That is one great thing about the growth of homeschooling - we have tons of options in how we do it and not all of them are at home. I’m very thankful to the pioneers of the homeschooling movement that have paved the way for me.

I’m sure those questions are just as frustrating to you as people saying (once finding out my oldest is an insulin dependent diabetic) - “Oh, I guess he can’t eat sugar. Does he have a special diet?” Mostly it’s just ignorance of what diabetes entails. I’m sure some of the homeschooling comments come from parents who just don’t understand the homeschooling option.

And…just as an afterthought - just because I don’t remember much from algebra 2 in 11th grade doesn’t mean my teacher wasn’t very good (actually it was Christian school). It just means my old brain has forgotten way too much. I don’t think it matter what kind of teacher anyone has - there are some subjects (for me, MATH) that I just hae no desire to retain - especially if I don’t use ALGEBRA concepts on a daily basis.

It’s also possible he changed his mind since then, too. It really didn’t matter to me what the staff thought of it - I was still going to do it, but it can be uncomfortable. I can remember being so very sad one year at the beginning of the school year when someone mentioned (it may have been just during the welcome/announcements not the sermon) how great it was that school had started again and people clapped and cheered.

Probably just a combination of lots of little things made me feel that way - not that it should have. It just did.

In our old building, our staff was supportive of the science classes using our kitchen (health code violations, anyone?) and held homeschool graduation ceremonies. We were supportive of a local private school using our building for physical education and other needed classroom space.

So, frankly…I don’t know where that vibe has come from…other than the reality that once high school rolled around, all the staff children who’ve been students since I came on staff were public schooled.

I will say that I think it is becoming more “normal” and homeschoolers aren’t the oddballs we used to be. There’s more of us and people are more used to us.

And to the people who would say that to you about homeschooling being the biblical way to educate children? *roll eyes* When I first started homeschooling another homeschooling mom told me that our then senior pastor had told her that she was doing the wrong thing by home educating her children. So I think there was a vibe that our church wasn’t supportive of homeschoolers. To hear that you were homeschooling one of your children made me feel better about that vibe. But it has never crossed my mind that it was the biblical thing to do.

I think most people, myself included, have had moments where we’ve stuck our foot in our mouth. Said something that didn’t come out right, or we just weren’t thinking. I think some of the comments referred to in the list fall into that category. Sometimes you just get tired of hearing anything.

We aren’t embarrassed by our homeschooling but we don’t always mention it. Like the other day when the dentist office gave me a note for school for my boys’ appointments. I just smiled and thanked them.

Robin - I KNOW what you mean! I think I’m truly shocked at the rudeness of people sometimes and can’t think of a thing to say because I’m so dumbfounded. And I mean rudeness for everything, not just homeschooling… like the witch at Famous Footwear who seemed to think I was stupid the other day because I questioned her for giving me a refund that was more than I paid for the shoes in the first place. Seriously, she gave me almost $20 more back than I paid. Then she had the nerve to ask me why I was complaining about it when I wasn’t complaining, I was flat out confused. But hey, that’s a whole other topic.

For example, homeschool parents came up to me when they discovered my youngest was in a form of education from the home: “Finally! We have a pastor at our church who understands the biblical way to educate children.” Please.

Or, if I were to make an alternative list, one might be: “Don’t assume that because I public school my children that said decision to do so wasn’t prayed about through and through.”

Or, “If you can’t say something nice about public schools, shut up!” Why? all forms of education have strengths and weaknesses. Why can’t we have a cup of joe and discuss them.

Or, “Stop telling us about the horrors of the day-in, day-out of the public school system. All children who go through the educational system in our country aren’t cookie-cutter, non-thinking clones and drones just out to have a good time at prom and win state championships.”

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m a HUGE fan of parents making the best choice for their child when it comes to education. Like I said, in my own home we’ve availed ourselves to public schools, a “magnet” school that required auditions and interviews, and a form of schooling at home.

But, they all have plusses and minuses and there have been successes and failures in all of them that folks can point to.