Straight Talk
A while ago, I came across this wonderful blog post by another homeschooling mom, Kris. The article was so funny, and so true, I wanted to share it with all of you. Here is a snip, and please do go read the whole article on Kris' blog, Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers:
A typical reaction that I get when I tell people that I homeschool my three boys (or two and a half, since Jabin goes to kindergarten 2 days a week right now) is a look of awe, as though I just became somehow superhuman. Or maybe it's not awe, but fear--the kind of fear you feel when you realize you are sitting next to a psychopath! Like, "Where's the white jacket?! This woman must be off the deep end!"
However, I take it for a kind of awe, because it is usually followed up by the comment, "I could never homeschool. I don't have the patience." Those that reflect on it a little more deeply sometimes get this overwhelmed look on their faces as they contemplate what homeschooling their particular offspring would entail in greater detail--a look that often reflects the way I feel. (Well, maybe not so much now, but I felt it often when I started out.) Maybe that's why I love Kris' first point so much:
It's not meant to convince anyone to homeschool, just to give a little more insight into those of us who do.
Enjoy the article!
The Public School Parents' Guide to Homeschool Parents
We all know that there are a lot of misconceptions about homeschoolers, and, while most of those tend to be centered around the kids, there are a lot of misconceptions about homeschool moms (and dads), as well. I'm often surprised to hear some of the things that people who don't homeschool think about homeschoolers. I guess I shouldn't be. I used to be a public school mom (for two years) and I imagine that I thought some of these things, too, though it's been so long, I really can't recall for sure...
A typical reaction that I get when I tell people that I homeschool my three boys (or two and a half, since Jabin goes to kindergarten 2 days a week right now) is a look of awe, as though I just became somehow superhuman. Or maybe it's not awe, but fear--the kind of fear you feel when you realize you are sitting next to a psychopath! Like, "Where's the white jacket?! This woman must be off the deep end!"
However, I take it for a kind of awe, because it is usually followed up by the comment, "I could never homeschool. I don't have the patience." Those that reflect on it a little more deeply sometimes get this overwhelmed look on their faces as they contemplate what homeschooling their particular offspring would entail in greater detail--a look that often reflects the way I feel. (Well, maybe not so much now, but I felt it often when I started out.) Maybe that's why I love Kris' first point so much:
1. We do not have superhuman patience. I can't tell you the number of people who say to me, "I couldn't homeschool; I don't have enough patience" or some variation thereof. Let me tell you, my name and patience rarely occur in the same sentence unless someone is saying, "Kris has no patience."
I have told people, "I know that homeschooling isn't for everyone and I'm not suggesting that you should homeschool, but if you're going to give me an excuse, you'll have to come up with a better one than that because if I have enough patience to homeschool, anybody does!"
When we first began homeschooling, I told the neighbors, "If you come home from work one afternoon and there is yellow police tape around the house, you'll know that one of us [the kids or I] ran out of patience." So far, we've all survived, but seriously? I've done homework with my oldest when she was in public school. So far, my worst day of homeschooling hasn't been any worse than my worst night of homework.
It's not meant to convince anyone to homeschool, just to give a little more insight into those of us who do.
Enjoy the article!