Statistics and Stories about Blue Collar Homeschoolers

[Hunter]

If you have any links or stories about working-class and blue collar homeschooling families can you share them?

 

Obviously this is the best homeschooling forum ever, BUT...is there a forum where blue-collar homeschoolers hide out?

 

[Hunter]

I'm now curious after a PM from another boardie, about statistics and stories beyond my own experiences.

[Ellie]

Perhaps you could define "blue collar homeschoolers." :confused:

[mmpmelmack]

Until 6 months ago my dh was an auto mechanic, very "blue collar ". I hang out here. Why would " blue collar " homeschoolers need to hang out elsewhere? I must say I don't understand, people of all collars hang here because of academics right?

[Slache]

I'm now curious after a PM from another boardie

Reported.

[Bookworm4]

My DH would be considered "blue collar" as well. I used to have a "white collar" job. Local homeschoolers have a variety of both blue and white collar jobs. My own family has a mix of the two. I don't see why that has any relevance to homeschooling or being on this forum.

Edited December 25, 2015 by Bookworm4

[Tsuga]

By blue collar you mean, working class, works full time or both work full time, don't San enough to get past the earned income credit type people? We aren't supposed to admit to class in America so good luck with your thread. :) I grew up blue collar and spent a wile blue collar during the recession but can't speak to homeschooling in that situation.

[Roadrunner]

Reported.

And I am curious why that post was reported.  :confused1:

[KathyBC]

I'm curious whether you mean blue collar folks achieving a higher level of academic success (disputing any perception that only those parents with university educations can be expected to send their children to university), or blue collar folks who aren't necessarily setting university as a goal for their children, or something else altogether.

[Arcadia]

Most of my cousins are small business owners and some of my nephews work for their dads so I'm not sure if they are blue or white collar.

 

My local UPS guy is interested in homeschooling his kids and again I don't know what category he would fall under.

 

And I am curious why that post was reported. :confused1:

The post that was reported copied the first part of OP's second post. This kind of copied post is usually done by spambots.

[Ms.Ivy]

I was homeschooled in a blue collar family, and am now homeschooling in a blue collar family. This is pretty much the only place where I post anything on the internet. All the families I know IRL in similar situations as mine are in our homeschool support group, not online. One reason I like going online myself is that I won't be judged by our income level. But it would be interesting if people did swap stories about homeschooling with limited resources.

 

I am posting on here in the middle of the night because some idiot was repeatedly firing a very high caliber rifle in my neighborhood at 2:30 AM and woke me up. I thought something was exploding. My neighbor's house really did explode a couple of months ago, leaving me a bit jumpy about exploding sounds. It was a honey oil manufacture gone wrong. My kids don't do field trips to visit the police and fire department, because they come to us frequently enough. Does that count as a working class homeschool story? Haha

[Hunter]

I'm not going to define this term. And I'm not going to debate.

 

This could turn into something ugly and I'm really hoping it doesn't. If it does, I'm going to ask a moderator to immediately remove the thread.

 

I'm open to statistics and stories of just about anything that could possibly fall into this topic. At least to start. Then I could start a new narrower thread.

 

My boys grew up blue-collar. It wasn't anything we were ashamed of. Their father actually wore a navy blue Dickie's uniform shirt to work every day and had permanent oil stains under his finger nails. We were proud of him and what he did. He was strong and resourceful. His muscular body felt good to hug. He could fix anything. He came from a large extended family that focused on family. Sometimes when he drank beer with other blue-collar men they laughed and shook their heads at the antics of any neighborhood "college boys".

 

Yes, our home had domestic violence going on, but that had NOTHING to do with us being blue-collar. I suffered domestic abuse, too, as a child while being a top 1%er. DV transcends class.

 

During that period I had varying thoughts about what I was supposed to be striving for with my boys. I often was ashamed of my lack of ability to provide things that would lead to what I thought should come next, but that didn't translate to discomfort about our current working-class lifestyle.

