homeschooling? i want to thank everyone for welcoming me and helping me with my how to afford question. i have learned so much in a week!! i really like rod and staff and FIAR an abeka so far. i was wondering how to handle the "are you crazy?" comments when we tell people we are going to hs?
I just tell people that it was Randall and I my choice. We did it because we felt she could get a better education. Then when the big S word is brought up I start saying oh did I not mention she is in karate, drum lesson, homeschool activities and church functions. How would like to be me for a week. We stay in the road for the big S word.
You know, honestly, since informing people that we're homeschooling I have probably gotten 2 or 3 negative responses and they were only about "lack of socialization" LOL! That's a good one!! :lol: Most everyone responds with enthusiasm because they can tell that I am enthusiastic about it! A lot of how people react is going to be directly linked to how you portray yourself and how much YOU support your decision to educate at home. KWIM? Here's a list of the top reasons people choose to hs. It really encouraged me. And I'm sure you could find many things to say in response to someone's negative comments. http://www.nhen.org/newhser/default.asp?id=228 Try not to let what other people say matter, though. You need to focus on the wonderful things you're doing for and with your child! Take care.
You know, Valerie, that's a very good point! If we are hesitant, not sure about our decision, people pick up on it and are much quicker to express their doubts. But if we have a "This is so wonderful! I love being home with my kids all day, and....." attitude, they are a bit more hesitant to bring up negative thoughts. My "ace in the hole" comment is "This is what DH and I feel is God's will for OUR FAMILY, and we've found it very rewarding. We will continue to do this until we feel God tells us otherwise." That way, if they don't like it, they can argue with God about it, LOL!
I always tell people we just think its what's best for our family. We don't like the school district we are in, at 2 years old, my son has the reading level of a 5 year old. Sending him to public school would be delaying him. WHY WOULD I INTENTIONALLY MAKE MY KID DUMBER THAN HE NEEDS TO BE? and if people still give me guff I tll them to read "Dumbing down our kids, why american children feel good about themselves but can't read, write, or add" by Charles J. Sykes. That book really cemented my decision for hs'ing. elissa
Hi, Elissa! I KNOW your school district! I went to Bowling Green, and spent some time in a hearing impaired classroom in Toledo. I've always said that if I had a deaf child in Toledo, I'd move!!! Of course, that was about 100 years ago :roll: !!! I'm sure things have changed since then, but I doubt it was for the better! So I'm down here, my DH teaching in Columbus, where a principal was just fired for not calling the police over a handicapped kid being forced to have oral s-e-x while someone else video taped it :shock: . Gee! And people wonder why we homeschool!!!
I have to make my post short (I hate it when that happens :wink: )..... When my mom was so upset--in tears and screaming at me, no less--I just told her that time would tell and that 20 years from now she would be proud that her grandchildren were homeschooled. She said "well, we'll just see". I get nothing but compliments on my children's manners when we are out and that they are able and eager to carry on conversations with adults they meet. I think that was the first reinforcement for me that they were maturing at a better rate than their public school, peer dependent counterparts. It just gets better from there with the socialization issue. And I agree that your resolve to homeschool makes ALL the difference!
When people ask me why I homeschool I simply reply I like being with my children, dont you? Depending on who is doing the asking I also have said that I believe God has given each of us different gifts and talents. Mine just happens to be being a hsing mom. (The person that was asking is a nurse) So I continued to tell her that God called her to be a nurse.
"Are you crazy?" NO! Just in touch with my children's needs... (what more can they say after that) Brenda
I have used lots of different ones over the years... I guess, I kind of feel them out first. For example, my most recent reply was to a ps teacher who IMMEDIATE:LY responded *what about testing in the 3rd and 5th grade?*... My response was THIRD GRADE and FIFTH grade, I would lose my child by then. I test them YEARLY. The state of Texas standards are NOT my standards, I usually demand more.... Actually, she was really surprised..and taken back and it ended up being a very positive comments. However, for the most part, I reply that I homeschool because God gave these children to us and we want is best for them. Since I know the S word is coming i follow by *yes we are so socially connected I might have to cut back some so that we get our academics done between all the activities we have going on*
My kids are part of a homeschool 4-H group. A few years back (before we were part!) they discovered that a WONDERFUL fund raiser was a "Hoe Down". We rent out this big church, encourage people to come dressed up in pioneer/western costume, have a Silent Auction and a Bake Sale. Last year, you could put someone in JAIL for $1, and the person had to sing a song to get out! Plus we have a super square dance caller, who assumes no one knows ANYTHING and everyone has a blast! Well, this year, my BIL (who is a former youth pastor, and knows what EVERYONE knows...that you can identify HS'ed kids right away, because they have such difficulty getting along with their peers) sets up the church for Sunday AM services. So he was there, watching all this. He really had no idea who had rented the place, and asked me how I was involved with all these people. So I told him it was my kids' 4-H group, and that about 95% of the kids present were homeschooled. Boy, THAT was an eye-opener!!! (I got a kick out of it ) Were they behaving "just like his youth group?" Honestly, the answer would probably be NO! His youth group wouldn't be caught DEAD at something like that, with the teens dancing with thier parents and little brothers and sisters, and having a good time. Guess enjoying time with others outside their own age group really isn't "true" socialization, now, is it?
YES! I'm in Toledo public schools! I love my house, I love my community (way out in the country, so why am I in the inner city school district???????????) but as you can imagine, I don't like inner city schools. I can't afford private school without goint back to work (teaching oddly enough) so why don't I just skip that whole process and teach them myself elissa
Elissa, since you're in Ohio, let me put in (another :roll: ) plug for the homeschool conference in Columbus. CHEO is held June 23-25. For more information, check out: www.cheohome.org I strongly encourage you to attend, even if it's just for one day. You come back renewed and encouraged. Plus you can get your materials in the Vendor Hall for the cheaper rates without paying postage. You're only 2-3 hours away; it'd be well worth the trip! We drove up to Toledo last month during DH's spring break to see the Ancient Artifacts at the Toledo Art Museum. It was SO COOL to see something from Sennecharib's palace, and Nebechenezer's palace!!! And the cuiniform writing!!! (We were studying ancient civilizations this year!)
