Oh man! I brought this on myself, and I knew it, the moment I did it. (Like when you realise you left your keys in your locked car,just as the door closes.... :cry: ) Me and the triplets of terror decided, at the last minute to run to the library. We had a few items due and dinner was already done, etc... The kids were playing, quite well with a couple of little girls. They have toys in the the kids section. As I sat on a step stool, browsing through the early readers, I enjoyed listening to them play. I also heard the girl's mother talking. Then it all went soooo wrong... I decided to get up. DUMB. This led to me being eye level with the mother. CRAP. This led to me speaking to her. OH HELL. And when she asked what grade they were in, what to my wondering brain did I spit out? OH WE HOMESCHOOL. AARRGGHHH! WHAT WAS I THINKING?????!!!!!! She proceeded to tell me that she was a highschool teacher at the highschool, that is next door. She just AHD to know WHY I would HS. She would ask pointed questions such as, what are their birthdays? (And press to know the exact date.) No I did not give them to her, I simply returned the question of WHY she wanted to know their birthdates. Meanwhile, I am walking around the bookshelves, trying to get away from her, as she is following me around. AAHHHH!!! She tried to tell me stories of Spelling Bee kids and her cousin's kid who is soooo far behind. sigh... She then turned to her kids and said, "We have to go pick up your sister from the sitters and the you want to go to Whataburger for supper? Finally I turned around and said, "THAT'S WHY!!! BWAAA HAAAAA HAAAA HAAAA BAMB!
My favorite PS teacher quotes: But your daughter would be so good for ___________ school, they really need kids like her. My answer - but what would ______school do for her? A highschool teacher who told me in front of her own daughter- no wonder that lady in TX killed her kids, she homeschooled. I would too if I had to be home with them all day. Gee, don't you just want your kid to spend the day with someone who is so fond of kids! Of course, I have several PS teachers I really respect - most of them are homeschooling their own kids! Marti
I had a great talk with a lady the other day and she just couldn't find enough good things to say about HS. I was loving it! She told me I was doing the right thing. When we were getting ready to leave, she told me she was a retired PS teacher and that PS is NOT a place for kids! Wow! WE haven't told my DH family yet. We'll get a lot of opinions then! One cousin is principal,another teaches middle school( she'll probably quiz my kids ). Oh well. I'm not doing it for her!
I got a few like that but camping last weekend I talked to a retired PS teacher... he told me he believes that "nowadays" everyone should HS. BUt in October I had some Teacher damanding to know which state standards I covered at the corn maze. *rolls eyes*
So far I think I've been lucky. No one has really said anything negative about me homeschooling. As a matter of fact I have had three family members come to me to tell me about other people they have met that also homeschool. My very close family supports me only because I asked them to. (If you have a problem with my decision, feel free to gripe about it to eachother just don't let me hear it. I need your support.) My in laws would probably rather I didn't step outside of "the box" as much as I do. (homeschooling being just the lates in a long line of out of the box behavior) I think because some of the schools in my area do year round school, no one asks me why they aren't in school or anything. I have to say that I'd probably not be a great spokesperson for homeschooling. I tend to stammer and sputter when questioned. Jen--You go girl!!! Perfect answer for the situation.
My response would be to politely inform them that *I* don't interfer with THIER teaching, so why do they feel they have the right to interfer with MINE? They need to be responsible for the kids they were given. Once THOSE kids are being educated consistently and properly, then maybe I'll pay a little more attention. If polite didn't work, I would probably point-blank tell her that my kids were none of her business!
I have had several ps teachers, including my fil, who said that hs was the way to go. I have got a ton of support from outsiders. Not that I give a hoot what a ps teacher or anyone else thinks anyway. I also did get the responses that the schools would be better if parents like me would put their kids in school and then get on the PTA or something. WHATEVER. That is such a stupid thing to say. Yeah, it would be better for the school since schools get $$$ by the number of students. However, my kids would not be better for it.
I haven't told our neighbors about our decision to HS. I have talked about it several times. I'm waiting until PS is over. My 9yo is currently in 3rd grade. He has 3 more weeks! I can't wait until he's finished! Anyway, my neighbor is the PTA president! And I know that she thinks if I would spend more time at the school it would really help. But I don't see how making copies and grading papers is going to help MY child.
Sad that some people think homeschooling is so wrong. I taught ps myself and I think it is great. I saw the benefits long before I quit teaching and started homeschooling my own kids. I would never dare try to tell anyone how to raise their child...much less tell them where and how they should school them. HOW RUDE! Somebody needs to teach that teacher some lessons in manners!!! I guess you don't get that in public school, huh?
until the end of the world there will always be a big debate on what is better ps or hs, or SAHM VS: working mom.
