Mistreated at The Nutcracker because we are homeschoolers!

That is just horrible!! Please let us know if you are able to talk to anyone who can help make sure that doesn't happen again. The last major performance my homeschool group attended we were told it was first come first serve for seating too and they respected that we got there first. I hope you can get it all sorted out so you guys can enjoy future performances.

Oh and I also am not anti-teacher, especially since I was one for a number of years. I decided to homeschool so my kids could see their father who works most weekends. It has turned out to be the best decision I ever made and we are now planning to do it all the way through high school. Funny thing is that most of the homeschool moms that I knew in CA were former teachers.

 

I better not be anti-teacher, since dh is a public school teacher!!!

 

I don't really understand this at all. I have never met a carpenter who would think I didn't like carpenters because I decided to build my own deck. Do people who work at a bakery get put out because I choose to make my bread and cookies rather than buy the ones at the bakery? Do farmers get put out because I have a garden? I have no problem with teachers at all. I'm very thankful for those who take on the often thankless job of teaching. I have met great ones and bad ones just like I have met good mechanics and bad ones.

I realize some people might choose to homeschool because they had a bad experience with public schools in some manner but I don't think that is why most of us do it. Perhaps that is where the misconception lies. Maybe the general population thinks we all have a problem with public schools. I suppose a lot of homeschoolers who do probably let their voice be heard loud and clear.

I simply have a different lifestyle than others and choose to homeschool for a variety of reasons none of which related to public schools in the least. They actually are pretty decent in my area owing to the fact I live in upper class suburban area that is pretty family oriented and has lots of involved parents.

 

My husband is returning to college...he is considering finishing up with a teaching degree. He would be an amazing teacher. I truly believe it's his calling. To bad it took him 39 years to realize it. lol.

 

ok, I need to say this hope it doesn't start something but-- where did people get the idea that home schoolers don't like teachers?
We just don't care for the way th government tries to do things with our kids, force you union teachers to have to do things their way even. Some of us have children that the system would have failed by not allowing them to move ahead as swiftly as they learned, or held them back because of what they deemed learning problems, where as these children thrive with individual attention I have not ever blamed a teacher for the problems in my areas education. I have good friends who teach in public and private schools alike. We like to exchange ideas even!
That said--- I have been known to put down as my employment record on things -- Teacher, it is what I am. It is what I do, teach.

 

RENMEW
All homeschoolers don't dislike teachers. My son had some wonderful teachers when he went to school. He also had some pretty bad ones. My son just didn't take to school because he felt that he wasn't learning anything and so did I. He was bored to tears and wasn‘t allowed to move ahead. Some of my closest friends are PS teachers and they support Homeschooling 100%. A lot of them even helped a bunch during our first year.

I have a problem with rude people in general be they teachers or not who feel that it is appropriate to discriminate against homeschoolers because they do not attend PS. I am glad I wasn’t there at the nutcracker because we probably would have been asked to leave. I have no sense ( Really!) and I would have caused a scene. I know not good but I know how I am.

 

It sounds like it was a horrible experience. However, I see that the group was told that it was for public schooled children and a diligent mom prodded them into letting the group attend. Honestly, it sounds as if the group was never welcome and that the staff saw fit to make sure the group wouldn't want to attend again.
I agree with pp's suggestions about attending as a private school or private education group. I would say our private education group-insert name here- would like to purchase tickets for -insert event here-. Most schools go to field trips in school t-shirts or sweat shirts. It makes a big difference in how you are perceived if you look like a group. Our group made some cheaply with computer generated iron-on transfers from Micheal's.
I'm not saying this is what happened b/c I have no idea, but if your group showed up to an event geared to public school then there should have been no small children or infants and a specific number of parent volunteers. It probably was specific grade levels invited. A homeschool group with many moms, babies, toddlers, preschoolers and school aged children would stand out. I know at homeschool friendly field trips which usually involve only our group that there is the whole family-from the nursing baby to the graduating senior-attending. If this is how your group showed up to an event geared to public schools, then I do not find it odd that the public schools were seated first.
The parent that prodded them into including your group needed to find out specifics about how many kids could be in a group with how many parent chaperones and whether younger siblings could attend. Again, I have no idea the size of your group; but, a homeschool group is a very different dynamic than a public school event geared to specific ages. Public schools take specific grades, teachers, maybe 2 but most likely 1 class mom or dad to help, and the kids.
Again, I have no idea what your group dynamic was or how many whole families attended. Most performances geared to public schools have requirements of the school-specific grades/ages are invited to attend, sometimes it stipulates that no parents may accompany the children, parent volunteers (class mom/class dad) can not bring younger siblings...that sort of thing.
How large is your group? How many parents? Did whole families attend? Did your group have a specific person in charge? Were there children outside what would be considered age appropriate for the performance?
Did the person arranging the field trip get the guidelines that were given to the public school regarding the field trip?
I am not saying that their behavior wasn't horrible, but maybe being prodded into including the group to a public school event was not the best thing for anyone involved.
I went back and re-read. I see your group is 18 families. Did all 18 families attend? Were there specific chaperones and a specific person in charge? Did your group look like an education group or did they look like a whole group of families attending together? Since you said you and the head of the group didn't attend b/c of illness, I am picturing 18 families showing up to an event geared to public school with whole families and multiple age groups. Public schools are given specific guidelines for field trips that often come from the event coordinator.

 

Um. Isn't this discrimination?