As we wrap up our first year of homeschooling this week, I can't help but reflect on one thing that happened over and over this year. It was one thing that I had to go so far as to coach my kids on. Not only that, but I found out that other homeschooling families I know had the exact same problem.
"Where do you go to school?" people would often inquire. I never noticed this before, but apparently it is the equivalent of asking an adult what they do for a living. People asked it all the time.
And, then what would my kids do? They would look confused. They would start babbling incoherently and looking around the room. I would then have to chime in, "We homeschool." And, I'm sure the asker would then think, "They are homeschooled? What kind of education are the getting -- they don't even know where they go to school!"
I had to give them a little slack, because they had always been in public school. So, they were used to have a quick answer because they knew where they went everyday. But, now, it was more confusing to them because they didn't go to a different building for school. It didn't matter, because frankly, I got tired of the confused babbling that made us all look like idiots, so we sat down for some coaching.
I assured the kids that people knew what homeschooling was, so if they said they were homeschooled, people would understand what that meant. (Apparently this was one of their issues -- they thought they needed to explain homeschooling to other people.) Then, we rehearsed it. I would just randomly ask them, "Where do you go to school?" and I would expect that, without hesitation, they could say, "I'm homeschooled."
It's funny how one little talk and a little practice made a difference.
7 comments:
My oldest son who will be five this summer has already gotten this down as we have talked about the fact that we are going to homeschool him for the past 2 years. So, when people ask him if he is in kindergarten (he is tall) or if he will be going to kindergarten in the fall, he tells them "we homeschool." Then he starts talking to them about whatever else is on his mind - he is a chatter-box! :)
I am just realizing that strangers are obsessed with where your kid goes to school or what grade they are in!
Abby is pretty good about saying she is homeschooled.
G says... I don't. Imagine the looks that gets. Hee hee. Then he follows up with we homeschool.
I'm glad I read this...because I'm sure we'll run into this soon, too!!
We have had the same problem with "what grade are you in." We have a "pat" I am ------ years old and I am homeschooled. Also cuts out some me of the competing :)
That's a good idea. And I also like the one about including your age instead of a grade... because, really, education isn't so evenly sequential to allow us to peg a grade to ourselves and be perfectly accurate [smile].
~Luke
Yes, we get that question a lot, too! My oldest always had the deer in the headlights look when asked that question...but, then again, he doesn't like to talk to strangers at all. That's just him, even though many, many people were quick to jump to the conclusion "That's because he's homeschooled." Ummm...No, it's not. I was more painfully shy than he ever was, and I was in public school.
My second-born is quick to tell people, "We don't have to go to school, because my mom teaches us at home!" And that is just his personality, too--he's never met a stranger. We would leave restaurants on vacation with people saying, "Bye, Josiah!"
And I don't hear the "That's because he's homeschooled" line anymore with my oldest, now that I have two very talkative children. ;)
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