RE: Homeschool Horror

Posted by courtney on 08.19.09 @ 07:01 PM

I'm a homeschooling mom. I don't wear braids in my hair. My children are not locked up. Matter of factly, they are on their way out to a swim party with some neighborhood kids that attend one of the local churches. And guess what? I'm not a Christian! lol. I'M A JEW! I don't control my children's socialization SO much so that they aren't allowed to socialize within other groups of other well behaved children, even if those kids are not of our faith. To my knowledge, I don't appear scary to my neighbors. Our children function well within our neighborhood and society in general. I go shopping, I go to the library, I eat dinner with my kids and find out what their day has been like, because yes "Virginia, there is time apart from dear ole mom and dad." My children function well amidst the ederly, within their peer groups, within our home. People who know or don't know us say it's a great thing that we choose to homeschool and often wish they could do it themselves, but can't due to their situations and circumstances. Also, for two months while awaiting our home to be made ready after a move from Oregon to Arkansas, my oldest attended public school. She began first grade, but tested in most subjects within the third grade range. She'd been doing so since kindergarten and SHE is the one who can't wait to pack her head with even more information. She desires it, craves it. I have to be the one to slow her down a little to make sure she can handle all the material she's taking in and isn't just memorizing or skipping around. As far as your neighbor whose kids dropped out and got pregnant.. what kind of parent was she? Not one like you I'd hope. There are good groups of parents out there who teach their kids. Then there are parents out there who stumble around too bumfuzzled to know their heads from a hole in the ground and should NOT be teaching their kids and their kids probably SHOULD be in public school. I know parents who only took their kids out of school because they didn't like getting up early in the morning and weren't teaching their kids too much of anything. HOWEVER, just like with anything.. you can't heap good honest homeschooling parents in with those bad unfortunate few. It's almost like you can't confuse good loving noncustodial deadbroke fathers in with those no good noncustodial deadbeat fathers. The difference between you and me, simple education on the matter. Perhaps you might like to go and get some. Blessings to you and yours from a "crazy homeschooler" in Arkansas.