homeschoolers... i have a question...

[zehava]

what's your answer when people ask 'what school do your kids/you go to?' (or similar questions - like what grade they/you are in, do you/they like school... etc...)

i'm curious. i know some homeschoolers actually give their 'school' a name. some answer 'we homeschool' and others tell the questioners it's none of their business what school their kids go to (and to some extent i have to agree ;), but many people ask in the name of making polite conversation).

if my kids are asked this question directly (usually by some adult in public during traditional school hours... 'why aren't you in school?') they just say 'we're homeschooled' - if pressed or questioned further they generally say something like 'yeeesh, you don't need to be IN a school building to learn you know' or 'we learn stuff all the time... everything we do teaches us something' (i did not prompt those answers in them... they just came up with them on their own after many-a-well-meaning-question).

if i'm asked i generally just say 'i home school them'.

so... what's your answer to that question?

-z

[Ceres]

i answer we homeschool. my kids have come out with various answers to the who what where how why when that adults ask and sometimes they are quite funny. my oldest tells ppl that no her mother doesnt teach her, she teaches herself. that always guarantees a blank stare lol. my youngest (4) tells ppl he IS going to go to school which is funny...i cant imagine why he got the idea he is when our family has always homeschooled. i love to tell ppl i have never made them do formal sit down work, yet they learn anyway....ppl have a hard time getting their heads around that.

[ladyalpha]

I also just say that they are homeschooled. Due to the fact that my oldest decided to go to kindergarten and first grade in a public school, they both use grade levels when asked what grade they are in. But, I haven't been asked when we are out during "school" hours.
The biggest thing I still get is..Why did you choose to homeschool?..when I or my children respond. I just state my reasons and the conversation is over. But, I admit, I still get tired of answering that. And getting the "look" that usually goes with it. I think it is very rude, even though they obviously aren't meaning to be. And I also feel like in some respects it can make my kids think that our choice is wrong in some way.
I hope that by the fact that they are learning as they always did, even when my oldest was attending public school, that they are able to see that it is just because some do not choose this path, so they are curious. And then can just go on with their day.

I have found though that my kids naturally just know when a person may be questioning even before the person says anything. They were outside eating lunch one day, and our next door neighbor came over. And while all she had said was hi, my 7 year old volunteered to her that they were on a lunch break, and that they were homeschooled. The lady said that was nice that they got to eat outside and went on her way.
Whether the lady was going to say something or not, I don't know. But, my daughter nipped it in the bud right in the start, all on her own. lol

One thing I have done though is to start working more on stranger safety. Because one day they will find themselves on the internet and as sad as it makes me, away from me in public. (I'm in denial that they will ever grow up. lol). And adults do tend to ask a lot of questions when just idle chatting at a store. So I have told them to only answer with, I'm homeschooled. Or I am in second grade..kindgergarten.
Because I think while people are well meaning. Sometimes it does start feeling like they are trying to write a book on the children, in those few minutes. I had one woman ask, what grade are you in..do you go to school around here..which one. Even I as an adult was uncomfortable, so I can imagine my children were too.
I don't promote rudeness. So my children politely answered with their grade and that they were homeschooled. And that ended that.

ladyalpha

[Nishtha]

I just answer "I'm homeschooled". If they wanna know why, I answer with "My parents don't like public school". It's as simple as that for me. :)

[Shanti]

I say my kids are homeschooled.
As to what grade, in Wi we can have our kids listed as ungraded, which is great because my daughter is 6 yrs old and is doing second grade math, 3rd grade reading, 4th-5th grade science and so on. So when some one ask what grade I say she is at differant levels in the various subjects.

[KimberSly]

When I was asked, I said I was homeschooled. Almost immidiately they would be like "WHAT 'BOUT SOCIALIZATIUN???" or "HOW ARE YOU GOING TO GET INTO COLLEGE WITHOUT A DIPLOMA???" After a while Is tarted getting mad at people for being so ignorant.

Then I realised that they weren't ignorant, they just didn't know. You can't expect everyone to know everything about everything. :lol:

Still... sometimes I just sigh and want to make the conversation as short as possible. lol

[SylvanFae]

I'm proud to be homeschooling, so I just say that we homeschool. :D My girls will also say that we do homeschool. We love it!

