Rant about HSLDA (JAWM)

[creekland]

You guys all crack me up. No, we didn't practice at home how to be articulate about homeschooling at age 7. They could hardly remember what grade they were in. Which was usually the next question and often included what's 3 x 7? 

 

Yes, I didn't like it, silly me.

 

If it helps to know, my kids were all in ps until 8th, 6th, and 4th grades respectively.  They got asked what grade they were in and were quizzed on math (+ other subject) knowledge all the time.  They actually enjoyed it - still do - sharing their college info now (where they go, what year, and what they are studying).  Yesterday middle son was sharing his college and med school info with two complete strangers we met in our grocery store (small town - 'tis common to talk with others in certain situations).

 

I don't think those questions are limited to homeschoolers.  I think one of the first things kids in general are asked is where they go to school and what grade they are in.  Even young kids are asked if they are in school yet and adults expect the answer from the kid.  Homeschooling is just one answer they can give.  It's no different than Famous Person Elementary.  Both will be followed up by grade and some sort of "what do you know" or "what are you learning" question - at least - they were/are in my experience.  There's no disdain in it (the vast majority of the time).  I would expect a bit more disdain after finding out kids aren't able to give answers.  This can be like Dawn's experience and the youngster isn't NT, of course, but if it's linked to homeschooling, I suspect many will associate a negative stereotype when it happens.

[Mimm]

Well, when you have a very shy child or a special needs child, it can be frustrating.   People think you must lock them in the basement at home and they never get out and that is why they aren't talking with confidence to a strange lady in the grocery store.

 

And teaching the child to not answer but look at mom helps you look less stereotypically "homeschool weird"?

 

I had one who was shy and didn't like to answer strangers. I still didn't mind them talking to her and I always paused to give her a chance to answer. If she didn't, I smiled and answered for her.

 

I will agree that anyone quizzing kids on math facts or random historical tidbits is obnoxious and needs a kick in the shin. ;)

[Guest]

We never got strange looks but we only went out in our homeschool uniform polos embroidered with our school name, Moxie's Minions.

 

I kid. We got lots of strange looks but I have 5 kids and one of them literally used to growl at strangers so we got lots of looks. Oh well.

[DawnM]

And teaching the child to not answer but look at mom helps you look less stereotypically "homeschool weird"?

 

I had one who was shy and didn't like to answer strangers. I still didn't mind them talking to her and I always paused to give her a chance to answer. If she didn't, I smiled and answered for her.

 

I will agree that anyone quizzing kids on math facts or random historical tidbits is obnoxious and needs a kick in the shin. ;)

 

 

My kids were never labeled as homeschool weird.  

[Aura]

We never got strange looks but we only went out in our homeschool uniform polos embroidered with our school name, Moxie's Minions.

 

I kid. We got lots of strange looks but I have 5 kids and one of them literally used to growl at strangers so we got lots of looks. Oh well.

:lol:  :lol:

 

I have one that would do this. He likes to pretend he's a puppy.

[dirty ethel rackham]

You guys all crack me up. No, we didn't practice at home how to be articulate about homeschooling at age 7. They could hardly remember what grade they were in. Which was usually the next question and often included what's 3 x 7?

 

Yes, I didn't like it, silly me.

This! When job oldest was about 7 or 8, he used to get all confused and tell people he was doing 3rd grade math, 7th grade reading, 2nd grade writing and reading scientific journals for science and watching the history channel for history. People would just roll their eyes. I finally had to tea ch them how to make small talk ... learn what grade they would be in school and just say that.

 

My middle kid had some auditory processing problems and would take about a minute to understand the question befor formulating an answer, which was usually, "I don't go to school. I'm not in any grade." Unless he was parroting the oldest. More eye rolling.

 

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[Alice]

We never get strange looks. We do occasionally get the "No school, today" question but when we say we homeschool, not an issue. There are a lot of homeschoolers around here though so it's not that weird I guess. 

 

As for the homeschool ID things, the only time I have needed one was to get a discount at Jamestown. I had something I had printed but left at home. So I found an email on my phone from our homeschool co-op that had an invoice on it for something. They accepted that. :) Although after reading this thread I'm thinking I should be taking advantage of more store discounts. 

 

I'm not a fan of HSLDA either. 

[HS Mom in NC]

I'm not opposed to the idea of HSLDA if it's just about homeschooling laws. I think it's good to have someone paying attention and dealing with things that might legally affect homeschoolers. What bothers me is that they branch out into other kinds of family issues based on their religious beliefs.  If they want to create a separate entity for that kind of thing, then fine.  I don't like mixed causes. For the record, I'm a registered Libertarian and a conservative Evangelical Christian.