 

So--my boys were born blue-collar. The end result was that they attended the local community college. My oldest was the first in his Dad's family to graduate college, any college. Everyone here except very recent newbies knows his story, and I'm sure long term members are sick of hearing it.

 

Back then, I didn't overthink things. The church, instincts, and community affected my choices without me really knowing what was going on.

 

The homeschooling community was pretty different before and after Y2K, and my goals changed when the community changed. And I don't think for the better. At least not for us.

 

I'm not ready to tighten this topic. I'm not yet sure where I am going with this.

 

I was PMed by someone with the offer to start a private subforum here for people who would like a protected place to explore working-class and lower-income homeschooling, geared towards moms/educators with no college background themselves. I don't think the focus would be towards upward mobility, but more to explore alternatives to that, and trying to mine the working-class cultures for overlooked resources that are there for the taking.

 

I'm still at the brainstorming stage. Let this thread be whatever, as long as it doesn't get mean. It is Christmas, ladies. Even for those of us who are not Christians, it is just in bad taste to get mean with each other today. Right?

[regentrude]

My local homeschool group is very mixed and spans all socioeconomic strata represented in our area (which excludes the top wealthy because they don't reside here).

I find it very difficult to define "blue collar".

We have homeschooling friends (one of DS' best friends is the son) where the mom is cleaning houses and the dad is on disability; they homestead, built their house in the woods, garden. They are poor and have no money, but own their land. Do they qualify? What if the woman who gets tired of her cleaning job decides to pursue doula training?

There is another homeschooling family where the husband works in a grocery store and the mom stayed home. For a time they qualified for food stamps. Is that blue collar? Does the situation change if the mom, as the kids get older, becomes a certified doula and begins her own business? Does anything about the family culture change?

Or parents being a truck driver and a pet sitter? Does it matter that the pet sitter has a college degree in psychology?

A construction worker and a SAHM who used to be a teacher?

 

When you ask about those categories, Hunter, are you primarily asking about educational level or about financial situation?

One can be quite poor as an adjunct college prof with a Masters degree and quite wealthy as an HVAC installer. And one can have a postsecondary education and decide to work a job that is considered "blue collar".

 

I would imagine that the different aspects - limited financial resources or limited parental education level - influence homeschooling in very different ways.

Edited December 25, 2015 by regentrude

[Slache]

And I am curious why that post was reported. :confused1:

It's spam. If you saw it in HTML format you would see the failed link. If you see one sentence out of place from a new member it's usually spam.

[Hunter]

I am not interested in narrowing too quickly. I'm still brainstorming. Let the net be wide for now.

 

Regentrude, when conversing with you, I'd use the term "working-class" with a totally communist definition.

 

This is an American forum, and I chose to use blue-collar in the title, because I felt that was more familiar to Americans, but even in my first post, I introduced the word working-class.

 

I'm just throwing out the net, at this point. I'm keeping it wide, curious about what I'll catch.

[Ms.Ivy]

I find the definition of blue collar easy for my family, since my father and husband literally wore/wear blue uniforms to work.

 

I can see that both my family and my husband's family had default negative attitudes toward book education. I can see that this culture or cycle was broken by the parents who decided to homeschool. Now whether newfound ability and desire to attend college is due to homeschooling, or rather is a result of the decisions that also led to homeschooling, is something I have think more about.

 

Anyway, about resources.... there is so much junk available now! And so much really good stuff, for free! And also a lot more pressure to make sure moms pick the "right" stuff.

 

The internet is a huge blessing though.

 

When my mom passed, I found hand written letters between her and Dorothy Moore. They had discussed the pressure to educate young children and my mom had apparently found a lot of relief and comfort from what Dorothy Moore wrote. It was quite eye opening for me, to see that if my mother wanted help with homeschooling, she had to hear about the Moores on the radio, subscribe to their newsletter, and write letters back and forth. And here I am, able to browse the forum and discuss things instantly.

 

I do run into moms that need help choosing what materials to use for homeschooling, and they want to know what is usable by moms who have little educational background, or trouble reading, themselves.