Yes, Amy I have to agree with you. I have family members whom we haven't talked to in years because all they do is quiz the girls and make fun of them because we hs. I did give in to talk to one sister not long ago and what a mistake that was. Thank god for all my wonderful friends here on line. Thats what keeps me going.
What else do you do that is "Out of the Box"? I am considered weird because my children have never been to day care, never been to a baby sitter, nothing... always with me or daddy. With the exception of two times, when DH and I found something at the movies we actually wanted to see. And even then, it was a VERY close fam member who sat them. For that, my family calls me weird.
Jennifer, guess I will have to join your club for weird then my kids had only been to a babysitter twice. Never went to daycare. Always with me or dh.
Jen- re sitters my kids are almost 15, 12 and 8, an I can count on my right hand the amount of times I have allowed someone else to sit them. The older one watches them now and then when hubby and I go grocery shopping together and that is more than I have had outside of family sit with them. So, if its this common then according to the Websters dictionary we are normal now, because Norm = what is common lol. Re- Homeschooling and government school teachers... I have a sis in law who teaches in PS, she thinks home school is great. Thinks she is needed as a teacher at Ps though so her dd goes to a sitter. Will be in Kgarden this fall. But- I have had my share of stranger-teachers who have questioned my ability to home teach. I have now the back up of the facts... in our local schools the teachers have had as much and some less education than I have. I was shocked as my tax money is still paying these teachers and I don't get anything for my hard work all these years but the knowledge that my kids were not subject to the immoral teachings of the ps in my area. I thank the Lord for that! Basically we teach at home because we want our children to get a better education. But thats just my two cents worth... TMom
We don't have cable TV...that's another "out of the box" things! I am blessed with wonderfully supportive family, and DH's family, while not "supportive", are not unsupportive. (IE: My MIL has learned finally that sometimes its better to remain silent if speaking isn't going to change the situation.) My personal opinion is that many retired teachers have seen how public education, partly due to behavior, has gone down hill so quickly. They are the ones who are encouraging of hs'ing.
This is such a great thread! It's funny how your family is the hardest to deal with at times. We haven't told DHs family yet. Well, they know we are HSing our 4 and 5yo. They just smile, like oh, how cute. But they don't view it as "real" school. They're going to freak when the kids don't go to PS in the fall!!!!!! They think "it was good enough for our kids".
I would't mind getting rid of the cable. I am the kind of person that can livewithout a tv at all. But it is my husbands one and only vice and toy. Considering that, I would have to say, let'em have it. My one and only toy - vice is the computer (Can you tell?!) I could live without it, bit it would byte. << See pun???)
we have cable, but it seams that our shows are all on regular channels......... except for the food network and the disney chanel and sprout. We had one baby sitter that was our neighbor when the twins were young, the other ones only have had Grandma babysit.
I have one family that Babysits for me and they are the only ones. They HS and have 6 kids.. the oldest kids watch Sami sometimes. Sami dosn't realize she's being Babysat though... She thinks she gets to go play with her friends for a little bit. I used to not have Cable and I didn't miss it. We only get PBS without it and we mostly watch videos. I just got Cable though a few months ago... now I only ever watch TLC cause I like to see how they organize and decorate stuff. I was just yesterday thinking that Cable costs an awful lot just for TLC and the occasional History channel show. I'm like Jennifer.. The computer is my one vice... Sometimes through the computer is the only time I talk to adults for weeks at a time. I'm might go crazy if It broke!
I am with you on that! We just moved here, about two months ago (To the city). Where we lived, high speed internet was not an option. We sank tooooooo much moneu into the satellite dish internet. It was a HUGE bust. That took a while to get over. So I only had dial up... forver... When we moved, here. We kept the cell phone (My husbands' is needed for work and they pay for his. I am usually alone with the kids, so he requires me to have one. So WHY get a house phone line, righ? So we have no hard line phone and that means no dial up. BUT! Since we are not paying the nearly $40 a month for the phone and $11 for the dial up, I can take that money as use it for $55 fo the cable high speed internet! WHOOOOO HOOOOO! I had no idea the internet had THIS much stuf fon it! Or that there were so many things to DO and SEE!!! WHEEEEEEEE!!!! (I will eventually calm down, but right now, I am having fun watching pages laod sooo fast!) << Yes, easily ammused!