The last time a HSLDA leader spoke at our state convention it was irrelevant.  I think it was Mike Farris. I live in one of the lowest regulation states in the country. We have a huge homeschooling population and have for a long time.  25% of school aged kids in the state attend a charter school. You can do the tax credit for private schools thing. Not a bad climate for homeschooling and a culture of education choice.  No one thinks it's weird when a kid is at the store on a weekday morning. Yet he was soliciting memberships by telling a story from the 1980s in the Midwest where a mom with a special needs kids wanted to homeschool him because the special needs classes he attended were awful, the kid was depressed and suicidal.  She refused to send him, there were was a legal battle, HSLDA helped her win and get homeschool friendly legislation on the books. 

OK, great.  But how is that applicable to the current homeschooling climate?  Wouldn't it have been more intellectually honest, emotionally respectful, and applicable to talk about current battles for homeschoolers across the US?

And that whole German family thing was bizarre.  It's an EU country-move to one of the many countries that allows homeschooling.  Refugee status isn't for expanding educational options.  It's for people facing death and persecution. Sadly, we can't allow in every person on the planet facing real persecution, how on earth can we justify letting people in over lesser issues like education alternatives? 

I just have to shake my head.

And don't get me started on the manipulative DVD our state homeschool lobby made about public school at home.  No, it's not a sinister plot to infiltrate homeschooling, it's another public school option.  All you need to do is point out that if you enroll you're legally a public school student subject to public school oversight and regulation because people new to homeschooling might not be aware.  Done.
 

[LMV]

We have never belonged to HSLDA because some (ok, probably most, or even all) of their views, values, and political agendas contradict our Christian faith and approach to raising our children. Beyond that, my attorney husband believes that they have committed legal malpractice in a few cases in a few states he is admitted to the bar.

[laundrycrisis]

The two stores I was dealing with would only take the HSLDA card. I brought in their binders and workbooks, and the ids for all three of us from Homeschool Buyers Coop. No dice.

[regentrude]

And that whole German family thing was bizarre.  It's an EU country-move to one of the many countries that allows homeschooling.  Refugee status isn't for expanding educational options.  It's for people facing death and persecution. Sadly, we can't allow in every person on the planet facing real persecution, how on earth can we justify letting people in over lesser issues like education alternatives? 

 

The HSLDA did tremendous damage to the homeschoolng movement in Germany.

Do they really believe authorities and society will respond positively to an American organization swooping in and telling them how they, a democratic country, should handle their affairs?

Any effort to legalize homeschooling is thrown back by such meddling. If things are ever to change, it has to be the German homeschooling community who changes the public perception. The HSLDA has raised their own profile at the expense of the German movement - and that was their only goal. They dont give a fig about German homeschoolers if it does not help their agenda.

Edited August 1, 2017 by regentrude

[fralala]

Homeschoolers do this strange thing where they think every other homeschooler is just like them. I see it here all the time. Yes, I homeschool, no I'm not interested in discounted Creation Museum tickets.

 

I have been guilty of this. Say, I will be at park day chatting with other homeschooling parents and then I will make some offhand, disparaging remark about HSLDA. And the reaction will make me realize my faux pas and that I have just alienated those people and that I should never assume that just because I like people that they are just like me.

 

Also, my children and I may stare at other families with real, living, breathing children we see out and about during "school days." Sorry. We are all thinking to ourselves, "More homeschoolers? Or just private schoolers on vacation?" Sometimes it pays off after some mutual staring...the moment comes when we mothers nod knowingly and then pull out our Official Homeschooler Cards and flash them at each other. 

 

(No, in all seriousness, I have never seriously investigated the teacher discount thing, and it sounds like I could be saving money, so I'm grateful for this information.)

[FaithManor]

The HSLDA did tremendous damage to the homeschoolng movement in Germany.

Do they really believe authorities and society will respond positively to an American organization swooping in and telling them how they, a democratic country, should handle their affairs?

Any effort to legalize homeschooling is thrown back by such meddling. If things are ever to change, it has to be the German homeschooling community who changes the public perception. The HSLDA has raised their own profile at the expense of the German movement - and that was their only goal. They dont give a fig about German homeschoolers if it does not help their agenda.

Absolutely this!

[brehon]

Weren't there a couple of threads here at the time where some posters were almost apoplectic that the German government was absolutely *persecuting* that family. Ugh! Any information about German sovereignty, democracy, Germany not being beholden to American laws, etc was met with cries of "parental rights!", "religious persecution!", and other such pearl clutching.