 

So I do think the need is there... lists of inexpensive resources for parents who have no higher education. It will be interesting to see what comes of this. :-)

[Jean in Newcastle]

There are a lot of homeschoolers in trades, if that is what you mean by blue-collar. 

 

 

[TracyP]

I would call our family blue collar. Dh and I each have one year of CC(me)/trade school(dh) under our belts. We both dropped out of high school, and then got our GEDs and continued our education in our early 20s. Now dh is an electrician and I stay home, although I have taken random jobs to pull in extra money as needed over the years. We were hit very hard during the recession, but our situation has improved over the last 3-4 years. We now make what I consider a decent income, even though it is only about 150% of poverty level because of our family size.

 

I have friends and family that span the spectrum of jobs and incomes. This board runs wealthier than us, but that has never bothered me. I come here because even among those very diverse friends and family, I know very few with the same dedication to their children's education. Most of the homeschoolers I know IRL, homeschool for religious reasons. Their goals seem to be: marry off the daughters and give their sons an education "as good as" our local (crappy) schools. My educational goals are very different.

 

However, my goals are somewhat different than most here too. MN offers free tuition and books at every public college and many private colleges for 11th and 12th graders. We have a CC within driving distance, so it is my goal to get each of them a free AA degree from there by the end of their high school career. This is an opportunity that my family cannot afford (literally) to pass up. So that goal is in my mind as I plan each year, especially as my kids get older. 

 

Beyond that, my goals include helping my kids reach their full potential and giving them an education that does not shut any doors for them. I have that in common with just about every poster here.

 

BTW, I will encourage my kids to look into trades if they have any interest. My dh absolutely LOVES his job and he makes a decent living wage. That is the definition of success in my mind. Otoh, bad choices, lack of direction, and low education levels have made this a hard road for dh and I. I will do whatever is in my power to help my kids start out on a better foot.

 

I'm not sure what direction you want this to go - and I know you aren't either, Hunter - but these are my initial thoughts on the topic. I'm curious to see where this goes as well.

 

[Arcadia]

I am in a high dense suburban area so lots of resources are walkable. Below are the resources I know of that local homeschoolers use (including those using charter funds)

 

For LD evaluation and therapy:

 

3yrs-K is early intervention

K onwards is evaluations and therapy under the school district.

 

For resources:

 

Local homeschool groups do informal swap and sale at meetups days

Some libraries have full sets of textbooks under reference and in main shelves

All libraries have the World Book encyclopedia at least 2014 edition. I just saw the 2016 edition.

The used book stores prices are decent if you are like me and need to check and read before paying.

 

For those who don't mind state testing or kids not yet in 3rd grade, they make use of charter funds. I was told $1k per semester per child and it varies slightly across charters.

 

For those that income qualify, financial aid is there if the child wants to attend a camp or a class. Math circles have financial waivers too if a child wants to attend and couldn't afford the fees.

 

AMC8 was optional donation only at the test site we use so someone who couldn't afford the registration fee can still participate.

 

There is also homework help online as well as a few afternoons a week, access via library card account. There are volunteer reading tutors if someone is stuck with teaching reading.

 

For test prep:

 

Libraries has almost all the ACT, SAT, SAT subjects, CLEP test prep books.

Libraries also host SAT and ACT practise test sessions for free. Just need to lookout and register.

 

Libraries here have free wifi. They also have chromebooks to loan out.

[Arcadia]

I am pretty sure that I am not going to be able to afford to send both kids to university, and it seems likely that I won't have money to send even one

My kids attend german class. For the past few years, some kids were accepted into german universities which is free and last year one was accepted to a swiss university on scholarship.

 

I believe in trades even for college going kids. It is always useful.

[Minerva]

My dh was in "the trades" when we met and had worked blue collar jobs his whole life. He has since become management but in a blue collar field. He likes the extra money that working white collar earns him, but he loves the satisfaction of making things with his hands and misses that aspect of his career.  

