Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Tired of the Question

Ok. Tonight I am going to vent a little frustration. I am so tired of the question "Where did you go to school?" I received that question today and when I told her I got the response "Oh." And that "Oh." had a very negative connotation. People are dead wrong when they think homeschoolers don't have the necessary skills for life. I get so many responses where people are like homeschooling is all well and good, but what about your social activities. Believe me, I am social. So are most home schoolers. I do have a life. I do hang out with other teens. School is not the only place you can hang around people. And maybe there is such a thing as too much socialization? There are times when you need to just be still and reflect on life.
Another common negative view of homeschooling is that we just goof off all day. REALLY! Most states now require that homeschooling families have to be evaluated by a qualified individual. This person reviews all the work that you have done over the year and decides whether it is on par with modern education. If you lag behind, you will have to make some changes. And if you are doing a really bad job, they can report you to the government and your child can be made to attend a formal school. This is not something where the parent has entire control over the school. There are state laws that have to be followed.
So I'm sorry for all the frustration. But 2 additional comments.
1. If you are supportive of homeschooling-thank you!
2. If you are unsupportive of homeschooling-Homeschooling is a federally recognized form of education. Most homeschooling families are doing their jobs the right way. And many homeschooling families get tired of the above views of homeschooling. You're entitled to your own opinion, but please know that you may be causing frustration on the other end.

2 comments:

Kristen said...

i am at your house right now! sweet
www.kristensgrowingpains.blogspot.com

beth ewing said...

ok i'm going to start by saying that i didn't know any homeschool families growing up so when i met you guys i probably had some of the same questions about homeschooled kid (although i would never have been that rude to you). but after getting to know you and leah and some other homeschool kids, i have a completely different view of homeschooling. so just realize that the comments are probably from people that are ignorant of what homeschooling really is. it's really starting to take off in the Christian community and hopefully soon people will realize that homeschool kids are just like other kids. i'm sure there are homeschool kids that fit the descriptions that people say but i'm absolutely sure there are kids in public school that fit the same descriptions. i don't think it has as much to do with where you go to school as to how your parents are raising you. ok i've rambled enough. just know that your parents did what they felt was best for you and you've turned out to be an amazing and well-adjusted young adult. so ignore the ignorant that just want to criticize others for not doing things like they would do.