BakersDozen Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Today a museum in town did a huge hands-on event for homeschooled kids -the adults were dressed in character, lots of crafts, about 80 kids not including all the babies/toddlers attended...it was something! A female volunteer was standing nearby and asked a man who also worked there what was going on and when he replied that it was a day for homeschoolers she responded with this: "Oh, so we get the weirdos today." :001_huh: I could not believe what I heard! Particularly since all 80 of our kids were sitting together on a lawn waiting patiently for the speaker to begin, no one was running around or having to be spoken to, the moms were visiting with each other since we didn't have to watch our dc every second, trusting that they knew what was appropriate to do/not do. In fact in the hour we had been there waiting for the volunteers to be ready for us there was not one single incident...and there were EIGHTY kids ages 14 and under! And she calls us "weird"?!?! I was nursing my baby when this happened so couldn't go after her, yet I wish I had just to ask why she used such a word to describe us. I don't know if I should address this with the woman who put together this event or not especially since I can't remember the name of the volunteer who made the comment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMamaBird Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 I'd call up the Museum and tell them if they didn't want your weird money you'd be happy to take it somewhere else! :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dragons in the flower bed Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 In fact in the hour we had been there waiting for the volunteers to be ready for us there was not one single incident...and there were EIGHTY kids ages 14 and under! And she calls us "weird"?!?! Weird means different in a bad way according to my American Heritage. Homeschooled kids are definitely different if eighty of them can hang out in a museum without incident. Obviously this volunteer prefers loud, unruly, destructive children who couldn't care less what the museum has to offer. May she be blessed with many of the type of children she prefers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Sadly, I don't think the volunteer's comment was incredibly unusual. :angry: Her timing, however, left a lot to be desired. If you are offended by her remark, call the director of the museum and discuss the issue, even if you don't know the volunteer's name. The director will want to know about something like this, as the volunteers represent the museum, and I'm sure courtesy is an important job requirement. Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blessedfamily Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 I'd call up the Museum and tell them if they didn't want your weird money you'd be happy to take it somewhere else! :glare: I would have spoken to the director before I left, so I could point out the person I heard say it, with the person she said it to right there. :angry: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Eh, I can be weird sometimes. It wasn't the nicest thing she could have said but I don't think I would have been upset by it. BTW, I'm the first one to admit that my boys are really weirdos. :o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Weird means different in a bad way according to my American Heritage. Homeschooled kids are definitely different if eighty of them can hang out in a museum without incident. Obviously this volunteer prefers loud, unruly, destructive children who couldn't care less what the museum has to offer. May she be blessed with many of the type of children she prefers. :iagree:....and I will add "Bless her heart." :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Academy of Jedi Arts Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 FWIW, I have been to homeschool events where I can see the staff commenting in this way- due to the adults not the children. I take stupid remarks like these as opportunities to remind people that all homeschoolers are not alike. Just as with any other types of schoolers, there are always going to be weirdos in the bunch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 My dh was a docent in a museum at our last home. The museum industry is struggling more than you can imagine. Most depend on either donations or endowments, both of which are dropping. Outreach programs like the one you attended aren't put on because the museum staff is a bunch of nice people (although they may be) but because they are looking to get more attendance at the museum, especially during periods that would normally have few attendees. His museum was doing outreach to scouting groups for weekend seminars Contact the education director or whichever office was putting on the event. This is the person who would know who was around and what the behavior of the kids and families present was like. (It may be that the commentor wasn't I would start out by saying how much you enjoyed the event, that your kids are still talking about it and that it has fired up their interest in the subject. Then mention that there was an offhand comment made by one of the staffers that you think she should know was overheard. You might make some self deprecating remark about how you know it is odd that a bunch of kids would have been looking forward to dressing up and spending the day at a museum, but that you are concerned that some other parent might have taken the comment out of context and been unnecessarily offended by it. If you keep telling her how great the program was and that the comment might have offended someone else, then I think you will be able to give her a heads up about the comment without making it sound like you are some ungrateful or oversensitive homeschooler. She can take action with the staff, while still keeping face and not deciding homeschoolers are more trouble than they are worth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangermom Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Excellent advice, Sebastian. I think that's a great way to handle it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 FWIW, I have been to homeschool events where I can see the staff commenting in this way- due to the adults not the children. I take stupid remarks like these as opportunities to remind people that all homeschoolers are not alike. Just as with any other types of schoolers, there are always going to be