 

We often talk about helping our kids get some sort of "trade" before going to university. My husband's mother went to beauty school when she was seventeen and was able to earn extra money while she had young babies as well as put herself through nursing school when she was older. There are lots of programs that are less than a year long that lead to entry level positions as electrician , mechanics, cooks, etc.  We feel like these are good solid careers, with lots of flexibility and they can still go to university if they feel a more academic calling. 

 

While I love the idea of my kids going to university, I am not sure it is the best route for everyone. I don't know that many people who actually use their degrees, and many more people who are paying off student loans for the rest of eternity. I am open to all sorts of different avenues for my kids and hope they will find a way to make a living that they truly enjoy as well as a life long love of learning. 

[Ellie]

Huh.

 

I guess I just don't understand the relevance of the question.

 

OTOH, it's Hunter. I don't doubt her motives or anything, so of course I'm not going to get in a snit. :-) I just don't understand.

[4KookieKids]

So we're definitely lower income, but I don't know that that means blue collar, since the term isn't defined. I have a phd in math, but it was very much crawling up the slide and a lot of luck when it came to the intelligence ladder, rather than family upbringing. I grew up relatively poor, and parents had nothing with which to send me to college. I just worked a lot and managed to get a bunch of college credit in hs (IB diploma), which made it possible for me to graduate with a BS in much less than four years (since I couldn't afford four years -- I just put each overage beyond what I could pay and what loans covered each semester on my credit card, but by my third year, the credit card was maxed out).

 

Currently, my husband works and entry level job at a manufacturing plant (he has a BA from an unaccredited school that nobody recognizes). We qualify for EIC, WIC, SNAP, medicaid, etc. by income and live in an old, small foreclosed 3BR home (with 6 people) in a low-income neighborhood, because the mortgage on it was cheaper than renting a 2BR home (even with taxes and insurance). He's amazing, tough, has a great work ethic, and can fix anything that breaks around the house, has tough man hands with blisters and calluses all over them. He works his tail off so that I can stay home and homeschooling is really important to him, because he feels it gives kids the best of academics if they want to do something along that line with their lives, but also gives them the most opportunities to explore trades because this is something he really wishes he'd had opportunity to do, instead of just doing the college track thing.

 

So we're often scrounging for ways to do things inexpensively / on the free, but it's something we don't talk about much because we often found that, in the past, when we did, we got dirty looks/remarks from folks who judge us based on the fact that I stay home with our kids, even though I *could* be working and bringing in six figures (in other words, because we don't *have* to be poor), with the underlying assumption being that I'm lazy or we're just trying to game the welfare system.

 

There's no way that we will be able to afford to send kids to a university (especially all four of them), at the rate prices are increasing. We will do what we can to save, we will do the best we can academically to try to aim for scholarships, and they will probably attend a CC or trade school once they graduate high school.

 

ETA: Before baby #4 popped in, I did work part-time during the evenings teaching at some local universities so that we could "trade" home duty. But now that we've got four, including a nursing baby *and* kids of actual school age, I do very little work outside of the home anymore.

Edited December 25, 2015 by deanna1ynne

[Hunter]

I see some good stuff being posted here. I just don't want to even try to narrow down until a couple days after Christmas as many people won't have time to read and post until then.

 

I have been informed that the Marxist term for working-class is proletariat.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proletariat

 

Ellie, just hold on. If we can pull this off, this thread will be fun.

 

If I were to list some stereotypes included in this discussion, I'm going to shock some here by lumping together the Amish and the Marxist defined proletariat, along with the actual Dickies wearing blue-collar. And even some pagan homesteaders and illegal immigrants. And I'm not even sure what else.

 

Low-income overlaps working-class, sometimes in a big way, but doesn't define working-class, and shouldn't. Hard-working working-class families being denied basic health care, adequate shelter, and nutrition food isn't even in the best interest of the people temporarily profiting off of this abuse and neglect.

 

Genteel poverty, at least first generation, isn't working class. Not that I am excluding them from contributing to this thread!!! Especially a mom raised in genteel poverty that married a blue-collar man. I'd be somewhat excluding myself if I did that. And because there is so much overlap, both groups can learn from and support each other.

 

Many of my students are not blue-collar or working-class but are very low-income.