Are any of you on the PaganHomeSchool (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Paganhomeschool/) Yahoo Group? Mystic Mamas (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mysticmamas/) is another great one.

~Sylvan Fae

[misschief]

my kids are not home schooled... they had a little 'adjustment issue' i guess you could say, and i felt it was important for them to be around the public. they were severely abused by their bio. father.. he almost killed them.. so they were terrified of men, so.. i decided they needed to find out they would be ok away from mommy...

but anyway.. i've always been interested in home schooling... just never taken the time to do anything about it. maybe when they get older.. who knows. i think those of you who do it are awesome tho... it's a great idea for me, but i'm not really sure i have the patience.. lol.

[misschief]

I say my kids are homeschooled.
As to what grade, in Wi we can have our kids listed as ungraded, which is great because my daughter is 6 yrs old and is doing second grade math, 3rd grade reading, 4th-5th grade science and so on. So when some one ask what grade I say she is at differant levels in the various subjects.shanti.. i know i've never said anything.. but i just think you are awesome. you make everything sound so easy. your children are really lucky to have you!:uhhuhuh:

[Shanti]

shanti.. i know i've never said anything.. but i just think you are awesome. you make everything sound so easy. your children are really lucky to have you!:uhhuhuh:
:bigredblu Thank you!

[FlyingBear]

We're planning on homeschooling Sophia when she's ready. Still trying to figure out how * exactly* to start tho....

[zehava]

my kids are not home schooled... they had a little 'adjustment issue' i guess you could say, and i felt it was important for them to be around the public. they were severely abused by their bio. father.. he almost killed them.. so they were terrified of men, so.. i decided they needed to find out they would be ok away from mommy...

but anyway.. i've always been interested in home schooling... just never taken the time to do anything about it. maybe when they get older.. who knows. i think those of you who do it are awesome tho... it's a great idea for me, but i'm not really sure i have the patience.. lol.

((((hug))))) for your kidlets and you.

as for the patience issue... i thought i wouldn't have it either... but i'm finding i don't NEED it. in fact, i need less patience homeschooling full time than i did doing public school homework with my daughter (when she was in public school). there isn't the same stress factor (for us) that there was in doing public school work. if we don't get it done today, no biggie, we'll do it tomorrow, next week, when they're interested again... instead 'this HAS to be done by tomorrow or you'll get a bad grade/get in trouble/fall behind'. there's no rush on their learning, so no real 'patience' issues, kwim? :)

-z

[Ceres]

my experience is simliar zehava. ppl think it must take a superhuman effort and tremendous patience but i think its actually easier. in fact, most parents i know with kids in public school actually spend MORE time on homework alone than i spend altogether on academic work. the things i do that take the time and patience are actually very enjoyable. i love taking them on field trips and hikes and to museums and libraries.
flying bear - i am betting u have been unschooling all along and dont even need to do anything different than what u have been doing. have u read john holt's "teach your own" yet?

[zehava]

my experience is simliar zehava. ppl think it must take a superhuman effort and tremendous patience but i think its actually easier. in fact, most parents i know with kids in public school actually spend MORE time on homework alone than i spend altogether on academic work. the things i do that take the time and patience are actually very enjoyable. i love taking them on field trips and hikes and to museums and libraries

:D i love doing that stuff too... and the kids seems to like it because generally i let them lead - so if one of them is interested in the library, we go; or if one of them wants to see 'old stuff' we go to a museum; when they want to see bugs, we go outside, etc. most of the time they don't really think of it as 'schooling' at all, just going out and doing something they want to do and are enjoying at the moment, which makes it fun for me too :) the minute *i* pull out the 'homeschooling stuff' they resist. if i just leave it within their reach all the time, they're quite happy to go at it on their own and come to me only when they want to show me what they've figured out or ask me to read them a few 'long words' from the books.

alrighty, that was off the original topic, but what the heck. lol.

and, yes, books by John Holt are great reading for just about anyone with kids, but especially for home/unschooling parents :)

-z