weirdos in the bunch. Exactly. We've showed up to some field trips, and I was mortified to be included in the group. I can't even imagine what the people there thought of homeschoolers when we left. Pajamas worn to the symphony, children climbing everything they could find, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntieM Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Exactly. We've showed up to some field trips, and I was mortified to be included in the group. I can't even imagine what the people there thought of homeschoolers when we left. Pajamas worn to the symphony, children climbing everything they could find, etc. Yes, unfortunately, I have been in the presence of some home school gangs that make public school mobs look like sweet little angels. And worse because, unlike a wild, poorly supervised institutional school field trip group, the bad home school kids' moms are right there and not offering a bit of correction.... OP, you are blessed with what sounds like a lovely support group! FWIW, I was in the museum business for years, and the advice Sebastian gave is very, very good. All docents should receive customer service training in addition to what they learn to share about the exhibits. Sadly, many of them don't think it important. I doubt management shares her opinion, and I am sorry that stray comment spoiled what sounds like an otherwise terrific experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Meh, shake the dust off. Who gives a rat's toot what she thinks. Really, may she be overun by a bunch of ill mannered brats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LUV2EDU Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Today a museum in town did a huge hands-on event for homeschooled kids -the adults were dressed in character, lots of crafts, about 80 kids not including all the babies/toddlers attended...it was something! A female volunteer was standing nearby and asked a man who also worked there what was going on and when he replied that it was a day for homeschoolers she responded with this: "Oh, so we get the weirdos today." :001_huh: I could not believe what I heard! Particularly since all 80 of our kids were sitting together on a lawn waiting patiently for the speaker to begin, no one was running around or having to be spoken to, the moms were visiting with each other since we didn't have to watch our dc every second, trusting that they knew what was appropriate to do/not do. In fact in the hour we had been there waiting for the volunteers to be ready for us there was not one single incident...and there were EIGHTY kids ages 14 and under! And she calls us "weird"?!?! I was nursing my baby when this happened so couldn't go after her, yet I wish I had just to ask why she used such a word to describe us. I don't know if I should address this with the woman who put together this event or not especially since I can't remember the name of the volunteer who made the comment. I would not have been able to hold my tongue. She was bold to say that in a crowd of homeschoolers.:grouphug::grouphug: :grouphug: :glare: Usually people like her don't have a mind of their own. They usually form a negative opinion (on homeschool), based off of other people's opinions. Anything that is different is perceived as weird to them. She probably would have walked away if someone would have asked her to elaborate on her statement. I would have asked her, "Oh! So in your opinion my child is weird? So tell me; how does your foot taste in your mouth?":D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 (edited) I would call thank them for a wonderful time, and let them know that just as an FYI, you overheard a derogatory remark by a staff person. I wouldn't push that you were upset by it. If I was coordinating volunteers, I would want to know that they can be respectful of my organization, a good reflection of the organization, and professional in their dress and manners. It doesn't sound like she quite fit the bill with that one. I would make sure they know how much you enjoyed it, how great the other staffers were, what your families favorite parts were, and a heartfelt thank you from your family. I do agree that weird can mean many things....weirdos doesn't, there is only one usage for that word used in common language. I told off an employee at a local Costco one day because of some very rude homeschool comments she made to the customer ahead of us in line. She was saying we are uneducated, unsocialized, and basically stupid. She was wayyyyyy out of line though and carried on and on.... At the end of my order, I pulled her aside and set her straight, considering my uneducated, unsocialized, and stupid kids were standing within earshot of her entire conversation. It was the only time I have ever taken any anti-hs comment that hard, but it was her tone, and her 'teaching' others (the customers) to think the same way. Honestly, even if she would have been talking about any group of people Jewish, Native American, public schoolers, I would have called her on it, she was over the top. I wish I would have go the manager involved back then, but I don't think about it and LOL I don't think she will do it again, I caught her off guard and laid into her pretty hard. Edited April 23, 2009 by Tap, tap, tap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenny in Florida Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 We've showed up to some field trips, and I was mortified to be included in the group. I can't even imagine what the people there thought of homeschoolers when we left. Pajamas worn to the symphony, children climbing everything they could find, etc. Yep. Just one of the many reasons we finally quit participating in homeschool groups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeatherInWI Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Yep. Just one of the many reasons we finally quit participating in homeschool groups. Eeeek! I've only known one homeschool family with out of control children. Most I know are like what the OP described, calm, helpful, well-behaved, and eager to learn. Maybe it has to do with your area or the type of group. The ones I've been in have been pretty much conservative, non-TV-addicted, health food eating, involved parenting ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravengal Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 I wish I could find a group with well-behaved hs kids. Most of the kids in our local inclusive group are wild! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.