 

I'm just undefinable. :lol: I spent the majority of my life financially dependant on one blue-collar/working-class man after another, but my early days always marked me as "other" and I was never fully absorbed into any of the working-class cultures I hung at the edge of, not even my ex-husband's.

 

I'm still just throwing the net out there. And will leave the definition so wide, that often 1/4 of the people will find a topic I want to discuss irrelevant. Those that most interest genteel poverty might be of no interest or help to book-suspicious blue-collar. And vice versa.

 

I'm set in what I'm doing and thinking right now for me and mine, but I'm realizing some newer and younger families didn't experience the broad exposure to non-mainstreamers that I did. I'm hard pressed to share that broad exposure. Instead of trying to talk to just one person by PM about what I have seen, I wanted to throw it out here.

[Ausmumof3]

Well we are but I think it's less relevant in Aus. Here we have the term cub which stands for cashed up bogans referencing the fact that tradespeople are out earning a lot of others. That is changing with the mining downturn but the overall culture of equality is still pretty strong. dh turned white collar for a while but went back to the trade because he was working huge hours for less money as a manager. It will be interesting to see how things play out now mining is less of a source of income and the gov is trying to push a knowledge based economy. Overall I don't know if you can create that.

 

In terms of homeschooling, friends in our group fit both classes, and mostly use similar resources and approach. For some reason farming seems to be the ultimate career of choice for some of the boys but of course it's very difficult to make a stable paying lifestyle out of it long term. Some go into trades, some go to uni.

 

I'm really curious as to why you ask. I have seen articles suggesting homeschooling is only for the wealthy and elite which is not my experience at all.

 

I do know one family where the dad is in IT and he insisted that if his boys wanted a trade they had to go to high school as he didn't feel qualified to teach design and tech.

 

Ok one other difference is that my oldest spends most of his time in dads shed making messes and attempting to make things. But it would have been the same if he was at school he just wouldn't have had as much time to do it in.

[Ausmumof3]

To me that term is associated with 18th or 19th century England. The youngest son or the old aunt who come from "noble" family and starve rather than work with their hands. I'm curious as to what you mean by the phrase in a modern context too.

[aggieamy]

I don't know that I fit any of your relevant groups but the thread is interesting so I read on.  Then I come to genteel poverty.  Um.  How on earth are you defining that in present day America?  Anyone with an education but a low paying job?  To me that is a completely different beast than blue collar.  Our librarians are paid (sadly) so little that if they were supporting a family with that wage they would be on food stamps.  The man operating the crane at the water treatment plant is making six figures.  

[Hunter]

Genteel poverty was my grandmother after my grandfather made a bad business deal, lost all his money, and stroked out from the stress and died. She didn't become working-class because the money was gone.

 

My dad didn't become working-class even when he worked different jobs after he got fired from the jobs he had before he became an alcoholic.

 

Genteel poverty is not being able to afford to buy your kid a plastic shovel, so they sneak outside with one of your sterling silver spoons, and after watching in bend in the dirt, trade it to another kid for a "good" stainless steel one. :lol:

[aggieamy]

Maybe I have an abundance of pride but it seems to me that genteel poverty is nothing anyone would admit to if they were living in it.  It seems to be "we used to have money but are now in a financial death spiral but won't admit it".  Eek!

[Hunter]

I said genteel poverty is NOT working class! But I don't want to automatically exclude people.

 

I mentioned it, because I wanted to discuss that although they overlap low-income and Working-class do not mean the same thing. I recently read an article about working-class education, that I want to wait to link to, that in no way differentiated between the two. I wanted to at least define the difference, but don't want to narrow the net to excluding people, stories, or links.

[Hunter]

Sorry, everyone, I'm out of ability to "like" your posts, until tomorrow. I guess I used them all up.

[Hunter]

Communists totally ought to recognize those folks as having been recruited into the ranks of the proletariat :), but they may not share the same class consciousness.

Yes, some topics of discussion would be relevant to both, and some would not.

