I'm a former school teacher - which means a lot of my friends are teachers. They are the MOST opinionated about our choice to homeschool - and it's not good. My one sort-of-positive friend is still FULL of advice - "Make sure she does handwriting everyday - and it has to be from her head, not from story prompts. She must do math daily - and this is how, blah blah blah. By December she needs to be doing blah blah, and by February this FOR SURE...." It is ENDLESS. I don't know how to ward this off - I'm really mad, and I don't want to have a 'mad' reaction - but I'm SO TIRED of people offering their opinions and advice when not only completely unsolicited, but utterly inappropriate. HELP!!!:evil:
Because you're dealing with teacher logic, I'd be firm and say something like, "I have the same educational credentials as you do, plus I'm her mom. I know what she needs. Any additional advice is unwelcome." You might add that if you want more advice, you'll ask. that way you don't burn the "advice" bridge. The key is to be firm. Assure her that you appreciate her intentions but that they are unwelcome.
I think I would have said something more like, "REALLY???!!! We have to do math EVERY DAY???!!!" Well, not to everyone. Only the ones who appreciate sarcasm and have the ability to then see how they are coming off to you. Otherwise ignore it or let them know you feel confidently prepared. I also agree about not burning advice bridges. However, if you do....remember we are here for you, too!
Just wait - it gets better!! Soon they'll be trying to find sneaky ways to test your kids! My favourite is when one of my friends says "Your kids are bright! I've asked them questions and they know a lot!" And they say it with such surprise. Here's hoping your friends notice you are doing a great job, and start being a little more supportive. Hopefully they really do mean well.
That's too bad you have to put up with this. I find it kinda funny that they are giving you such advice, seeing as how you are a former teacher. I like how Amie/actressdancer put it. Lay it out to them. Remind them that YOU are a former teacher and KNOW what to do. They are probably intrigued/annoyed/shocked right now but hopefully as time goes on it will become a non-issue with them.
Oh Shut Up and Think Outside the Box...! I just love to use the example of "oh we're baking today". People then look quizzically - often followed by well how does that cover math, english etc.....simple I say.....they read the recipe and they weigh out the ingredients! Simples! :lol: But if you really want to get back at them - here were some of the other ideas/actuallities of what baking can cover for those who bother to see the activitiy and what it covers - rather than see what you want to cover individually and keep making busy work to match.....do something practical! 1. English - Comprehension, grammar, abbreviation usage 2. Reading - speaks for itself 3. Maths - weighing, measuring, counting, comparison, patterns, costs 4. Science - following instructions, behavior of materials, melting points, liquids/solids/gases, boiling points, freezing 5. Cooking - nutritional values, flavors, eating, 6. Experimenting - changing receipies, making adjustments, effects & consequences (cause and effect), 7. Design and Technology - Design, shape, presentation, icing, patterns 8. Art - icing, patterns, presentation 9. Socialisation - ambulance crew, fire brigade, A&E (hummm me thinks MOH is having a giraffe as I make some cup cakes and broke my arm few years ago, or he could be referring to the time at cooking club when I set off the fire alarm 3 times in one session???) 10. Shopping - socialisation, maths, costings, reading, 11. Geography - getting to the shops, navigating around the store Just like the Meerkats - Simples!:shock: I am sure there are many more that can be added if we try?
I think you may just need to educate them. You aren't just transferring the location of the school; you are transforming the way your children are schooled. I think they don't understand that homeschool is a totally different type of education. There have been ideas that have floated around the edu-world but have never be implemented because mass education did not lend itself to the changes. Homeschooling allows us to do what mass-education teachers only dream of doing. When I was in education classes, OBE (outcome based education) was all the rage; I think they call it mastery education now -- the idea that kids get to learn at their own pace and that they must master a topic before moving on. In the OBE days, there was talk about doing away with grades, because some kids could get A's with their eyes closed but never challenge themselves academically and others could struggle, toil and sweat and only get a C when their effort certain deserved an A. Now teachers talk about "individualized" education...but dream as they may about it, it won't work in a classroom of thirty. Anyway, my point is...your teacher friends are thinking about education within the confines of a building...encourage them to see it as education that is free to do what works rather than what is mandated, free to adapt to the child rather than forcing the child to adapt to the method, free to nurture a child's love for learning rather than squash it with the necessary group management tools of worksheets and busy work... They just aren't seeing the possibilities.
When I worked in public school, the teachers who found out I was hs'ing DS immediately "melted" and said enviously, "I wish I could homeschool mine!" (They couldn't because they were working for a living, which I was too but my dh worked from home at the time.) Even the supervisors started sending to me the parents who were asking them about homeschooling. The one who was in charge of testings loaned me standardized tests and used the school's bubble-sheet-reader to score it for me, when it was time for annual achievement tests (on the down-low, of course). I was free to help myself to any sample-sets that were unused, and to any materials and library books that were being discarded that I thought I could use. (And I did!) I worked in a different district than I lived. The public schoolers and other friends at home weren't quite as supportive as the people I worked with were. Does that make any sense?
Alice bang on! Even as I started out on our homeschooling journey I had to let those confines go. I had to think outside the box of what the PS education had taught me was education. When faced with issues we have to think critically as parents to fix the problem. The same is true for teaching our kids. And we can make our kids education as maleable as need be to fit them and our lifestyles. YAY for Homeschool!
Well I am certainly laughing by some of the replies- I think we will have to do a LOT of baking! Ha ha! Yes the emphasis here in Calgary is individualized instruction - which I get to do! As nice as the idea is about educating this groups of ladies, they are truly the most hard headed bunch I have ever worked with, and vocal, too. Even when I was pregnant with DS and still nursing DD - they had opinions about that, too, and the type of birth I should have, and when to come back to work, etc. Etc. So I guess the best thing is ignore it OR give some of the one liners you suggested! I'm preferable to the sarcasm...but that's just me! Hee hee(mischevios grin)
There's a saying with homeschooling: "pass the beandip!". Educating the masses is great, but some folks just REFUSE to listen. I am related to someone like that. There really isn't much you can do but brush it off and move along. They are entitled to their opinions. But you don't have to defend yourself to the comments.
Yes! That is what I was looking for "Pass the bean dip" when it is not really what you want to talk about its easy to interject another question of equally odd suggestions. I had a lot of teacher friends, still do but I have plugged on for now15 years I think it is? Ds was 5 is now 20, he survived! He is studying in College to transfer to a Grad school as a Computer Tech or Graphics style Artist. Had I not done my own way of teaching them I am not sure he would be as outspoken and solid in his beliefs on a variety of things now.
