walk into my house is the dining room and that where we have the bookshelves filled with school books and a white board and calendar and stuff, yeah, I'd say it's pretty obvious we homeschool from the moment you enter our house!

 

Out and about, no.  People are usually surprised to find out we homeschool because my kids are so "normal."  Because, you know, all homeschoolers are awkward and unsocialized.  Or something like that.

[happypamama]

I have a lot of little kids who all look alike and a big huge van. Yeah, we probably scream "homeschoolers," LOL!

 

But yes, at home, we definitely give it away that we homeschool. Kids home, books everywhere, work tables set up and maps on the wall. I know some people set up workspaces for homework for their kids who attend b&m schools, but a whole schoolroom seems a bit excessive for that.

 

I've mentioned this before, but two years ago, our internet died, and they sent out a guy to look at it. He walked in and saw four kids and my very pregnant self and asked if all the kids were mine. I steeled myself for finally being in "really big family question" territory and said that they were. He grinned and said that he and his wife have six. :). Then when I took him up to the office to see the Internet, he looked at the piles of books, because that's where we store our out of use books and our support group's lending library, and I was in the process of organizing them all (and they sent him out like an hour or two after I called, so I didn't have much time to tidy, and being seven months pregnant in June, tidying wasn't fast anyway), and he asked if we were homeschoolers. When I admitted that we were, he said that the books gave it away, and that he and his wife homeschool over in the next county. So yes, we are obvious homeschoolers and proud of it!

 

(I like to think that there is more to it, that the sibling closeness or something gives it away, but I have no idea if they'd be like that if they were apart all day or not. The big ones naturally help the littles and absolutely adore them, but maybe all largeish families are like that, no matter how they school. And my kids are bright, and some of them are verbally pretty precocious, but so are plenty of public schooled kids, and it's not like they're walking through the grocery store chanting Latin declensions or solving math problems, so it's not necessarily obvious, unless it's just that we are shopping at 2 pm on a weekday. And they do get complimented on their politeness, but I know many perfectly polite public schooled kids too, so that doesn't give it away.)

[Shellydon]

Apparently.  People tell me all the time "you must homeschool, your kids are so polite"

[Brit29]

Our house is a giveaway. The school room is the first thing you walk into. Even without it, it's clear we do a lot of projects and reading at home. 

 

Out in the general public, no. When we go to museums and libraries I'm asked if we homeschool regularly. But I think that has more to do with the environment. 

[Dmmetler]

In my house, what people usually notice first are the terrariums of snakes and frogs (and if they're doing HVAC, DD's test ponds in the backyard.) Usually after they come inside, see the maps on the wall and the books, they'll make a comment like "oh, you must be homeschoolers" It's kind of like that explains the house and yard full of critters....

[Ali in OR]

Like others have said, I think our house is obviously a house of home schoolers. We do a lot of schoolwork on the sofa and I just leave the books we're reading and the workbooks and stuff on our giant 3' square coffee table. Then behind the sofa is the sofa table filled with library books, history texts, etc. Maps are on the wall in an alcove off the dining area and we've had a periodic table under a clear plastic table cloth on our dining table for four years now. 

 

I assume most anyone with kids out in public during school hours probably home schools. Not say at the orthodontist's office, but if Mom is doing the grocery shopping with 4 school-aged kids in tow at 11:00 in the morning, I assume they home school. It's fairly common here. I feel like I can usually just tell if a family home schools based on how they interact with each other. Learning/teaching type behaviors in all settings. Curiosity and creativity on display. Different behaviors than public school kids--siblings interacting with each other, not concerned with what's "cool", not so tired and burned out.

[Mimm]

Yes. My dining room is not a nice company ready dining room. The room is all about function. There's a wipe off board on one wall, history time line on the other, and maps on another wall. Overloaded book shelves, and storage bins full of an unreasonable amount of office and art supplies. So yes, anyone who comes into my house would quickly see that we homeschool. I've never been out and about and had someone assume, though they have asked if school isn't in session that day. Homeschooling is very popular in my area so we almost never get comments.

[AK_Mom4]

We are Stealth Homeschoolers.

 

My house is cluttered with music, stands and instruments (and dog hair).  DD13's book are piled fairly neatly on the end of the table - she could be any other kid doing homework. Most of her friends have no idea she homeschools.  Now that she is nearly as tall as me, people don't even ask whether school is out anymore when we run errands.

 

DD13 did get caught out the other day.  We were up at the high school doing a tour (she will be taking band there in the fall) and one of the councilors asked her where she was from.  DD13 was hanging with a bunch of kids from her jr. high band class so they all said the name of the jr. high.  The councilor turns to DD and says "Oh, how do you like Mrs. X?"   DD13 answered that she didn't really know her.

 

Mrs. X is the jr. high principal.  Boy, was DD embarrassed afterwards!

[Ausmumof3]

Not really because it's not so common here.

[kroe1]

Yes, by the way my children behave.

[Joyofsixreboot]

My kids missed the memo on " homeschooled" behavior so usually strangers don't know.

* I know homeschoolers are individuals it's just many others have a stereotyped (especially in this area) idea we are all like the Duggars.

[momacacia]

It was 10yo's knitting during younger's Suzuki class that gave is away. To a previous homeschooler, though, so I didn't feel like too much of a freak.

[73349]

We're pretty stealthy when out (possibly because there's only one kid, and he's not exactly knock-your-socks-off mature), but the bulletin board in the living room would give it away at home.

 

There are many kids tracked out from year-round schools on any given day, so people will often guess that first around here.

 

ETA: But come to think of it, singing songs from Beethoven's Wig on the playground has outed him once or twice.

[Luckymama]

Nope.

[waa510]

Our house would give us away with all the books strewn everywhere and the projects in various stages of completion drying on counters and tables. 