[fdrinca]

In the context of homeschooling, I would read blue collar as a proxy for the educational attainment of the parents in the household. 

 

We currently are not financially well-off. We have a household of 7, and while DH works in a high-esteem job as a tenured college professor, we absolutely do not make the type of money to keep up with the Joneses. So, financially we could be considered blue-collar.

 

I have had conversations with both non-homeschoolers and homeschoolers alike, which follows the line "well, of course you and DH should homeschool, you both have PhDs and know how to teach." The implication, of course, being that people who do **not** have a high level of educational attainment, should not be homeschooling. 

 

I can understand the desire to have a safe place to discuss issues which arise from encountering sentiments like those I mentioned above. 

[Hunter]

Often when I have a question or am starting to think about new-to-me things, I can post vaguely here and someone will link me to a famous person who thinks/thought what I think, and says it so much better than I could.

 

An example of this was Chronological Snobbery. Dear lord in heaven I was making a mess of trying to discuss what I was thinking about.

 

And then someone gave we a term and links. That was awesome.

 

I still haven't given up hope about being linked to some awesome information.

[Hunter]

Thank you to everyone that has posted. And thank you everyone for keeping this thread kind and safe.

 

Some of our best discussions start out a bit messy. New ideas are messy.

[Heidi]

.

Edited December 26, 2015 by Heidi

[regentrude]

Regentrude, when conversing with you, I'd use the term "working-class" with a totally communist definition.

 

This is an American forum, and I chose to use blue-collar in the title, because I felt that was more familiar to Americans, but even in my first post, I introduced the word working-class..

 

I would still have the same questions I phrased in my previous post. Which of the families I listed qualify, in your opinion, as "working class"?

 

I have even more trouble with the term "proletariat "

 

The proletariat (/ËŒproÊŠlɪˈtɛəriËÉ™t/ from Latin proletarius) is a term for the class of wage-earners (especially industrial workers), in a capitalist society, whose only possession of significant material value is their labor-power (their ability to work)

 

A large portion of people in blue collar jobs would not qualify as "proletariat", because most of them do own significant material possessions such as cars, and, in many cases, homes. And, in case of (even dirt poor) homesteaders or farmers: land. A landowner, however poor, is no proletarian,by definition.

 

So, what exactly is it you are asking about? Day laborers in abject poverty?

 

Is your point about finances or educational background?

Edited December 25, 2015 by regentrude

[Hunter]

I would still have the same questions I phrased in my previous post. Which of the families I listed qualify, in your opinion, as "working class"?

 

I have even more trouble with the term "proletariat "

 

 

A large portion of people in blue collar jobs would not qualify as "proletariat", because most of them do own significant material possessions such as cars, and, in many cases, homes. And, in case of (even dirt poor) homesteaders or farmers: land. A landowner, however poor, is no proletarian,by definition.

 

So, what exactly is it you are asking about? Day laborers in abject poverty?

 

Is your point about finances or educational background?

I started homeschooling in the 90's. I went to a church that started homeschooling in the 80's. I had a firmly established idea of what the average homeschooler was like, before Y2K. After Y2K, average was something else entirely.

 

I was PMed with a surprised reaction to the idea that anything had ever been different. This thread is a reaction to that PM.

 

This thread is an attempt to brainstorm and to provide some ideas and information that is not what is now most common.

 

This thread is about using words to grab attention, not tightly defining them. I had to put SOMETHING in the title or I would have no title.

 

Brainstorming is not about coming to the table with answers. I don't have the answers. I'm throwing my mess out here, to gather whatever people bring to the table.

 

The title seems to be bringing some of the right people to the thread. It accomplished my goal. You seem to have an alternative goal that we don't share.

 

I'm not out to exclude anyone that wants to join. And I'm not out to force people to identify that don't want to be included. It's up to the people on your list to self-identify, not my job to label them.

[regentrude]

I started homeschooling in the 90's. I went to a church that started homeschooling in the 80's. I had a firmly established idea of what the average homeschooler was like, before Y2K. After Y2K, average was something else entirely.

