I know, I know . . . Most people have NO CLUE about homeschooling, in any form of reality . . . But I sometimes get really suprized by WHO is agahst at homeschooling. While checking out about 20 books on oceans at our library, the librarian checking out our books asked if we were homeschoolers. (I was alone, no kids) I told her were were and that we were studying habitats, oceans in particular, right now. That the kids just can't get enough about sharks and whales, right now. With a chuckle under my breath, because I picture them devouring these books. She said, what kind of regulations or rules do you have to follow to teach teach? None, just a bona fide curriculum of reading, writing, grammar and good citizenship, I replied. She was taken aback. Surely, I was leaving out some testing or something. No, Texas considers homeschools private schools and Texas does not regulate private schools. She was beside herself over this. "But how do they know you are doing it right?" I REALLY tried to hide my giggle on that one, because when it comes to ignorance of homeschooling, it really is a legitamate question..... Well, it is like this.... The state regulates those who do work FOR you, not when you do the work yourself. Such as; The state does not investigate the cleanliness of your kitchen monthly, while also approving your menu selections that you feed your children, even though you are not a registered dietician. I mean, the food you feed your children IS important isn't it? Almost MORE important that what they learn, right? She agreed but was still suprized. Not to leave it alone, and to try to figure me out, she asks, "Yea, but do they know that they have to do their work, when it is time to do it? Do they just whine, or do they follow the schedule? I think my eyes crossed at this moment, and I replied. "Of course, they do their work! Just like they brush their teeth when I tell them and they always wear their seatbelt." "Yea but don't they say, "In a minute"? "Kids only do that when you let them." I replied. "Besides, you do not have to force a kid to do something they know they are expected to do, nor do you have to prod a kid to do something they want to do. My kids love to learn and they will eat these books right up!" She just couldn't figure out how come my kids actually LIKED to learn. What do they do for fun, though?, she asked... Ok, at this point I was begining to think you gals had set me up on candid camera. I AM NOT KIDDING! So, I popped off with, soccer, PE, Park Days, Church, BEst friend sleep overs, and feild trips woth friend groups. Pretty much the same thing Public School kids may do in the summer, only for the first four hours of each day, we work on basic school work...everything else is done in groups with friends OUTside of the house. It is MUCH more social and lively than sitting at a desk. Again, she just was taken aback that we could run around doing whatever we wanted with no regulation. "That is just so strange!" Se said. I replied, don't worry. There is a bad apple out there who will ruin it for the rest of us, one day. Their lazyness and in attentiveness will force the state to answer to the people and it will be forced to regulate, yet something else. I wasn't offended, nessasarily. She just did not understand. ------- What I found anoying, was that she was an "Educated" woman, who works with education everyday. I guess she, too has allowed herself to wear the side-blinders of the PS system so long, that anything outside that "Norm" is "Weird." Just dissappointing, that's all.... Thank goodness I am in my second year... And we have like 6 libraries!
Good grief! We're blessed. One of the ladies at our library has 6 kids and HS's. So they are all pretty used to it and I'm guessing they've asked her all their questions. We usually just get the "Do you homeschool?" And that's the end of it.
GO GET 'EM, JEN!!! We have great librarians. They know my kids by name. I think if someone EVER brought me up on "educational neglect" charges, they'd be the first people I would ask to be character witnesses, because they know my kids so well and how much my kids enjoy reading and how they practically LIVE at the library!
Sounds like you handled it great!! You go, girl! Sometimes it is the "educated" people around us who have the most trouble understanding.
She sounds just like my mother-in-law and grand mother-in -law. AAAHHHH!!!!!!! I live that daily. :roll:
Jen you go girl, you tell them.. don't let them mess with us.. we are just regular hsing families... yes there is always a bad apple in every crowd but man she is a ed. women hmmmmm makes you wonder where she went to school.
Our librarians are sooo great! Ours find all sort of stuff especially for us because they know we're counting on them & need it to school. Plus my kids are their best juniour customers. They love us.
Well, like I said, I still like our libraries and the librarians in general, or very nice and very helpfull. I just found it odd that she would seem so UNeducated about it. Then again, it is my perception... I definitely do not plan to not go to the library! I mean she was not nasty or anything, just ignorant, that's all.
I didn't mean to imply anything negative. Our librarians learnt everything they know about homeschooling from us. lol. Just they have been supportive & interested. My girls would always chat to them about the books they were taking & what they were studying. And they gave me a crash course (quite unintentionally) on how to research on the net when I couldn't find what I wanted in a book. Outside their own area most people are fairly ignorant I think; just some are open to learning about something new & others are not & being educated or not seems to have very little to do with that.
Good for you standing up for hs'ers! Some people don't get it, but as she gets to know you better maybe she'll be one our biggest supporters! Our librarian knows we hs, she has never said anything (it would be unprofessional to say anything negative anyways), but I get the vibe that she's not all that into the idea. Another worker there is all for it though. You'll never get everyone to agree on anything, and I guess that's how it ought to be.
Our librarians are great. They know all the kids by name and they are the only adults (outside of family and close friends) that ds will go up to on his own to ask something. I wish I could take them with us when we move in a couple of years!
This is the time of the year that everyone is asking my kids if they are ready to go back to school. Of course they reply with "we're being homeschooled". I just had a similar thing happen to me with one of the checkers at walmart when that question was brought up.Her facial expression completely changed and I thought that ladies eyes were going to pop right out of her head..NO KIDDING!! Her eyes got so big when she found out that the state doesn't give us our curriculum and that there was no testing that would have to be done. She even held up the line quizing me on how we could school our children and not have anyone regulating us.She said that SOMEONE has to make sure that it's being done right. I told her basically the same things you did. That in Texas homeschooling is considered private school and the state has no jurisdiction over us as long as we are schooling in a "bona fide" way. After about 10 minutes of being interrogated by this checker I finally gave up and just walked away. By that time the line behind me had gotten quite long. It was quite embarrasing. I'm avoiding that cashier from now on. Angela
I did have a friend act very shocked when I said we didn't have to submit anything or have any kind of supervision. She just couldn't believe it. I'm thinking, "Ummm...I am a certified teacher and YOU are the one who flunked out of college for partying. (She later went back and got her teaching certificate and was GREAT at that until she quit. But that;s another story!) What do you think I am going to do to my kid that is so terrible??"
Sounds like you handled it perfectly, Jen. You explained great without being insulting. A great example of a homeschooling mom! Thanks for representing us well.
Jen, that is what I thought I was just being a smart ---. Sorry.. I just hear those remarks all the time from my family that it doesn't even surprise me anymore.
What's funny is, Hubba will say something all wrong and if I say "oh no it's....." or "are you sure?" He says "Well I don't know (or what do you expect). I went to public school!" :lol: He's a goober!