 

Out and about, definitely not as I'm a younger mom and my kids dress normally. I think people have the stereotype in their head and we don't look like it. People are usually surprised to find out we homeschool as they expect the opposite since my kids talk to people. :001_rolleyes:

[Farrar]

Not really because it's not so common here.

 

Here too. I've had people come into the house and walk through the dining room which is full of homeschooling supplies and even a small white board on one wall and a shelf of science glass and microscope and so forth... and still say, "Is it a day off of school?" when they see the kids.

 

I suspect if we were somewhere where it's more common that we'd be pretty obvious.

[FO4UR]

We were at one of those live museums once, and ds was asking lots of questions and conversing (like a normal person) with the guide.  She stopped after about the 4th question and asked if we homeschool.  She said she could tell b/c he knew so much already about the topic, and he knew how to ask good questions.  

 

 

My house is pretty obvious. You have to clear the schoolbooks to have a place to eat at the dining table.

[Pink and Green Mom]

Our office is our homeschool room - bookshelves crammed with books, a huge whiteboard with the date written on it and a list of subjects to complete written down the side, maps, microscopes, a huge separate whiteboard with the All About Spelling tiles arranged on them, and the office is the first thing you see upon entering my house.

 

But every single service person that comes in asks "is public school closed today?" every time they walk in.

 

At Publix we get asked the same thing by the cashiers.  I tell them we homeschool and they almost always say "I wish my daughter would homeschool our grandkids."

[Runningmom80]

No, and when my DS is with me running errands during school hours they ask if he had a doctor's appointment or if he just has a day off school.  I've never been asked if I home school.

[AnnE-girl]

We have a giant white board on our kitchen wall with everyone's to-do lists and usually some random math problems I haven't erased yet. I think it's pretty obvious. DS will also randomly start talking to people about the Civil War, the Ancient Rome, and other obviously not public school 2nd grade history topics :-)

[3 ladybugs]

Yep! My dining room is all about homeschooling (though I did try to put up art above the children's eye level) and when we are out and about my son is the first to admit that he is homeschooled. I think he thinks it is cool. :giggle: 

[Kalmia]

When house hunting, I walked in the door of the house for sale to see a dining room complete with multiple bookshelves, a world map on the wall, and an elaborate pencil drawing of a Viking longship nicely done by the children. The titles on the bookshelves (vintage classic books) supported my initial impression, and the realtor confirmed that they were homeschoolers.

 

In another instance, my then five year old was lying on the floor outside the pool reading a 200 page book while we were waiting for her brother to finish changing after swim lessons. One of the swim instructors, a community college student, took one look at her then looked at me and said, "Homeschooler, right?" I was very surprised and said yes. Turns out he was homeschooled too.

[BlsdMama]

11 kids and more books than even clothing? I figure that gives it away.

[Joules]

When you walk in the front door, the first thing you see is is 4'x6' white board in the "formal living room."  It's usually covered in calculus, chemistry, or German.     Most people ask if I homeschool, but some assume I tutor.  Homeschooling is pretty common here, so most people assume kids out during the day are homeschooled.

[abacus2]

I am pretty sure the humongous box of two levels of MBtP projects in the middle of the living room floor give away the house right now. When out and about, I can't think of anytime I've been asked directly if I homeschool. Usually our interactions are some variation of "Where do you go to school?" "We homeschool." "Oh, ok, that's great."

[Guest]

Well, since the first room to the right when you walk into my house is the dining room and that where we have the bookshelves filled with school books and a white board and calendar and stuff, yeah, I'd say it's pretty obvious we homeschool from the moment you enter our house!

 

Out and about, no. People are usually surprised to find out we homeschool because my kids are so "normal." Because, you know, all homeschoolers are awkward and unsocialized. Or something like that.

Bingo, I get that a lot.

 

I was also at the hospital with my kids earlier this week and someone in the elevator said she thought I was amazing, since she could barely handle two kids (she was listening to me do the blah blah about who could push which elevator button). And she added in at the end that I looked amazing. I thanked her, of course, but I thought it was such a funny comment - as though by having children I should turn into a troll with a potbelly who never wears eyeliner again!

[Wheres Toto]

I don't think anyone could tell when we are out of the house unless it's during obvious school hours (doesn't happen with ME as often anymore).

 

IN my house.....from where I'm sitting I can see the kids book baskets where they keep their school supplies, the binders/workbooks/current reading on another shelf, two models of the solar system hanging from the beams, posters of simple machines hanging over two computers along with copies showing the rules and terminology for archery, the bulletin boards on each of the kids bedroom doors with some current projects hanging, a poster of the planets hanging from a bookshelf, another poster of the solar system hanging on the bathroom door, the US map hanging on another bedroom door (all doors open off the living room - very small house), the date hanging from the edge of another shelf, and the 13 colonies timeline hanging from the mantel.  I think that probably gives it away. :001_rolleyes:

 

Then there's the massive pile of completed schoolwork sitting on my dining room table that I need to sort through so I can do my long-overdue blog post about the past month or so. :tongue_smilie:

[SparklyUnicorn]

Nobody has ever said so.  I've had various repair people, etc come to my house and they don't assume I homeschool.  Maybe they do if my kids are home, but they have never said so.  But if they don't assume that then they must think damn this woman reads a lot. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

Percentage wise, a fairly high number of repairmen and salesmen who come to my house homeschool their kids.  Those are the people who ask if we homeschool too.  I've wondered if certain jobs tend to attract homeschool dads. 

[Jenrae]

No, my schoolroom wasn't obvious to most visitors and we didn't have too many books in the living room. When we were out and about during scool hours, some people, such as the librarian would realize it, but only beause of the time we were there or the quantity of books we checked out.