 

I was PMed with a surprised reaction to the idea that anything had ever been different. This thread is a reaction to that PM.

 

This thread is an attempt to brainstorm and to provide some ideas and information that is not what is now most common. 

 

This thread is about using words to grab attention, not tightly defining them. I had to put SOMETHING in the title or I would have no title.

 

Brainstorming is not about coming to the table with answers. I don't have the answers. I'm throwing my mess out here, to gather whatever people bring to the table.

 

The title seems to be bringing some of the right people to the thread. It accomplished my goal. You seem to have an alternative goal that we don't share.

 

I'm not out to exclude anyone that wants to join. And I'm not out to force people to identify that don't want to be included. It's up to the people on your list to self-identify, not my job to label them.

 

Apparently I am dense. I still do not know what exactly you want to brainstorm, nor what any of the phrases I bolded in red above are supposed to refer to.

I do not know whether I have an "alternative goal" because I still have been unable to discern what exactly your goal is with this thread.

I can offer stories and experiences of homeschooling families, but you are not telling me whether they qualify for your purposes.

 

Edited December 25, 2015 by regentrude

[texasmama]

Interesting thread.

 

I have a graduate degree.  Dh has a bachelors degree.  My parents both have bachelors degrees (engineer and teacher).  Neither of dh's parents had college degrees, though all of his siblings do.

 

My homeschooling mentor, the person I look up to most in the world regarding homeschooling advice, is not college degreed.  Her family is very "blue collar".  She does more with less than anyone I know.  She is on this forum.

 

That is what I have to contribute to this discussion.  :)

[Hunter]

My likes came back! I'll get to everyone as soon as I can!

 

Regentrude, :lol: tell the stories! Brainstorming is about throwing out everything that MIGHT be relevant. I didn't want to define for fear of missing a story, and you were afraid to tell a story for fear it didn't fit the definition. :lol: :grouphug:

 

To anyone, if you have a story you want to tell, tell it!

[Jean in Newcastle]

I think we would be qualified as belonging to the genteel poor.  I have a middle class education and general mindset. So does  my husband.  We do not have middle class money because a huge amount of our money has gone to my illness.  Our home is more than we can afford in an area that we normally would not be able to afford (a lower to middle  middle class neighborhood) because we were able to get a foreclosure.  We moved out of an area where we heard gunfire from drive by shootings.  We live in a home that is literally falling apart in places because we don't have the funds to fix it, let alone upgrade it.  We have different monetary values in many ways than our peers.  We have no idea how we are going to afford college, even though it is important to us, and our son is 18.  We place an importance on college as well as marketable and practical skills.  We've done over half of our homeschooling through the library or thrift stores.  I don't know what any of that proves or disproves, though. 

[regentrude]

Regentrude, :lol: tell the stories! Brainstorming is about throwing out everything that MIGHT be relevant. I didn't want to define for fear of missing a story, and you were afraid to tell a story for fear it didn't fit the definition. :lol: :grouphug:

 

OK, albeit I am still not quite clear what exactly your objective is for this thread.

 

I can tell you about a family who are friends of ours and would probably qualify:

Mom got pregnant in high school, dropped out, worked menial jobs. Had second kid two years later. Dad finished high school, I believe and suffers from a crippling chronic illness. Trials and tribulations, relationship and personal issues which I don't want to detail were successfully overcome. Developed interest in homesteading, organic gardening. When disability finally was approved, they used the back payment to buy land in the woods, lived two years in a camper while building their home, with much help from a circle of friends, from natural materials and second hand reclaimed items. They live on dad's disability and what mom earns cleaning houses in town, and homeschool their now teens.

Despite poverty and limited formal education, this family is definitely educated. They read widely, research topics of their interest (taught themselves about building techniques, gardening, natural healing, medical issues ...), the kids devour great books. Son has been assisting and working with a family friend who does woodworking (carpentry&construction), has impressive woodworking skills at 16, and will begin a course at the technical school in town next school year. He is finishing American School, finds it boring and dull but is ready to get it done and formally graduate so he can take the woodworking classes. Daughter is also finishing AS very early, too; tentative plans to be a veterinarian, so plans for college.

 

But this family, I think, defies all stereotypes and does not fit into any "box".

Neither does this one:

 

Another family, older friends (around 60). Wife had gone to college, not sure about husband. He does carpentry, construction, can repair anything, is a very hands-on person. Wife moved with husband into the woods in the midwest to fulfill his homesteading dream. Started out in a wooden shack without electricity or running water. First kid was born in that shack in the late 1970s. Later disassembled an old log cabin that was on the property and reassembled it in another spot, added on. Built a well. Added to homestead. Had four children, all were home educated, and all graduated from college. Mom does crafts and artisanal work.

Their oldest daughter is a friend of mine. Unschooled until age 12. Started American School, finished their college prep program in 18 months. Entered local 4 year university at age 15, was youngest person to ever receive bachelor at that school. Went to other school to get Masters degree. Has now four children on her own, lives on a homestead in the woods, is the breadwinner for the family by teaching as an adjunct college prof, currently working on her doctorate. I have never met a woman who had more energy than her.

Hugely inspiring family... but again, not sure whether they "qualify".

 

Another friend is an artist, husband works as a repair technician; they raise and homeschool their grandson. She is in her early fifties and has started taking college classes.

 

Seeing what people i hang out with, does it make sense now why I asked for clarification what you're after?

Edited December 26, 2015 by regentrude

[Rosie_0801]

We're encouraging dd into entrepreneurialism. I have no idea what I'd do if she wasn't that way inclined. *I'm* not that way inclined, so I'm glad she is.

 

She got her first business for Christmas yesterday. :)

[Jean in Newcastle]

We're encouraging dd into entrepreneurialism. I have no idea what I'd do if she wasn't that way inclined. *I'm* not that way inclined, so I'm glad she is.

 

She got her first business for Christmas yesterday. :)

 

What is it?  My kids are entrepreneurial as well.

 

[Hunter]

Regentrude, that was very helpful!

 

That is one of the things that is missing now! "Defies all stereotypes"!

 

We now have a one-sized-fits-all that is failing some families. Whereas, before Y2K "defies all stereotypes" was common. People wanted to pin down a method to copy and couldn't. Each family was a different kind of impossible to copy.

 

I know you are probably even more confused now, but you helped tons. :lol:

Edited December 26, 2015 by Hunter

[Rosie_0801]

What is it?  My kids are entrepreneurial as well.

 

 

A couple of chooks. :)  

 

(Chickens)

 

She's going to sell eggs to save up to buy bees so she can sell honey too, because two businesses must be better than one. She also got beekeeping overalls so she can start learning from her uncle. If yours are after an idea, raising queens would be something to consider.

 

Other plans I'm aware of are the writing of a dog name book, market gardening and property development. This is all for the purposes of being able to afford ten kids. 

[Rosie_0801]

She's probably the only kid in the world who was delighted to find an accounts book in her stocking. :lol:

 

That's right, Miss Dyscalculia, you need to keep working on your addition and subtraction so you can keep your accounts book carefully, otherwise you won't know if you're making money or not.

 

This kid cracks me up. :lol:

 

She also gives Christmas presents to everyone else, so it's not entirely one sided in her favour. 

[Rosie_0801]

That's sooooo not me. I found out I was being ripped off at the market by my go-to seller about a year ago. (A friend told me.) I have only shopped in supermarkets since then.

 

ETA: Signed, another dyscalculic.

 

Yeah, hers is milder than yours. This is something I am immensely grateful for. She will get there in the end, even though it takes a lot of work.

[Jean in Newcastle]

She's probably the only kid in the world who was delighted to find an accounts book in her stocking. :lol:

 

That's right, Miss Dyscalculia, you need to keep working on your addition and subtraction so you can keep your accounts book carefully, otherwise you won't know if you're making money or not.

 

This kid cracks me up. :lol:

 

She also gives Christmas presents to everyone else, so it's not entirely one sided in her favour. 

 

Great!  That's a wonderful business plan!